• How should I prepare for the Pre-Mediation session?

  

  At your initial one-on-one session, I will ask you very briefly about why you separated, and hear a little about what has been happening for each of you since separation.

  At your initial one-on-one session, I will ask you very briefly about why you separated, and hear a little about what has been happening for each of you since separation. This helps me to understand where each of you is coming from when you come to the mediation.
  
  

  The main focus of the discussion will be your current assets and future needs. We will make a rough list of your assets and liabilities, including any property, vehicles, superannuation, businesses, investments, loans and credit card debts. We will then talk through your idea of what would be a fair split. This is all completely confidential.
  
  You don’t need to bring much paperwork to your individual session, but it can be useful to get some legal advice from a specialist family lawyer beforehand. Knowing what you may be entitled to under the Australian Family Law legislation is a help when you and your partner have a different opinion about what is “fair”. The legislation is the only real, objective and fair guideline about how assets should be divided.
  
  That said, ultimately in mediation you and your partner decide on the outcomes. If you haven’t had time to get legal advice before your pre-mediation, that is fine.

How should I prepare for the Joint Mediation?

Prior to coming to the joint mediation I will ask you to prepare some documentation that may help you to move quickly through the process. It is a waste of time and money to come to mediation and argue at length about the value of your assets.

Some of things I might ask you to bring will be: