MEDIATION

Cassandra Pullos as Mediator

• Cassandra Pullos first trained as a mediator in 1992 when mediation was only a new and developing form of dispute resolution. She has worked in that field since that time and updated her training and skills regularly since then, including completing the 5 day intensive Mediation and Conflict Resolution Programe with the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in 2008.
• Cassandra is available for appointment as a mediator in any type of dispute that is suitable for mediation including conflicts between family members (whether during relationship breakdown, over the terms of a will or other issues that arise in families), employer/employee, business partnerships, contractual relationships where parties deal with each other on different jobs consistently, landlord/tenant, debtor/creditor, parent/child/school, local council/developer/residents, neighbourhood disputes and many others.
• As a mediator Cassandra brings her wealth of legal experience in many areas of law to the task of option generation and conducts the mediation in a way underpinned by the firms core values of integrity trust and equality.
• If you have a dispute you would like to try and resolve using mediation telephone Cassandra for a more detailed discussion about the process and getting started.

What is Mediation?

Mediation is a process by which an independant third party assists two or more people to reach a mutually agreed upon negotiated solution to their conflict. The mediator uses a variety of skills and techniques to to help the parties but does not make any decisions for them.

These are some characteristcs of mediation:-

• Mediation is an extension of the negotiation process.
• The mediator assists the parties identify the real issues then generate options for resolution.
• Mediation is future focused and solutions based.
• Mediation requires each party to accept personal responsibility for finding solutions and generating options.
• It is a confidential, informal and flexible process that takes place in a private setting as opposed to a public courtroom and can be tailored to individual requirements.
• The assistance of outside experts (such as lawyers, counsellors, accountants) can be used in the process.
• The aim is to assist parties reach an agreement they are willing and able to carry out themselves.
• Mediation seeks to build the relationship between the parties as the problem is solved and improve communication to reduce future conflicts.

The benefits can include:

• Speedy, rapid results
• Informal
• Convenient
• Private, confidential
• Generally, less expensive
• Can be a healing process
• Encourages comprehensive, customised agreements
• Focuses on creative problem solving
• Greater control to the disputing parties over the outcome
• Preservation of relationship or termination of one in a better way
• When is mediation effective?

Generally speaking, mediation could be considered where parties to a conflict want to retain control over the outcome of their dispute, where they are prepared to engage in joint problem solving and focus more on the future than the past and where there is a need or desire to retain a relationship of respect into the future. Examples include conflicts between family members (whether during relationship breakdown, over the terms of a will or other issues that arise in families). employer/employee, business partnerships, contractual relationships where parties deal with each other on different jobs consistently, landlord/tenant, debtor/creditor, parent/child/school, local council/developer/residents, neighbourhood disputes and many others.

To successfully mediate, parties must be able to:

• Have some desire to work through the problem
• Be able to communicate on some level
• Be competent and in control of their actions and behaviour, not violent or under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Be able to follow some degree of structure (both in the mediation process and any resulting agreement)