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Amidst the Covid-19 lockdowns initiated by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday 23 March 2020, many Kiwis are feeling stressed and uncertain about their current situation. When issues arise, especially at an unprecedented time like this, it’s often best to talk them out and work together to find positive solutions. If parenting, child welfare and other family issues arise that you need to discuss, we are here to assist.
Alissa Bell, partner of the Family Law team at the Albany office, offers dedicated mediation services to help individuals and their families through these difficult times. Alissa has specialised in family law since 2003. She is a court appointed lawyer for child, and has been an accredited member of the New Zealand Law Society (NZLS) panel of mediators since 2012. Alissa will remove as much stress as possible to assist you to get the best outcomes for you, your children and/or your family members.
The mediation process enables you to talk about issues with the other party in a safe, confidential environment, with those discussions guided by a qualified and experienced independent mediator to reach a positive outcome for all involved. The mediator does not make a decision for you, but helps you to reach one. Mediation is an effective way to settle a family dispute so that parties do not need to apply to the Court for intervention. If you and the other party are in agreement at the end of a mediation session, Alissa will help you to draw up a written agreement for you to sign. However, if no agreement is reached, there is the option for you to apply to the Court to resolve the issues, provided that, in the case of care of children disputes, you have also completed a free Parenting Through Separation course run by the Ministry of Justice.
We provide two types of mediation:
• Family Dispute Resolution – for matters involving care of children. The service is Government-subsidised and costs
$448.50 per person. Depending on your circumstances you may qualify for this to be fully funded.
• Private mediation – for all family law matters, privately funded by the parties.
At a time like this, we as New Zealanders need to work together to support ourselves, our children and our relatives. For assistance, please contact Alissa Bell at (abell@mcveaghfleming.co.nz) or (09) 415 4477.
Alissa is working remotely throughout this period and is available to mediate any type of family law dispute, including care of children, relationship property and estate disputes. Meetings and mediations can be held via phone, Skype, Zoom and other video-conferencing apps.
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© McVeagh Fleming 2020
This article is published for general information purposes only. Legal content in this article is necessarily of a general nature and should not be relied upon as legal advice. If you require specific legal advice in respect of any legal issue, you should always engage a lawyer to provide that advice.
