Most married or de facto couples start their relationship happy. For some people, this happiness can become displaced for a myriad of reasons, often placing strain on the relationship to the point it irretrievably breaks down.

Experience tells me that what sometimes follows after separation can be a dispute or level of conflict where:-

1. Parties sometimes lose sight of the human or co-parent aspect and the happiness and positive experiences they might have once enjoyed are quickly forgotten;

2. Third party influences become involved, often creating or adding to the turmoil or level of conflict within the dispute; and

3. The longer the dispute goes on, the more engrained parties can become in their respective views surrounding the dispute, reducing the prospects of any compromise and the possibility of an acceptable negotiated resolution.

Factually, some elements of certain disputes are never able to be fully resolved between opposing sides. We lawyers try hard to help our clients by getting them to view the dispute or conflict through a number of different lenses so that it can become palatable enough in their own mind for them to reach a resolution and move on with their life. This often starts by the parties to the dispute going on a journey of self awareness to ascertain not only what hasn’t been working, but by taking a step back and reflecting on the things that truely matter to them.

The work I do is by no means easy, but it is meaningful and I am grateful to be able to help people achieve freedom and peace after what is often one of the most difficult periods of their life.