Mediation | Sydney Mediation Services
PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS
Professional, Confidential Mediation Services in Sydney
Mediation offers a unique opportunity for a path forward. It gives parties the chance to be heard, to speak openly, and to work together toward a solution that reflects mutual understanding.
Vocare Law provides professional mediation services for individuals, teams, and organisations across Sydney seeking to resolve disputes and achieve positive outcomes through respectful dialogue in a supportive environment.
With Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) experience, we help parties reach practical agreements in a safe, constructive setting. Our accredited mediators offer clear guidance and a steady presence throughout the process.
Who We Work With in Sydney
Our services support a full range of legal and organisational matters for clients across Sydney, including:
- Committee breakdowns
- Personality or values clashes
- Ethical disagreements
- Role clarity or boundary disputes
- Our team brings broad experience across a range of industries and can assist with a variety of matters, including:
- Employment disputes
- Workplace conflict
- Governance and succession issues
- Mission or values misalignment
Our Mediation Options
We offer a range of mediation formats to meet the needs of Sydney clients:
- In-Person Mediation – attending mediation in the same room can encourage trust, clarity, and a deeper level of engagement for the parties involved. You can meet face-to-face in a safe environment, like our Sydney office – or at a neutral location agreed by both parties.
- Online Mediation – we offer secure video conferencing. For those who prefer or require remote attendance, this option enables productive discussions from any location.
- Hybrid Mediation – a flexible mix of in-person and online sessions is ideal for clients with conflicting schedules or when only certain participants can meet physically.
- Shuttle Mediation – when it’s unsafe or unhelpful for both parties to be in the same room, we act as a neutral intermediary. We work separately with each party to explore options and work toward an agreement.
- Faith-Based Mediation – for those seeking a Christian approach to conflict resolution in Sydney, we offer faith-informed mediation grounded in biblical principles of reconciliation, justice, humility, and grace. It’s a space to address both the practical and spiritual aspects of a dispute, supporting outcomes aligned with your values.
Our Sydney Mediation Team
Our Sydney team brings wide-ranging mediation experience and legal expertise to every matter.
Fran Keyes
Practice Leader
Fran is a senior and well-respected Lawyer, Nationally Accredited Mediator and registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner.
Fran previously worked for Vocare Law, from 2018 to 2020, as a special counsel in our employment and schools team. In October 2022, Fran returned to Vocare to lead our employment and discrimination practice. Between 2020 and 2022, Fran widened her experience at a national law practice, was conferred with dual mediation accreditation, and established her own legal and mediation practice. Fran’s decision to return to Vocare was based on enduring personal and professional connections with our people and the clients we serve.
Alistair Macpherson
Managing Director
Alistair Macpherson is an Australian Legal Practitioner. He was admitted as a legal practitioner to the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 2001 and has experience in the ACT, NSW and QLD jurisdictions.
Alistair has been employed as a legal adviser and solicitor by a number of government organisations, such as:
- Department of Defence
- Australian Federal Police
- Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries
Our Mediation Process
The mediation process generally follows these key steps:
- Initial Contact: A confidential intake session to understand your matter and assess suitability for mediation.
- Agreement to Mediate: All parties sign a written document outlining the mediation structure, confidentiality provisions, and commitment to making a genuine effort to resolve the issue.
- Pre-Mediation Preparation: We speak with you and the other party individually to clarify goals, prepare for discussions, and identify potential points of common ground, while gaining insight into the other’s point of view. You may also nominate a support person to assist you during this stage or the mediation session itself.
- Mediation Session(s): Our professional mediator, acting as a neutral person, facilitates a thoughtful dialogue, either in joint sessions or shuttle format, to help parties reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
- Outcome: Where resolution is reached, we help draft a formal agreement or mediation agreement. This gives both parties clarity and ownership over their own agreement, rather than having terms imposed by a third party.
- Follow-Up: If needed, we provide debriefs, check-ins, or guidance on implementing the agreement.
Why Choose Mediation
Mediation is an effective form of conflict resolution that allows parties to address issues privately, flexibly, and with greater control. This path often helps avoid the time, strain, and complexity that comes with a formal legal process. Sydney clients turn to mediation because it offers:
- Confidentiality: Keep sensitive matters out of the public eye and away from formal court proceedings.
- Efficiency: Full-day mediations and focused sessions help resolve disagreements in weeks, not years.
- Cost-effectiveness: Mediation is often significantly more affordable than litigation or engaging private providers for prolonged dispute management.
- Preservation of relationships: This can be vital where ongoing collaboration is needed.
- Control over outcomes: If you work to reach an agreement with the other party, working collaboratively rather than adversarially will serve the best interests of the people involved.
In some cases, outcomes can be made enforceable by a court order, particularly when they involve children.
FAQs – Sydney Mediation
Yes. We can attend your Sydney site or arrange a neutral venue nearby. When appropriate, mediation for school or workplace disputes may also occur in separate rooms.
Most mediation cases are resolved in a half or full-day session. Complex matters may require additional sessions.
Absolutely. We offer flexible arrangements, including online and hybrid formats for Sydney and regional clients.
While our experienced mediators are qualified legal professionals, they act as neutral facilitators during mediation. If legal advice is needed, we can refer you internally or suggest you seek independent legal advice before signing any agreement.
Where parties reach consensus, we can assist in documenting the agreement. In appropriate cases, this may be formalised into a legally binding court order.
Fees vary based on the length and complexity of the matter. Contact us directly for a clear, confidential quote with no hidden costs.
Advice You Can Trust
We offer customised professional legal services tailored to meet our clients’ needs. Our values are service, care and excellence. Our people are our strength. We nurture them by creating a healthy team environment which encourages them to make positive contributions in delivering our legal services. Our communities are missions focused. We exercise our generosity by making contributions at a local, national and international level.
