Family & Relationships · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
14 mediation & dispute resolution firms in Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches, New South Wales, including Chatswood, North Sydney, Hornsby, Manly.
14 firms
Milsons Point, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Dorter Family Lawyers & Mediators provides legal services in Milsons Point, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Mediation is confidential and usually far cheaper and faster than litigation. In parenting disputes, family dispute resolution is generally required before court, and an accredited practitioner issues a certificate when it doesn't resolve the matter. Lawyers can attend with you or advise you before and after sessions.
Mediation resolves disputes faster and more cheaply than court, and keeps decisions in the parties' hands rather than a judge's.
Family dispute resolution is generally compulsory before parenting proceedings under section 60I of the Family Law Act. Practitioners must be accredited by the Attorney-General's Department. Many courts also order mediation in civil disputes.
Understand the next step
Clarify whether you want advice before mediation, a lawyer to attend, or help recording an agreement afterwards. A mediator’s role and your own legal adviser’s role are different.
Ask what can be settled in the session and what further documentation is needed to give the outcome its intended effect.
This search area brings together North Shore and Northern Beaches centres. For a property purchase, family matter or estate, compare the actual office location rather than assuming every firm is close to your suburb.
For mediation & dispute resolution, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant NSW experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches. Your home address alone does not determine the applicable process.
Explain the relationship history, current arrangements and outcome you want. Identify immediate concerns and provide every existing order or agreement.
Discuss negotiation and family dispute resolution. Parenting applications generally involve prior dispute resolution unless an exception applies; ask the lawyer to assess the appropriate process.
Ask how an agreement would be documented and implemented. Clarify who handles related transfers, finance and estate-planning work.
Ask for separate estimates for advice, negotiation, document preparation and court work. A fixed divorce-application fee does not necessarily cover parenting or financial disputes.
Ask for a written scope identifying the work you are authorising, the person responsible and when costs will be reviewed. If you only want advice on one step, say so before the firm begins wider work.
Highlight court dates, proposed travel or relocation and any planned property sale. Ask which time limits apply to your particular issues rather than assuming there is one deadline for everything.
In New South Wales, most criminal and minor civil matters start in the Local Court, with more serious matters in the District Court and Supreme Court. Tenancy, strata, consumer and guardianship disputes usually go to NCAT. Solicitors are licensed by the Law Society of New South Wales, and complaints about lawyers go to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner.
Good to know
Generally yes, with exceptions such as threats to safety and child abuse.
A certificate from a family dispute resolution practitioner, usually needed before filing a parenting application in court.
Most matters start in the Local Court. More serious cases go to the District Court or the Supreme Court of NSW. Family law matters are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Balgowlah, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
De Saxe O'Neill Family Lawyers provides legal services in Balgowlah, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Lane Cove, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Fuentes Legal provides legal services in Lane Cove, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Divorce & Separation and Mediation & Dispute Resolution.
Dee Why, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Wallen Family Law provides legal services in Dee Why, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Property & Conveyancing.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Movement Legal provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Binding Financial Agreements and Property & Conveyancing.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Strata and Construction Lawyers provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Strata & Body Corporate, Building & Construction and Residential Tenancy.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Empower Will Contest Lawyers provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Contested Wills & Family Provision, Probate & Estate Administration and Wills & Estates.
Chatswood, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Orbell Family Lawyers Central Coast provides legal services in Chatswood, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Parenting & Child Custody and Divorce & Separation.
Chatswood, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Starlight Legal (Chatswood) provides legal services in Chatswood, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Immigration & Visas and Criminal Law.
Dee Why, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Staunton & Thompson Lawyers provides legal services in Dee Why, NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Business & Commercial Law and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
North Sydney, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Antunes M C Lawyers & Advocates provides legal services in North Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Brookvale, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Reid Family Lawyers provides legal services in Brookvale, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Property & Conveyancing.
Lindfield, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Blackman Amanda provides legal services in Lindfield, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Wills & Estates.
Brookvale, NSW · Sydney North Shore & Northern Beaches
Jacqueline Townsend Solicitor provides legal services in Brookvale, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Property & Conveyancing.
Directory guidance updated 19 September 2026. General information to help you prepare for a conversation with a professional; not advice about your individual matter. Check current requirements with the relevant authority.
Practising certificates in New South Wales are managed by the Law Society of New South Wales. You can check a solicitor's status on its public register or by contacting it directly.