For Lawyers

Our team provides support not only directly to clients but also to their legal counsel.

We provide:

advice to lawyers around process options;
training in relation to the processes we offer; and
ongoing support and case management for any active cases with a dedicated case manager.

Contact us today by completing the form on this page and we can make a time to discuss how we can best help you in your practice.

The Brain Science of Conflict

by Catherine Green | 12/07/2019 | Counselling, Elder Mediation, Family Law, FDR Mediation, Mediation, Voice of the Child | 0 Comments

Yesterday, we at the FDR Centre were delighted to co-host with NZDRC two sessions with Kathryn Berkett learning all about the neuroscience behind conflict. Sounds complicated? Luckily Kathryn is absolutely brilliant at communicating the science in a completely...

The Trusts Act 2019: keeping it in the family

by Virginia Bonanni | 21/07/2021 | Family Law, FDR Centre, Trusts and Estates | 0 Comments

By Maria Cole. No-one likes to have their dirty laundry aired in public. Sadly, it has been all too common for parties in family trust and estate disputes, to find their private family affairs made public and become the topic of law journal articles and gossip at...

PENALTIES AND CHILD SUPPORT – WHAT THE NEW LAW MEANS FOR YOU

by Virginia Bonanni | 19/04/2021 | FDR Centre, FDR Mediation, Mediation | 0 Comments

By Nashi Ali and Melissa Perkin. The child support scheme affects approximately 135,000 carers, 166,000 liable parents and 185,000 qualifying children. In 2019 it was reported that there was $2.2 billion in child support debt. A crippling $1.6 billion of this debt was...

FAQ’S – PENALTIES AND CHILD SUPPORT – WHAT THE 2021 LAW CHANGES MEAN

by Virginia Bonanni | 19/04/2021 | FDR Centre, FDR Mediation, Mediation | 0 Comments

Following the 2021 changes to child support laws, there are potentially significant changes to the way liable parents are now exposed to penalties under the child support regime. We have created a series of FAQs with answers to help understand the changes. When do the...

Preston v Preston “…this case is everything relationship property litigation should not be.”

by Virginia Bonanni | 09/04/2021 | Family Law, FDR Centre, Mediation, Relationship Property, Trusts and Estates, Wills | 0 Comments

By Melissa Perkin and Melt Strydom. Overview Mr and Mrs Preston were married for five years. Sadly, the legal proceedings that followed their separation have lasted almost as long and might not be over yet, as an application for leave to appeal was recently filed in...

The Trusts Act 2019: What you need to know

by Natalia Vila | 04/02/2021 | Arbitration, Relationship Property, Trusts and Estates | 0 Comments

By Melissa Perkin and Melt Strydom INTRODUCTION Although exact numbers are unknown, it is estimated there are hundreds of thousands of trusts in New Zealand. The new Trusts Act 2019 came into force on 30 January 2021. It brings a number of significant changes to trust...

School’s in! – learning from home during lockdown

by Kaye Penney | 14/04/2020 | FDR Centre | 0 Comments

School's in! - learning from home during lockdown Tomorrow is the start of the second term of the school year - a term that is looking unlike any other we have seen. The Ministry of Education has been working quickly to introduce a package of options to ensure...

Tips for Managing the Shared Care of Children During the Covid-19 Lockdown Period – part 2

by Kaye Penney | 06/04/2020 | FDR Mediation | 0 Comments

Tips for Managing the Shared Care of Children During the Covid-19 Lockdown Period – part 2 Self-care, finances and working co-operatively Your personal health and safety is important You must take care of yourself in order to care for your children. ...

Tips for Managing the Shared Care of Children During the Covid-19 Lockdown Period – Part 1

by Kaye Penney | 02/04/2020 | FDR Centre | 0 Comments

Tips for Managing the Shared Care of Children During the Covid-19 Lockdown Period – part 1 Based on our experience of working with thousands of families over many years we have put together a few tips that we hope help you better understand what options are...

Navigating unchartered waters: co-parenting through COVID-19

by Kaye Penney | 25/03/2020 | FDR Centre | 0 Comments

Navigating unchartered waters: co-parenting through COVID-19 The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus is presenting us with challenges unseen in most of our lifetimes. We are faced with changes on a daily basis as to how we conduct our lives and there is no timeframe being...

Arbitration and mediation of disputes involving trusts get the green light in New Zealand

by Kaye Penney | 18/09/2019 | Arbitration, Mediation, Trusts and Estates | 0 Comments

In July this year, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Trusts Bill which contains unique and important provisions that expressly provide for arbitration and mediation of internal and external disputes involving trusts, including for court-ordered arbitration or...