Meet
Joanne Chayna.
Accredited Family Law Specialist, Mediator, Arbitrator, FDRP, Parenting Coordinator & Collaborative Coach
Joanne was admitted to practice as a lawyer in the year 2000. Having initially worked in busy general practice firms in both Parramatta and Sydney, she moved to a specialisation in Family Law and in 2005, achieved Specialist Accreditation in Family Law from the Law Society of NSW. In the same year, she was appointed a Judicial Registrar of the Federal Circuit & Family Court of Australia, Sydney Registry. As a Judicial Registrar, Joanne exercised judicial powers in Court hearings where she was required to clarify, resolve and determine points of law on a daily basis in complex parenting and high net worth financial matters.
Joanne has qualifications as a Mediator, Arbitrator, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Parenting Coordinator and Collaborative Coach. Given her 17-year experience as a Judicial Registrar in the country’s most litigious registry, Joanne is a professional and experienced lawyer who can communicate the legal principles applying to a broad range of cases.
Joanne has superior skills in dispute resolution events with a consistently high settlement rate due to her strong focus in assisting parties to achieve an equitable settlement. As an experienced negotiator, Joanne is able to guide and suggest options to parties to balance their competing needs and interests within the parameters of the law. Joanne has a calm, understanding and empathetic way in which she conducts matters which influences parties to achieve a resolution with a minimum of dispute.
The booking process and communication from your office was very smooth and organised. Joanne was a very involved mediator and my client was extremely happy with the mediation process and the outcome.
Even though we were not able to get a resolution for our client, we were very surprised by how far along the parties actually came by the end of the day. They were very close to settling what was a very difficult matter. The mediator was very fair and balanced and our client felt very heard and supported throughout the process. We look forward to using Separation Solutions again and will definitely be adding them to our list of preferred mediators that we supply to our clients.
Joanne was very professional in all of her dealings with me. It is obvious that she cared about the parties and achieving an outcome for them which avoided Court. The matter was able to resolve and I don’t think we could have done it without Joanne’s assistance. It was an emotional and draining day for my client and she appreciated Joanne’s efforts – the lollies were a great touch too!
Joanne was terrific. Very professional in the conduct of the mediation and managed the competing expectations of the parties very well. I look forward to briefing Joanne and Separation Solutions again.
Joanne worked very hard for the parties to bring about a resolution on a very complex case involving relocation, property and child support. Joanne stayed at the mediation all day and into the early evening to ensure that the agreement reached was documented and signed, resulting in this family achieving closure and a final settlement in ONE Big Day. An amazing result and the work of an exceptional mediator.
I was impressed with the way that Joanne was able to navigate a highly anxious environment and keep the parties focused on coming to a resolution that was appropriate for the parties’ situation involving young children, which involved various allegations of violence. She was also helpful in proposing suggestions and alternative points of view that the parties did not think about but allowed them to then reach an agreed position which would not have been done without Joanne’s assistance. I would recommend Joanne and Separation Solutions for any matter, whether it be straightforward or involves complex issues.
I recently had the privilege of being involved in a Mediation chaired by Joanne Chayna. The matter involved quite sensitive and high-conflict parenting and financial issues which Joanne managed with an exceptional level of skill, empathy and professionalism. I would highly recommend Joanne and I very much look forward to working with her again.
We worked with Joanne in a very difficult mediation where the balance sheet had not been agreed and there was a plethora of issues with valuations etc. Joanne was very patient and helped the parties work through their differences with her interactive balance sheet and assisted us in finally achieving a resolution of the matter. We went overtime and she was happy to stay until 8pm to ensure that the case was settled. We were very satisfied.
