Melanie Becktel
Mediation services
About
Melanie Becktel is a lawyer and trained mediator. She has been practising law since 2014.
Melanie has supported thousands of clients navigate complex legal systems and is now building her mediation practice to help people avoid costly and stressful court processes.
Melanie is a firm, pragmatic negotiator. Her facilitative method is grounded in reality testing risks and benefits. It is Melanie’s belief that both parties will likely be better off the earlier along the process they settle.
Why mediate?
Mediation allows parties to design custom agreements outside the prescriptive method imposed by courts.
Mediation is a private, cost effective and thorough way to resolve a dispute, to support both parties to find an outcome that suits their needs.
Step 1: Your situation
Community
Neighbours
Trees
Fences
Boundaries
Retaining walls
Noise
Development
Surveillance
Any matter listed in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) or the Local Court regarding community situations
Civil matters
Unpaid money
Loans
Bills
Services
Property
Any matter listed in the NSW Local Court
(up to $100,000 General Division)
Workplace
Pay
Conditions
Performance
Discrimination
Bullying
Harassment
Family responsibilities
Any matter before the Fair Work Commission or a state or federal discrimination forum, prior to the listing date
Housing
Evictions
Repairs
Roommates
Subtenancies
Boarders & lodgers
Any matter before the NCAT Consumer and Commercial Division under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 prior to hearing
Motor vehicles
Cars, boats, vehicles
Warranty
Repairs
Major and minor faults
Any matter before NCAT Consumer and Commercial Division under the Australian Consumer Law the Fair Trading Act 1987 and/or the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2013.
Technology
Intellectual property
Data breaches and privacy
Artificial intelligence
Core&, MICTA/ICTA contractual disputes
Governance and service agreements
Step 2: Initial chat
Call (+61) 0451 102 431 to touch base and decide if mediation is right for the situation
Frequent questions
When to mediate?
Before you or the other side files in a court or tribunal
If you’ve been given a letter of demand or statement of claim, mediate before any deadlines for response
Once a court or tribunal matter has started, before the hearing
Court or mediation?
If you are trying to decide whether to lodge a court filing against the other party, or to mediate the situation, you must be mindful of time limitations to secure your rights.
It is a good idea to get legal advice about your situation as soon as possible.
Mediation is usually a lower-risk option, but if a time limit applies and you don’t lodge, you may be missing out on securing a right to a hearing before a judge.
Do I need evidence?
No evidence is required for mediation.
Try mediating first before you put effort toward gathering screenshots, photos or documentary evidence.
There is a lot of cost, time, energy and effort that can go into evidence gathering. If you take your matter to a court or tribunal, a judge must have high quality evidence such as exact dates, times, locations, quotes, photos, screenshots, and the overall context.
Try mediation first to save time and effort gathering evidence.
Reputation, privacy, confidentiality
Everyone’s reputation and privacy is important in mediation.
If a matter goes to a hearing, the judgment, along with party names, workplaces, employers, addresses (or whatever the case may be) could be published online.
This is the principle of open justice, but poses a significant risk to parties in the era of AI scrapers and crawlers.
Try mediation first to protect everyone’s privacy.
Cross-border, international?
If your dispute has a jurisdictional issue, is cross-border, or one party is located overseas, mediation may be more practical than finding a court that will hear the matter.
Try mediation first to avoid costly jurisdictional issues.
Step 3: Book and prepare
Enquire for scheduling and to book your mediation.
In person mediations available:
Sydney
Thirroul
Wollongong
Virtual mediations available anywhere.
As part of preparation, each party will be invited for a 45 minute intake call.
Visit
Address
13/111 Elizabeth Street
Phone
+61451102431ACN
649988198
Operating Hours
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Virtual mediations (from anywhere)
Virtual
For parties not based in Sydney, or if a party is interstate or overseas, mediation may be more practical and can be conducted over Zoom, Webex or Microsoft Teams.