Meet Marie Giannenas
LL.B B.A. (Crim.) (Hons.) Grad.Dip.Leg.Prac
Registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (Attorney-General)
AMDRAS Nationally Accredited Mediator
I am a Nationally Accredited Mediator under the Australian Mediator and Dispute Resolution Accreditation Standards (AMDRAS) and an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP) registered with the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department. I am legally authorised to issue Section 60I Certificates under the Family Law Act 1975 and facilitate mandatory Pre-Action Procedures in accordance with the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Family Law) Rules 2021.
I am also qualified as a solicitor and have over 10 years of experience at a well-respected and reputable local law firm. With a focus primarily on family law, I worked on complex parenting and property matters, including child protection and family violence matters.
During my practice as a solicitor, I aimed to approach clients with empathy, respect, and support. My priority was to educate clients whilst providing advice in order for clients to be completely aware of their options and make fully informed decisions. I found that it was also important to recognise that for a client in a family law matter, whether that be a property settlement or a parenting matter, a solicitor is much like a life raft to that client. That particular period of a client’s life is fraught with so much uncertainty and fear, and they cannot help but be overwhelmed with feelings that it will never end. I have seen that clients need the stability of professionals to educate them to know their rights, interests, or entitlements, and empower them to make decisions about their own futures so that they can progress forward with clarity.
My mission is to incorporate these same principles of client empowerment, peaceful resolutions, and open minds into my dispute resolution practice. As a result, clients are enabled to decide their own journey, make their own decisions, and avoid the time, stress, and expense of litigation.
When progressing forward, it is vitally important for parties to be given the space to reflect, ability to be heard, and opportunity to truly explore the options available to them. Most of these options are often only half known, until the parties are given the room and opportunity to explore and chance to be heard.
This is where I have seen Family Dispute Resolution play a critical role in giving clients back their voices. Watching a client being able to tell their story or give their perspective in a safe setting before an impartial third party that has the knowledge and experience to handle the complexities of their dispute, is a touching experience. Seeing clients transform through the process is truly moving.
I have also seen that many people do not actually want to argue. Family Dispute Resolution gives clients the opportunity to build a new way forward as the conversations promote amicability as opposed to hostility. This becomes particularly important when dealing with parenting matters, as parties need to find a new rhythm in the way they co-parent post separation that is child focused and can hopefully continue well beyond the child turns 18.
It is also very important to remember that Family Dispute Resolution offers clients the opportunity resolve a matter on their own, instead of having a Judge make a decision for them that may not be what either party wants. Even if a court application has been initiated, it is never too late to attend or be referred to dispute resolution. In this sense, mediation is pivotal in reducing the ongoing legal fees that are often inevitable when progressing to trial and the very significant emotional impact that goes with it.
It is for these reasons that the family law system in Australia has been recently reformed, where Family Dispute Resolution has become more important now than ever before.
As a Tablelands local, I am committed to supporting the Tablelands community by providing Mediation and Family Dispute Resolution across the Atherton, Mareeba, and entire Tablelands region, in addition to Cairns. I have seen firsthand the difficulties for the Tablelands community to access essential services in Cairns, and am inspired to offer this much needed support locally.
My enthusiasm for collaborative practice and assisting clients reach amicable resolutions has led me to now move primarily into the dispute resolution sphere and form my own Mediation and Family Dispute Resolution practice.
Mediation and Family Dispute Resolution is an extremely rewarding experience for anyone who has the opportunity to participate in it. If you are thinking about the process or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. I look forward to working with you.