“My aim is to get to a resolution as quickly, cost-effective and least emotionally draining as possible,” Diana says.
“It’s my job to take the emotion out of separation and design a plan to help people move forward. This allows my clients to focus on their own wellbeing as well as their children’s.”
Diana is an adept negotiator who puts her clients’ interests at the centre while offering an objective, practical viewpoint. She sympathises with clients and recognises where compromise is possible to accelerate the process, while also standing firm to fight for the best possible outcome.
“I believe honesty at the beginning is best for my client as they start the separation process,” she says.
“It’s important they can open up to me when we first meet, that they trust me, and then I can tell them what I think the best moves going forward will be.
“It’s at a point in their lives that is difficult, so why not try to move them through to start that new phase sooner rather than later.”
This practical goal-orientated approach has delighted clients who feared years of litigation in the back-logged Family Court system.
“My focus is to avoid the costly process of litigation,” she says.
“It’s time-consuming. It’s stressful. It can take years. Why go through all of that?
“I guide people to a negotiated settlement. Put control in the hands of the two parties and empower them to find a solution that works for everyone as opposed to court-driven settlement where it is beyond their control.”
Diana offers a diverse skillset which allows her to solve problems intelligently and efficiently. She is as comfortable negotiating complex, high-value property settlements as she is reuniting parents with their children and arranging for grandparents to become primary carers when the parents are in crisis. She has also helped to resolve questions of care in cases of abuse and neglect.
Whatever her role in the separation process, it is her client’s satisfacvtion that drives her.
“My motivation is getting an outcome that the client is satisfied with. It’s not about the legal answer,” she says.
“It’s about knowing my client is content with the outcome and it is what they were hoping to achieve when we first met.”
Adelaide, SA 5000