Conflict, unfortunately, is a part of life, but knowing that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier. Disputes in our personal and work lives can cause enormous stress and impact our mental health and work performance. Court cases divide and oppose the participants for a win-lose outcome. As the story that is taken to court rarely captures the entirety of the issue, the resulting sense of unfairness can compromise working relationships, sometimes beyond repair.
Even very significant differences can be overcome without a relationship becoming collateral damage. The best resolution for a dispute is where the participants arrive at an agreement they can live with. Mediation promotes the exchange of information and a deeper understanding of the participants’ concerns, needs and interests. This allows them to work towards a mutually acceptable solution, move beyond the problem and maintain their relationship.
Victoria-Anne Davidson
NMAS Accredited Mediator | Lawyer
After graduating from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in 1994 and working in the publishing industry in Sydney and London, I returned home to study and obtained a Bachelor of Laws at UNSW in 2002. I was fortunate to gain a graduate placement with Blake Dawson Waldron where I mainly engaged in corporate advice and acquisition work, cementing my legal skills. In 2009 I took a legal counsel position at the Sydney Opera House. It was exhilarating to again work in a creative industry and working in-house gave me a deeper understanding of commercial and workplace pressures.
In 2011 I left legal practice to manager my husband’s podiatry business The Foot Group, which has two clinics in Sydney’s north. Running our own business, dealing with all aspects required to be commercially successful, has given me unique insight into what drives business decision making.
Having recently undertaken Mediation Training at the Resolution Institute and attaining NMAS accreditation I feel my education, training and experience have culminated in my mediation work. With my career as a lawyer in both corporate and in-house settings, and in a decade of small business, I bring a rich blend of professional skills, personal disciplines and life experiences to any commercial mediation setting.
