Bayside Mediation - Highett, Victoria

Jean L.

Thank you Dianne and Alina for resolving our complex mediation in a fair and professional process. My advice to your potential clients is to avoid lawyers at all costs if possible. I paid a heavy legal price and was amazed at their costing and revenue structure designed to maximise profits at every opportunity. Phone calls, emails, even asking you for some information came at cost of $45 each. Unwarranted and unwanted conversations was billed exorbitantly as legal advice. Mediation is the most cost effective way to resolve issues, especially financial separations and division of assets. Pay attention of lawyers per hour rates compared to the costs of mediation. Stay alert, ask questions and maintain control of your costs. I strongly recommend Bayside Mediation if you want a fair, open, cost effective and transparent process to resolve your personal or family issues. Lawyers and Courts is an option that should be avoided at all costs, if possible. At least speak to Bayside Mediation and weigh up your options. They cannot take sides and they operate legally but without the exorbitant fees, hidden charges and costs. Think and be alert before being caught out by the legal trap. Your assets and money belongs in your pocket because stress and vulnerability can lead to making bad choices.depleting you legally !

Dean M.

I would like to thank Alina and the team at Bayside mediation for the professionalism and willinginess to support in challenging circumstances. Alina specifically went above and beyod to work to try get stakeholders to the table and her commitment went well beyond just being a facilitor but rather being a figure that can assist to coax stakeholders through apprehension to the table.

J R.

I came across a comment from this mediation service on a public Facebook group that was deeply concerning. Instead of promoting respectful co-parenting and lawful solutions, they appeared to encourage withholding children to “put the other parent on the back foot.”

As someone who is actively navigating the family law system, I expect a mediator — especially one operating under Family Dispute Resolution principles — to remain neutral and child-focused. Comments like this show a complete lack of professionalism and make me question how fairly they treat parents during mediation.

If you’re looking for a service that actually supports what’s in the best interests of your child, I’d think twice.

Jeni J.

I was initially quite hesitant about my appointment, having had a bad experience with a different mediation group many years ago. On meeting Dianne, those fears were alleviated. She was compassionate and genuinely focused on helping us reach the best possible outcome for us all. Her consistent availability via phone and email, along with her honest and objective guidance, provided incredible support throughout the entire process. I highly recommend Bayside and Dianne to anyone seeking mediation services. Thank you Dianne and team.

Alicia L.

Alina is a very honest mediator, she care for her client for their family genuinely.

Jonathan W.

Lawyer prices for certificate qualifications.

Dianne’s business model seems to be; get the couple in, make a quick agreement and come back in 6-12 months’ time to make another buck.

The centre charges lawyer prices for certificate qualifications. Save your money and go to a government funded one. At least the federally funded ones have proper oversight, and act in a professional manner.

I went to several sessions in 2023 to discuss a change in custody. I found Dianne’s conduct unprofessional, and I felt bullied into signing an agreement that was not in my child’s best interests.

Before I met the mediator, she was rushing me to get in before Christmas. The intake seemed harmless enough. However, when we got to the session, she seemed to have made up her mind as to what outcome she wanted me to sign. This opinion seemed to be solely formed on the information provided by my ex. It felt like a setup.

There was lots of pressure during the initial session to consider a major custody decision. Pressure was heaped on to sign handwritten scraps of paper, then and there. This new agreement would supposedly override formal court orders that were only a few years old. I would have thought for thousands of dollars we would receive something more formal than a white board print out, but this is all you get.

After I refused to sign immediately, there was insinuation that I was legal required to do certain things and a lot of pressure that it would be very costly if I didn’t. It was interesting to note that Dianne’s written wording was different to what she would verbally say.

Dianne may even respond to this review saying I'm still angry, or it’s a fake review, as she has on many others. If you look at the 1 star reviews, a lot say the same thing; pressure, intimidation, lack of family violence skills. I truly did try to reach middle ground with my ex on the best interests of our child but we never got there. Dianne refused to continue after she realised her bullying tactics would not work on me. 12 months after mediation, my teenager now wants to live more with me. I am writing this review, in the hopes that other parents are warned off this mediation centre.

If you come here, you will wind up with an agreement that doesn’t help your kids. Even if the mediator sides with you, you’ll end up in more mediation or court months down the track. Do not waste your money, there are cheaper more professional options.

Jon P.

After our initial ‘intake meetings’ my ex-wife and I jointly decided to stop using Bayside Mediation. There were two main reasons for this decision. Firstly, because the mediator (who was apparently an ex Realestate agent) tried to persuade me that the professional valuation we had paid for on our house should be disregarded in favour of ‘the opinions of a couple of local realestate agents she could recommend’. And secondly, my ex-wife was concerned that when she she told the mediator what she was looking to achieve as an outcome, the mediator told her ‘you should be more ambitious, we can get far more than that out of him’. We switched to a different mediator ( who was actually professionally qualified as a family lawyer) and completed a mediated settlement without any issue. I regret the $500+ we wasted with Bayside Mediation.

Fatima J.

I want to give a big thanks to Tess, who helped me a lot through my divorce. I went to see her twice, and since then if I had any follow up questions I could text or call her and get a fast answer. She listens to me patiently and always gives a helpful answer. I would recommend Tess’ services to anyone who needs it.