Tim McFarlane
Mobile: 0409 965 610
Email: tim@mcfarlanelegal.com.au
“Great mediation means the parties leave equally satisfied and relieved.”
Having conducted more than 8,000 mediations, Tim McFarlane is highly respected within the Australian legal profession for his commercially focused, practical and balanced approach to conflict resolution. Tim’s extensive and varied expertise has been developed over 37 years whilst employed at, and as a partner in, a number of law firms. Tim has been an Accredited Specialist in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) since 1993.
Tim was an inaugural director of the national Mediator Standards Board and is a member of a number of mediation committees across Australia, Asia and Europe, including the ADR Committee of the Law Council of Australia and a panel member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland and a Certified Mediator with the Singapore International Mediation Institute. Tim has presented on ADR locally, interstate and overseas and written extensively on mediation. He also conducts private mediation training courses for law firms, universities and various other organisations both in Australia and overseas.
Tim brings a wealth of real world experience, legal knowledge and an outcome focused proactive attitude to the parties, when acting as a mediator or facilitator for parties in conflict. Tim is particularly passionate about mediation, ensuring the parties feel heard, understood and satisfied with their settlement. His relaxed nature makes discussion, engagement and negotiation as seamless as possible.
Tim is listed in various guides to expert practitioners, including Doyle’s Guide as a Recommended Mediator, and after being the first Victorian listed in the London publication of Who’s Who Legal: Mediation has been consistently listed every year.
He was the winner of the LIV Accredited Specialist Achievement Award in 2014.
Tim McFarlane CV - Download PDF
Sharan Safe
Mobile: 0409 425 855
Email: sharansafe@mcfarlanelegal.com.au
‘A successful mediation is one that promotes resolution that all parties can live with. With the right approach there should be no problem that cannot be resolved’
Prior to embarking on a career as a mediator, Sharan participated in excess of 400 mediations over the course of 11 years in her role as inhouse counsel for the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited. Sharan’s extensive experience in mediation includes participating in Farm Debt mediations in all jurisdictions, insolvency, commercial disputes, banking and finance matters, customer complaints, family and succession issues and partnership disputes.
Prior to Sharan’s participation as inhouse counsel, Sharan was in private practice with Gadens and HWL Ebsworth in Commercial Litigation and Banking. Sharan commenced her career as an inhouse lawyer at State Bank of Victoria and then Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
Recognising that from time to time we all encounter difficult issues to manage, Sharan’s approach to problem solving is one that promotes a safe place to be heard, to be respected and to be understood.
Sharan prides herself on her ability to be empathetic and balanced in her approach. Sharan’s respect for the mediation process, respect for the parties involved and their concerns, will assist the parties to focus on the issues as a mutual problem to be resolved.
Sharan’s promise as a mediator is to always remain impartial and to uphold her duty of confidentiality to parties involved. Sharan will endeavour to always apply her practical and commercial mindset, no matter how challenging a problem or dispute may be to resolve.
Sharan Safe CV - Download PDF
Michael Tehan
Mobile: 0411 468 468
Email: michaeltehan@mcfarlanelegal.com.au
“Great mediation achieves results which do not necessarily require that one side wins and one loses.”
Michael Tehan is a nationally accredited mediator, practising exclusively in this field. His work follows a long career as a lawyer and partner of Minter Ellison. This experience, together with his background as a senior public servant and a union official, gave him opportunities to work on highly complex matters for a wide range of clients including the Victorian Government and Australia Post.
Michael’s involvement in many difficult disputes during his career meant that he ran cases in all Victorian and Federal Courts, including the High Court. As a solicitor he appeared in numerous mediations, noting many cases where independent third party intervention did lead to the early resolution of a dispute. Among many lessons he learned, he saw that, on some occasions, a decision at trial led to new issues or unintended consequences.
Conscious of the intense strain involved on all parties when litigation is threatened or taking place, Michael joined McFarlane Legal with a great belief in the benefit of the safety of the mediation environment. Recognising that personal factors can sometimes hinder what might be seen as a sensible resolution, in his role as mediator he seeks to remove some of the tension and to ensure each party is carefully listened to and has had all issues and circumstances fully explained to them.
When he was practising as a litigator, Michael was consistently listed as a leading lawyer in his fields in Best Lawyers, Doyle’s Guide and Chambers.
Michael’s roles outside the law include directorships at Villa Maria Catholic Homes (a large aged care and disability services provider) and Rest Super (which administers more than $50 billion of superannuation for 2 million members).
Michael Tehan CV - Download PDF