We’re passionate about what good dispute resolution looks like

Michael has particular expertise in personal injuries of both a physical and psychological nature and has over 30 years’ of experience in law and dispute resolution. His approach is to focus sensitively on the people involved in disputes, promoting facilitative and restorative conversations that lead parties to fair, just and durable outcomes.

Michael commenced his career working in a law firm representing injured workers. After some 18 years directly in the law, appearing at a number of courts, tribunals and mediations, Michael was appointed as a Conciliation Officer in 2007 in workplace injury disputes, becoming a Nationally Accredited Mediator in 2009. As a full-time Conciliation Officer, Michael completed a ‘Masters in Mediation and Dispute Resolution’ (2008-2011), with a final thesis on Online Dispute Resolution as a supplement to face-to-face offerings. Michael has subsequently held several dispute resolution positions both at a state and federal level and, since 2017, has run an independent dispute resolution practice, Mitchell Mediation. The practice incorporates Restorative Justice practice in Redress Schemes and practicing as a Conciliator and Mediator. 

Michael has a long history of providing dispute resolution training, conciliation and mediation coaching across Australia and New Zealand. In recent years, he was instrumental in co-developing and implementing the ‘Conciliation in the Shadow of the Law’ for dispute resolution practitioners across several dispute resolution jurisdictions and the post-graduate University Law Course ‘Conciliation: Theory & Practice’. This work has led to internal training programs for conciliators, mediators, dispute resolution managers, intake officers in various statutory dispute resolution bodies.