There is much truth in the saying "god gave us our relatives but thank heavens we can choose our friends". However, while we may want to dent the impact of relatives in our day-to-day lives this is next to impossible if one is in business with members of one's family.
Family owned businesses are an important part of the Australian economic landscape and while there are no obvious statistics measuring this impact given that most are small to medium sized enterprises they may represent one of the largest employers in the country. However, family businesses have a number of areas where disputes can arise including those relating to creation, succession and dissolution. Succession and dissolution in particular are fertile areas for dispute especially when one or more members of a family consider that they are in some way not being treated in as favorable a manner as other members of the family and this is especially so if children and step children of the original founder(s) are involved.
The team at ADR Partners are sure you know of circumstances arising from family business disputes and how entrenched the parties can become such that even talking about the matter is fraught with danger. The team at ADR Partners are particularly experienced in the dealings of family businesses and their knowledge of the process of mediation will assist disputants in uncovering creative solutions to the many issues in this area.
Note: ADR Partners do not provide Alternative Dispute Resolution Services relating to matters contained in the Family Law Act.
