Dani Nicolson

Dani is an accredited Mediator, FDR Provider, and Collaborative Lawyer providing both mediation and legal services in matters relating to:

• Care of children and guardianship issues
• Family disputes
• Other relational disputes
• Relationship property
• Estates, wills, enduring powers of attorney
• Small businesses / workplace support
• Property and welfare orders

With a strong sense of community, Dani went into legal practice to work as a legal aid provider in the Family Court and actively volunteers as a mediator, conflict coach, and lawyer at Dunedin Community Mediation and Community Law Otago. She supported the establishment of the Family Therapy Training Trust, a Dunedin charity which trains family therapists using a reflective practice model.  

Dani is a professional member of the Resolution Institute and New Zealand Law Society. She is committed to ongoing professional development, being involved in interest groups dedicated to learning about and working with people in dispute.

Dani utilises collaborative practice in dispute resolution; keenly working with other professionals to support clients to find the ‘out of the box’ solutions unique to their situation. She takes a special interest in working with clients to strengthen their communication and capacity for problem solving.

With an adventurous spirit, Dani thrives outdoors; in the surf, rock climbing or running in the mountains. These pursuits provide a training ground for resilience, patience and stress/nervous system management – powerful tools to share with clients coming ‘to the table’ in a dispute resolution process.

In both adventure and dispute resolution, Dani believes there are many paths to the ‘top of the mountain’. It takes courage and effort to explore the winding paths / processes leading to conflict resolution and Dani enjoys guiding clients along these journeys.