About Us
Our Vision
We provide a trusted conflict resolution partner focused on practical solutions. Our aim is to resolve disputes earlier, avoid unnecessary escalation, and offer a credible first alternative prior to or during litigation.
Our Expertise
We offer mediation and dispute resolution across commercial, corporate, government and private matters, delivering resolution to conflict with legal insight and practical understanding.
Our Design
We design bespoke dispute resolution tailored to each matter. Our philosophy is simple: meaningful conversation leads to resolution. We guide parties through clear, focused discussions that move disputes forward.
Our Services
We support clients at every stage of conflict, from early advice and negotiation through to formal mediation and dispute boards. Our focus is on resolving disputes efficiently or avoiding them early.
Our Teachings
We deliver presentations, training and facilitation to support organisations in managing conflict more effectively. We also assist with appointing a dispute board under the dispute clause in AS 4000–2025 or provide strategic advice to help teams prevent disputes before they escalate legally.
Our Expertise
Michelle Antonio LLB, LLM
Click HERE to view a short form CV of Michelle Antonio who boasts an impressive legal journey, blending extensive private practice and in-house roles as General Counsel with ASX and Singaporean stock exchange listed entities, along with senior government experience. Renowned for her practical approach, unwavering integrity, and strategic mindset, Michelle stands out for her commercial acumen, advocacy skills, and innovative thinking.
Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 2004, Michelle initially honed her skills in private practice and appearing regularly in courts, commissions and tribunals. She then spent over a decade in-house spanning Australia and international jurisdictions. Her track record of 20 years legal practice resolving seemingly insurmountable litigation is a testament to her prowess. Michelle has successfully handled complex cases that others deemed "unsettlable," turning failed mediations into successful resolutions.
Armed with a Masters of Laws from the University of Melbourne in addition to her Bachelor of Laws and Mediation Accreditation, Collaborative Practice Accreditation and the first female in Western Australia to gain accreditation as a Dispute Avoidance Board member she also draws on her extensive practical and business understanding in the the Construction, Mining, and Energy industries in Australia, Asia and the Middle East.
What sets Michelle apart is not just her dispute background but also her wealth of corporate and government experience. In addition to her executive C-suite positions in corporate and government organisations she has served as a board member for organisations such as the WA Disability Services Commission. Her CV demonstrates the breadth of her industry expertise. She is a member of the Law Society of Western Australia as well as a panel mediator for the Resolution Institute and the Small Business Development Corporation. Michelle's insights into government at all levels, combined with over a decade of business experience, creates an invaluable mediator.
Michelle's extensive network in multiple industries and within the legal profession reflects her standing as a top-tier practitioner and person. Engaging MEDIATUS with Michelle as your conflict resolution expert either as a mediator, dispute board member or to provide training to your organisation, ensures not just legal expertise but a holistic perspective enriched by her multifaceted background.
Follow Michelle on LinkedIn HERE.
Our Services
Your Path
Truly bespoke and customised to avoid or even run parallel to existing dispute processes and litigation. MEDIATUS can amplify the myriad of solutions that exist outside traditional legal remedies. We work with you and if requested with your lawyers.
Your Footprint
MEDIATUS aims to reduce your conflict footprint. Just as a carbon footprint measures environmental impact, a conflict footprint gauges the energy expended through disputes which leave a lasting imprint on relationships and resources.
Your Location
We offer face to face services in most capital cities of Australia but can also provide online options and mediation overseas. Our specialists have experience servicing clients all over the world and have expertise in multiple jurisdictions.
Your Experts
Michelle Antonio, has practised as a lawyer for 20 years. With experience in multiple areas of the law and having worked across multiple jurisdictions you can choose to engage MEDIATUS directly or agree to collaboratively include us an independent expert to work with other industry experts.
Your Lawyers
We work with your legal team. We do not offer legal advice or perform legal services. Instead we have experts that know the system, know the lawyers and have appeared in court. MEDIATUS understands the time, cost and effort that the legal process takes from clients.
Your Design
Partner with MEDIATUS to design a conflict resolution strategy most likely to achieve a satisfying solution for your matter.
Our Design
Mediation
Dispute Avoidance Board
Dispute Avoidance Board
At MEDIATUS we wish to make mediation accessible to everyone. Michelle Antonio, or one of her colleagues, can be appointed as a mediator or co-mediator to suit all budgets.
Dispute Avoidance Board
Dispute Avoidance Board
Dispute Avoidance Board
As Standards Australia has introduced Dispute Avoidance Boards in AS4000–2025 you may need guidance on creating a diverse and experienced dispute board for your project.
Collaborative Practice
Dispute Avoidance Board
Collaborative Practice
Collaborative Practice (CP)—is a process that involves lawyers, financial planners and a coach. As an accredited Coach we assist resolve conflict in a productive and positive manner.
Dispute Clauses
Private v Court Mediation
Collaborative Practice
Conflict can arise even in the strongest deals. Thoughtful dispute resolution clauses, designed at the outset, support practical and collaborative outcomes if issues emerge.
MEDIATUS works with you to review and strengthen your dispute clauses, with a focus on prevention, clarity and long-term working relationships.
DIY Design
Private v Court Mediation
Private v Court Mediation
No two disputes are identical so work with MEDIATUS to design your own dispute resolution model. Unlike a court, a tribunal or most other forms of binding decisions that are arbitrarily imposed, a bespoke resolution process is limited only by your imagination.
Private v Court Mediation
Private v Court Mediation
Private v Court Mediation
Court-ordered mediation is only one pathway. Parties can engage in private mediation before, during or after proceedings.
MEDIATUS gives you the ability to select a mediator who aligns with your matter, rather than relying on appointment, allowing for a more tailored and effective process.
General Counsel Mediation
Judicial Support Mediation
Judicial Support Mediation
In-house teams are often required to escalate matters externally, balancing legal risk with budget and stakeholder expectations. Designed by a former General Counsel, MEDIATUS supports in-house teams to resolve disputes early, offering fixed-fee mediation options that prioritise cost control and commercial outcomes.
Judicial Support Mediation
Judicial Support Mediation
Judicial Support Mediation
Some disputes benefit from the insight of former judicial officers who understand both legal complexity and litigation risk.
MEDIATUS partners with experienced retired judiciary to offer co-mediation structures that combine practical resolution skills with deep legal perspective.
Co-Mediation
Judicial Support Mediation
Co-Mediation
Where parties have different preferences, co-mediation provides a balanced and flexible approach. Each party can appoint a mediator, bringing complementary styles and perspectives to the process.
This model often enhances trust, improves engagement and increases the prospects of a durable outcome.
Our Teachings
Build capability within your organisation through tailored sessions on dispute avoidance, negotiation and mediation.
MEDIATUS delivers practical, experience-based training to help teams identify risk early, manage conflict effectively and reduce reliance on litigation.
