FAMILY & DIVORCE MEDIATOR IN DURBAN
Helping Families Navigate Conflict Constructively
Family conflict can feel overwhelming, emotionally exhausting and deeply personal. Mediation provides a structured and respectful process in which difficult conversations can safely take place, communication can improve, and practical future-focused solutions can begin to take shape.
Tracey-Leigh Wessels is a Durban-based Family & Divorce Mediator and Attorney. She assists couples and families to resolve disputes relating to divorce, parenting arrangements, maintenance, and family conflict through a structured and confidential mediation process.
Tracey-Leigh specializes in the field of Family Law and Family & Divorce Mediation . She also has a specialist focus on Surrogacy and Reproductive Law where she is among one of the few attorneys within the country who has been practicing in this field since 1999.
Areas of Mediation
- Family and Divorce Mediation
- Parenting Plans and Care Arrangements
- Child-Focused Mediation
- High-Conflict Family Matters
- Elder Mediation
- Blended-Family Mediation
- Couples Mediation / Marital Mediation
- Surrogacy and Reproductive Law Matters
Qualifications
Tracey-Leigh graduated from the University of Kwazulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg) with an LLB degree in 1990. She achieved a Master’s Degree in Law (LLM -Thesis) in 1993. Nearly a decade later she returned to her studies and received a second Master’s Degree in the multi-disciplinary field of Family Law and Social Work, graduating cum laude.
Family Law & Divorce Attorney & Mediator
Tracey-Leigh entered the field of Family Law in 1996. She obtained her accreditation as a Family & Divorce Mediator in 1996 while she was still a candidate attorney. The 1990s was a time when mediation was hardly even considered as an alternative to litigation. Despite the slow acceptance of mediation, Tracey-Leigh continued to upskill herself in the field, taking on Family and Divorce Mediation matters. She adapted her Practice to a predominantly mediation-orientated Practice in 2010.
In 2012, Tracey-Leigh attended a Civil and Commercial Mediator Training Programme run by the ADR Group (London). This opened up the opportunity for her to extend her mediation practice experience to a variety of civil mediation matters.
Current Areas of Practice
Tracey-Leigh has over the years obtained extensive mediation experience in a wide array of Divorce and Family-related disputes. Recently her experience in Family and Divorce Mediation was extended to include Elder Mediation (in which she received formal training and qualification) Marital & Couple Mediation and Mediation for Reproductive Law disputes arising between intended parents and donors and/or surrogate mothers.
Mediation Boards
Locally, Tracey-Leigh is a member of both the Social Justice Network of Mediators and the Kwazulu-Natal Society of Mediators. She was a member of the NABFAM Board (representing KZN thereon) over the period August 2023-March 2026.
Tracey-Leigh is also a member of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM). She is a Board Member of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators chairing the Communication Portfolio and being responsible for APFM’s social media output. She is also a member of APFM’s Conference Committee, the Round Table of Presidents & Leaders as well as State & Local Committee and a past member of the Verified Training Committee. In July 2023, APFM invited Tracey-Leigh to be part of its Executive Committee.
In addition, Tracey-Leigh has for the past seven years been a part of a group of Reflective Practice Mediators that meet monthly under the guidance of the renowned Reflective Practice Mediator, Michael Lang. She also completed a year long certificate course with Michael and the Reflective Practice Institute and has presented on reflective practice for mediator excellence with her group at a number of international workshops as well as locally with Social Justice.
Mediation Ethos
The focus of Tracey-Leigh’s mediation practice remains primarily on Family and Divorce related disputes. Her aim is to assist couples and families in conflict to reach practical and workable solutions that support the well-being of the family as a whole.
Family conflict can feel overwhelming, emotionally exhausting and deeply personal. Tracey-Leigh believes that mediation provides a structured and respectful process in which difficult conversations can safely take place, communication can improve, and future-focused pathways can emerge.
She sees mediation as creating an opportunity for parties to address their respective needs, while also protecting the best interests of children who are often caught in the cross-fire of parental conflict.
As Mediator, Tracey-Leigh’s role is to manage the process of conflict resolution, maximise party self-determination, and assist parties in working toward peaceful and cost-effective resolutions to their disputes.
Particular attention is given to creating a calm, professional and respectful environment in which parties are able to participate meaningfully in the mediation process.
