Meet Jacqueline Wharton
Founder - LLB (Hons) MA - Sydney
Sixteen years ago, my marriage fell apart when my husband told me he wanted to separate. It was heartbreaking and distressing, particularly as we had three little kids under three. I felt lost and confused EVEN though I was an experienced corporate lawyer and negotiation and conflict advisor. The Australian family law system seemed overwhelming and intimidating: there were so many different areas to get across (the kids, the money, the house - my heart). Argh! And while I knew deep down that everything would be smoother (and I would get a better result) if we kept lawyers out of it and negotiated ourselves, I didn't know how to begin. I had a lawyer, a psychologist and a mediator, but I needed someone in my corner to pull it all together. I needed someone to educate, guide and empower me in my divorce – and be kind to me simultaneously (as I was pretty raw)!
Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone. So when I got through to the other side of my divorce, my psychologist asked me what I really wanted to do with my life. I thought about it and said I wanted to help people negotiate their divorces with empathy and strategy: I wanted to utilise my professional experience to provide the service I would have liked through my divorce. She sighed, told me she had been waiting for me to say that for months and referred three clients to me that day. So began Separation and Divorce Advisors.
As
- Australia’s first Separation and Divorce Advisor/ Coach with over 15 years of experience helping individuals and couples through their divorce.
- A Relationship Coach (I have also consulted to Australia's largest bank in this role).
- A Negotiation Advisor and Conflict Coach for one of Australia’s largest companies, trained by the Harvard Law School.
- A Mediator (with a diploma in Family Dispute Resolution).
- A former corporate citigation Lawyer for what was then Australia’s leading law firm, and
- A former Family Lawyer
I have all the unique qualifications, skills, experience and insights into the legal, negotiation, practical and emotional sides of divorce to help you. I walked away from the law because I believed there was a better way – and I am now on a mission to help inform, support and power people to have a good divorce!
Now I know how emotionally consuming divorce can be, and it can be hard to find the time and energy to pay attention to what it all means, at least in the beginning. But if you don't join my course for whatever reason, I would urge you to obtain professional advice on where you legally sit from a financial and parenting perspective. As I always say, good decisions are informed decisions!
