Michelle holds a BA (Law) from the University of Stellenbosch and LLB & PG Dipl in Maritime Law from UKZN. She has trained as an arbitrator through both AMSSA and AFSA and as a mediator through ADR group UK (international accreditation in civil and commercial mediation) and is passionate about dispute resolution, conflict management and dispute systems design.

She has lectured at the Durban School for Legal Practice in High Court Practice, Appropriate Dispute Resolution, Mediation Skills and Labour Dispute Resolution.

Michelle has also held the positions of Chief Operations Officer for Africa Dispute Resolution, Regional Manager for Equillore Dispute Settlement, Regional Manager for ProBono.Org, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Durban Girls’ College, Trustee of the Governing Body Foundation, Member of the Governing Body of DPHS, President of the KZN Chapter of the SA Society of Labour Lawyers, Acting Judge in the Labour Court (pro bono project) and was a founding member of the Mediation Institute of Southern Africa.

She practiced as an advocate for 25 years specializing in labour and employment law and has more recently joined Garlicke & Bousfield Inc as a Director and Head of the Labour Department. She is also a contributing editor for Juta’s Industrial Law Journal; Company Secretary for a Norwegian shipping company; a panelist with Conflict Dynamics and Aequitate Dispute Resolution Services; and is a registered medical mediator with the SA Medico-Legal Association.

Michelle has extensive experience as a mediator, arbitrator and facilitator, in both the employment and civil & commercial sectors and has mediated commercial, school, corporate governance, medical negligence, personal injury, professional negligence, family, grievance and workplace conflict disputes.

She was involved in the Pro Bono mediation project at the Durban Labour Court and has been extensively involved in the RAF and Gauteng Health Department pilot projects to contribute to the development of medical mediation in South Africa. She has more recently been involved in the creation of a Stakeholders Engagement Forum with the Ethekweni Municipality, business and community in the Cornubia Industrial precinct in KZN.

Her preferred mediation style is facilitative or transformative and she believes in the transformative power of constructive engagement in conflict and the importance of bringing matters to a sensible conclusion at the earliest opportunity.