• Hilary Linton's CV. Hilary Linton has been resolving disputes in the areas of civil and family law since 1987. She has represented clients in libel and slander/defamation lawsuits, divorce cases, construction litigation, employment-related cases, neighbour disputes and contract disagreements. She was a partner at the long-established Toronto firm, Chappell Bushell Stewart. After 14 years of advocacy within the adversarial system, Ms. Linton decided to find a better way to resolve disputes. She trained as a mediator with some of Toronto best and most respected mediators, including (now Madam Justice) June Maresca. She obtained her LL.M. in Alternative Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School, where her studies included advanced mediation, designing dispute resolution processes, multi-party mediation, mediation ethics and culture and power in negotiation. She joined the Toronto roster of mediators for the Mandatory Mediation Program and became a member of the ADR Institute of Ontario. Ms. Linton is on the executive of the Ontario Bar Association's ADR section, where she serves as educational programming coordinator, and is accredited as a family mediator by the Ontario Association of Family Mediation. Ms. Linton is the founder and principal of Riverdale Mediation, which offers full-service civil mediation, family mediation and mediation-arbitration services. Her civil mediation practice focuses on defamation cases, life and disability insurance claims, contract and business disputes, and employment-related matters. Her family mediation/arbitration practice focuses on all financial issues arising on separation and divorce, including property disclosure and valuation, property division agreements, determination of income, child and spousal support agreements, and marriage contracts. Her family mediation practice dovetails nicely with that of her associate, Catherine Davison, who specializes (among other things) in mediating detailed, thoughtful and workable parenting plans. Ms. Davison also acts as a parenting coordinator for parents with high conflict relationships who seek to work together in the best interests of their children. Ms. Linton writes, teaches speaks about negotiation and mediation frequently, including teaching “Negotiation and Mediation” (University of Western Ontario Law School); coaching the “Lawyer as Negotiator” course (Osgoode Hall Law School), “Law, Family and Gender” (Humber College Business School); and “Family Mediation” (Osgoode Hall Law School Professional Development Program and Toronto Advanced Professional Education). She volunteers in the field of restorative justice for youth and has co-designed a mediation process for young offenders. Ms. Linton, who was trained as a journalist at Carleton University and studied law at the University of Western Ontario, has written a legal column for Toronto Beach Metro News for many years, was featured on a Canadian Living Television series about law and mediation. She was one of the featured legal/ mediation experts in the video series “Separating Smart”, produced by Toronto Family Law Centre. Ms. Linton works actively to build and promote the practice of mediation in Ontario. She is a past director and secretary of the Ontario Association of Family Mediation (OAFM), and a present member of the Governance Committee of the OAFM. She is a member of Family Mediation Canada and the ADR Institute of Ontario. She is also a founding member of the Toronto Collaborative Family Law Association. She speaks frequently to community and student groups about law and mediation, including as a volunteer with the Ontario Justice Education Network. Ms. Linton volunteers as a director of Toronto's East End Community Health Centre, and a past director of the Regent Park Community Health Centre. She is a charter (past) member of the Toronto Beach Rotary Club. Ms. Linton and her husband live in Toronto with their two children. • back to top