Category Archives: Family Mediation

Are lawyers being replaced? Not so fast! Could ChatGPT fill gaps in the arena of access to justice? Cautiously, yes. Could it contribute to efficiency? Perhaps! Can it successfully level the playing field for self-represented litigants? Not yet! The reticence in my answers should not be surprising. ChatGPT has been around for a mere four months. While any help we …
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Exploring mediation can move your case forward through the litigation process.. in more ways than one. Prior to the March 1, 2021 Divorce Act changes, lawyers had a duty to inform clients about mediation facilities. The Divorce Act changes now places a duty on lawyers to encourage clients to attempt to resolve matters through a family dispute resolution process. There is also a duty on …
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Family mediation is here to stay as a viable alternative to dispute resolution. Be it court-connected or private mediation, the process is successful for so many reasons, including timely resolution and interest-based settlements. Although mediation is not mandatory, recent Divorce Act changes require that clients be encouraged to explore resolutions through a family dispute resolution process, unless it is not …
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We recently surveyed our family mediation and parenting coordination clients. Too often we are focused on the day-to-day pressures and challenges of each file. We don’t take enough time to ask “how did I do?” or to say “thank you!” The results were both rewarding and informative. Here is a summary of what our clients had to say about our …
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I recently was interviewed by Dr. Roisin O’Shea, the Chair of the Irish Professional Mediators’ Organisation. (IPMO) The interview was one of several commemorating International Mediation Awareness Week. It is fascinating to learn the different ways jurisdictions tackle the access to justice and court backlog challenges of our times. And to see how the way in which family mediation has …
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“What helps to resolve family cases? In examining which cases ultimately resolved, what seems most important …was how willing (the parties) were to accept the family dispute resolution paradigm and how able they were to uphold it— given their perspectives and circumstances.”[1]   The summary above, from a study published in the most recent issue of the Family Court Review, …
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A recent decision of Justice A. Himel of the Newmarket Superior Court of Justice is instructive for family mediators, parties seeking mediation services and their lawyers. Butler v Butler addresses the question of mediation confidentiality, and whether an unsigned Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) can be enforced as an agreement. After a long day of closed (eg/confidential) mediation, the mediator dictated …
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Screening is the first step in all family mediation, collaborative law and arbitration cases. The purpose of screening is to ensure that the parties and the process are a good match. There are two options for doing it well. Either the mediator (or mediator-arbitrator) meets separately with each party, or an independent third party meets them both and provides a …
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