Category Archives: Negotiation

ADR professionals are, by definition, skilled negotiators. What attitudes, skills, and strategies do we already have to help coach our clients to achieve the best possible outcomes? 10 Coaching Tips for Clients   1. Our clients all come to us from a place of fear. They fear loss: of what they want or need, of a relationship, of control, or of …
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Family arbitration is a very different process from mediation, and yet they are often confused. Arbitration is a process whereby the parties present their version of the story before a privately-retained arbitrator, often a senior family lawyer, who hears the evidence, applies the law and makes a binding decision.  Family arbitration is therefore, more like court than it is like …
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As a mediator, mediation and negotiation trainer, and provider of court-connected dispute resolution services, issues of professionalism and professional ethics arise often in my work. Although professionalism cross all legal and dispute resolution cultures and contexts, they may arise more often in the family law context, where the drivers of conflict are often personal and historical. Lawyers, dispute resolution professionals …
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On January 29, 2016, I went ‘live on-air’ on Voces Latinas, a Spanish radio talk show in Toronto to talk about Mediate393 and what it is like being a roster mediator. I began the show by providing information about Mediate393 and the services offered by our team of roster mediators. The mediators at Mediate393 are comprised of mental health professionals …
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Deciding to separate is just the first of many difficult decisions facing co-parents. Once it is evident that the relationship is over, questions about the future and the family begin to present themselves, and they present themselves fast and furious. Questions such as -where will the children live? Where will I live? Who if anyone is staying in the home? …
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A new service for determining and adjusting child support for cooperative parents has been set up by the Ontario government. Under the new service, which launched April 4, either parent may apply online to use the service. The goal is to give parents who can cooperate with each other  an accessible and affordable way to establish and adjust child support …
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Alternative dispute resolution is becoming an increasingly popular choice for families going through separation and divorce. But what is it, exactly, that distinguishes family law dispute resolution from traditional family law processes? Before settling on a process option for yourself or your client, you will want to consider the elements of all good family law dispute resolution processes. For this …
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The National Self Represented Litigants Project just published an “Open Letter to the Canadian Judiciary”. It is a thoughtful and important read. The self-representing writers plead for greater understanding of their plight, and for more tolerance, compassion and assistance. This letter serves as a reminder that there are some under-utilized services to help those who cannot afford lawyers. Anyone in …
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