As mediator
THEBIL Law accepts family mediation work as mediator — the impartial third party, helping both people reach their own agreement rather than acting for either of them.
Mediation and Dispute Resolution in Alberta Family Law
photo — mediation session (4:3)
THEBIL Law acts in family mediation as mediator, and advises clients who are working through a dispute-resolution process rather than a courtroom.
Resolving a family matter without going to court
Mediation is one of several alternative dispute resolution processes a separating couple in Alberta can use.
Our guide to how mediation can help resolve a divorce covers how a session runs and how mediation relates to family court.
The public programme
The Government of Alberta runs a Family Mediation programme, and the Government of Alberta also operates the Family Resolution Hub as a route into its family justice services.
Those are the province's services, on the province's terms. THEBIL Law is not part of either, and a person can approach them directly.
Where dispute resolution sits before court
Under the Government of Alberta's Family Justice Strategy, an alternative dispute resolution process must be attempted where the parties do not agree on any issues, before seeking the assistance of the courts. The attempt must have been made within the past six months, and a Participation in ADR form is filed. The requirement is not unconditional. A party who cannot complete it can file a request to waive or defer the mandatory requirements, and the potential reasons the province lists include concerns about family violence, technological barriers, language barriers and being unable to locate the other party.
Which court hears a matter, and what that court requires of the people in front of it, is a separate question.
How a lawyer helps
There are two different roles here, and they are not the same job.
As your lawyer
Separately, a family lawyer can advise you while you are in a dispute-resolution process: someone who acts for you, and whom you can ask what a proposal means before you agree to it.
Talk to a Calgary family lawyer
If you want to talk about mediation or another way of resolving a family matter, you can book a consultation with THEBIL Law in Calgary.
Consultations at THEBIL Law are paid consultations. The charge is confirmed with you before the meeting and paid in advance.