ABOUT

I work as a lawyer, writer, and educator. I am a family law lawyer, and confine my practice to settlement. Although I spent years doing trial work, I believe that most families and children are best served by being supported to work together in resolving their family matters. For this reason, I specialize in collaborative practice (also know as collaborative law) and mediation. I also train and teach interdisciplinary collaborative practice, advanced negotiation, and collaborative practice subjects.

I spent most of my twenties working with teenagers in group homes, and working and teaching in Early Childhood Education. After the birth of my third child I returned to university, and graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.F.A. in creative writing in 1984. As a single parent with three children, I then entered law school, and received my law degree in 1987. I have practiced in the area of family law since I was called to the bar of British Columbia in May 1988.

In 1991 I completed my first mediation training. Since then, I have been committed to building my skills in dispute resolution, and expanding the out of court settlement options available for families. I have completed the course work in the Dispute Resolution Certificate program at the Justice Institute, as well as a number of advanced mediation courses with Joan Kelly. In 1999 I took my first training in the inter-disciplinary model of collaborative practice, and took further training in this model in 2000.

In 2001 I was a member of the team that put together the first collaborative law training in British Columbia sponsored by the British Columbia Continuing Legal Education Society. Since then, I have developed materials for and presented numerous trainings in collaborative practice, and continue to offer training in the inter-disciplinary model in both Canada and the United States (see training). Since 2003, I was an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia faculty of law, where I co-taught a course in collaborative practice.

I am one of the founders of the Collaborative Divorce Association of Vancouver, and was the first co-chair of the group with Susan Gamache. I am a board member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, from 2005-2010 and President of the IACP in 2009.

I enjoy kayaking and canoeing, gardening, running slowly, spending time outdoors cooking, and eating what I cook.