A:
My name is Thomas and I would like to help you mediate your current issues as I have professional training to do as well as quite extensive personal and client-related experience of navigating through the Alberta family dispute resolution system.
I got literally thrown into the Family Court system a while ago when the divorce became inevitable. Initially, I had thought that a good faith proposal how to split would lead to a quick solution, which would benefit everyone and especially our children. Instead, I was served with the court papers and just like that the odyssey had begun. Given that I did not want to use an attorney to represent myself and my children in the Court, I had to painstakingly learn the basics of Albertan and Canadian family law by myself.
Fast forward 5 years, over 20 court appearances, in both Family Court and Court of Queen's Bench which culminated with a 2-hour special hearing during which the judge accepted about 98% of my claims and severely reprimanded attorney who had represented my ex. The irony is that the end result had been very close to my original proposal. During my journey through the labyrinth of the Family Court System, I also enrolled in a 40-hour Legal Educational Society of Alberta course that taught mediation in family disputes. This course gave me an invaluable insight into how our family dispute resolution system works (or does not work) and how to best approach the system.
Mediation can save you a lot of time, money and aggravation - and if for some reason it does not deliver, there are always other other options available. These usually cost a lot more and take more time and effort, but they are there.
I can offer you a combination of two decades of negotiations experience coupled with a decade of mediation experience and good knowledge of Alberta's family dispute resolution system - and based on that I can hopefully help you to abridge your current issues in more cost effective and more constructive way than a regular litigation. All this at a fraction of the costs of dealing with the lawyers - and with a bit of luck you can avoid most if not all court appearances.
Q: Why should we try this at all?
A: Family lawyers charge anywhere between $350 - $750 / hour and more often than not their approach will be highly confrontational (this is where the name "opposing party" comes from).
In contrast, mediation tends to approach both parties as (former) partners with different agendas, but not necessarily as opposing parties. Chances are that mediation will be a lot less adversarial, less expensive and less destructive to your life than litigation. Finally, if mediation does not deliver, you can always resort to other options.
Q: How much do you charge?
A: I charge $88/hour with volume discounts available and accept payment via Interac transfer only. Please note that the average mediation costs in Alberta are in the $120-$200/hr range, but some mediators charge a lot more - up to $500 /hr.
Q: Why do you offer your service so inexpensively?
A: The answer is simple - no overhead. Meaning no office, no "fancy" website, no credit card fees, and no travel costs as I only work remotely - the savings are passed on to you, the client.
Next steps:
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