Mediate BC
Mediating Under the New Family Law Act
Speakers
JP Boyd

John-Paul Boyd is an arbitrator, parenting coordinator, collaborative practitioner, mediator and litigator in private practice with Aaron Gordon DaykinNordlinger in Vancouver, BC. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and is a director of the BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society, the Family Law Arbitrators Group Society and the Peoples Law School, and was a founding director of the BC Hear the Child Society.


Shelina Neallani

Shelina Neallani  is a collaborative family lawyer and mediator.  Shelina graduated from UBC with degrees in Social Work and Law and has been called to the bar of Ontario and BC. She started mediating in 2002, including serving 2 years as a family justice counselor.  Shelina is a member of the Family Roster, the Child Protection Roster and is an accredited Family Law Mediator with the Law Society of BC.  In addition to her private practice, Shelina is a management consultant with Mediate BC., a published writer and has taught at the post-secondary level.


Wayne Plenert

With a Masters of Law in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Wayne Plenert has been a Mediator for over 25 years in the Peace River area and elsewhere. Wayne is a mediator listed by the British Columbia Mediator Roster, and is on their Board of Directors. He is also qualified as a Family Law Mediator under the Law Society of British Columbia rules and has been since 1985. Wayne has also mediated in Alberta and the Yukon. Wayne has mediated in hundreds of cases, from commercial to family to personal injury, estate planning to buy-sell agreements. He taught Conflict Resolution at Menno Simons College on the campus of the University of Winnipeg, and has led workshops in healthy conflict for various institutions.


Kathleen Bellamano

Kathleen Bellamano FMC Cert. CFM, is the Executive Director of the South Island Dispute Resolution Centre and an active group facilitator, mediator, arbitrator, conflict management trainer, mentor for Mediate BC’s Family Mediation Services’ Regional Mentoring Program and is trained as a parenting coordinator. For the past nine years she has specialized in designing, implementing and facilitating dialogue processes among many diverse groups. Kat is a Certified Comprehensive Family Mediator by Family Mediation Canada and also on Mediate BC’s Family Mediator Roster and Civil Mediator Roster and is also on the Police Complaints Mediator Roster.


Bob Finlay

Bob Finlay is a Registered Family Therapist, Registered Clinical Counsellor; member of the Family Roster and Child Protection Roster, Mediate BC; a Divorce Coach; Parenting Coordinator and Views of the Child/ Section 15 report author; and a Family and Child Protection Mediation mentor. He specializes in separation and divorce work with families including a specialty in child estrangement and parental alienation cases. Bob has been a keynote speaker at a number of conferences including the first ever Canadian Symposium on Parental Alienation and appeared as the mediator in the CBC Documentary, “ How to Divorce so you Don’t Wreck the Kids”.  He is currently working on a project to establish therapeutic collaborative teams to service child estrangement and parental alienation cases. 


Bobbi Poushinsky

Bobbi PoushinskyC.Med, has been active as a Mediator since 1999 when she joined the Civil Mediator Roster. Since that time, Bobbi has joined the Child Protection and Family Mediator Rosters and acted as a mentor in the Child Protection Practicum Program and is now a qualified neutral child interviewer with the Hear the Child Society. In addition to her busy mediation practice, Bobbi is a facilitator and trainer in dispute resolution and has an extensive background working with social services, health care and other support agencies.


Michael Lomax

Michael Lomax is a mediator, lawyer and trainer in private practice in Victoria.    Michael’s mediation work, most of which is family mediation, makes up approximately 80% of his law practice. He has previous experience as the director of a federal government mediation centre, where he was responsible for promoting the department’s workplace conflict resolution program and supervising a team of mediators and trainers.  Michael is also a busy collaborative practitioner and is a member of the local Victoria group as well as the BC Collaborative Roster.  Michael is an experienced trainer having organized and delivered many workshops and trainings for lawyers and mediators.  Michael is a member of the Civil, Family and Police Complaint Mediation Rosters, a member of Mediate BC’s Roster committee, a mediator with the Child Support Eligibility Mediation Project and a mentor with the Regional Mentoring Program. He is also an affiliate trainer with the High Conflict Institute in San Diego, CA.


 

Five-Part Webinar Series

Family law will be significantly changed as a result of the replacement of the Family Relations Act with the new Family Law Act in March 2013.

This series of 5 webinars will help you address significant aspects of mediating under the new Family Law Act. Join leaders in the field presenting the new concepts, the changes and what you need to know when you are assisting families resolve their disputes through mediation processes. 

Video repeats of this series are now available. Click below to register and receive a two week access to view sessions.

Mediate BC Roster Ongoing Education Hours: 7.5 Hrs

Who should attend:

This webinar series is suitable for mediators, counsellors, therapists, ministers, advocates, social workers, parent coordinators and arbitrators.

  • Mediate BC Roster Mediators SAVE $100 on Registration (with PROMO CODE)
  • BC Association of Social Workers members SAVE $100 on Registration (with PROMO CODE)

 A short preview of the series is available for viewing here:

Preview Graphic

Webinar Series Descriptions

Overview of the FLA and Transitional Issues

Presenter: J.P. Boyd

Participants will gain an understanding of:

  •  A broad overview of the concepts included in the new act
  •  How the FRA and FLA will interact during the transition period
  •  How to resolve conflicts between previous FRA agreements and agreements under the FLA

 

How the FLA Changes the Process

Moderator: Shelina Neallani

Panel: Wayne Plenert, Kathleen Purvis-Bellamano, Bob Finlay

Participants will gain an understanding of:

  • Who the other dispute resolution professionals are and how to access those resources
  • The removal of the presumptions regarding parenting time and its impact on the process, parties and power
  • How to include and incorporate the greater emphasis on the voice of the child
  • The emphasis on and tools of enforcement as laid out in the act

 

Parenting: New Concepts and Terminology

Presenter: Bobbi Poushinsky

Participants will gain an understanding of:

  • Parenting responsibilities and time
  • Changes in presumptions and equality
  • The process and parenting concepts in practice
  • Changes in approach to relocation

The Financial Piece: The New Property Regime, Debt and Support

Presenter: Michael J. Lomax

Participants will gain an understanding of:

  • The new property regime-information on the changes to assets and debts, what legal information to give to clients   
  • How to reconcile Family Law Act and Child Support Guidelines language
  • Changes to, and in calculating child support
  • Changes in spousal support

Mediating in the New Era of Family Law

Moderator: Shelina Neallani Panel: Wayne Plenert, Kathleen Purvis-Bellamano, Bob Finlay

Participants will gain an understanding of:

  • What needs to be included in mediation process agreements and mediated agreements
  • The FLA’s impact on your mediation practice
Registration Fees

The purchase of this Five-Part Webinar Series allows one (1) registrant a two week access to the videos.

Regular Registration: $350.00 + tax = $367.50

Individual Sessions: $70.00 + tax = $73.50 each

Mediate BC Roster Mediators and BCASW Members with PROMO CODE: $250.00 + tax = $262.50

Refund and Cancellation Policy

Mediate BC is unable to refund registration fees. Substitutes are always welcome. Registration will remain pending until full payment is received. Refunds of any type will be made in the form of a cheque, regardless the method of initial payment, from Mediate BC Society and sent by post to the mailing address provided on the registration form. Mediate BC reserves the right to cancel or reschedule events, refuse admission, or change speakers, location, or content.

Contact

Training & Development
Mediate BC 
604-681-6050  or toll-free 1-888-713-0433 outside the Vancouver area.
dave.alexander@mediatebc.com