Vancouver Family & Divorce Lawyers | Henderson Heinrichs LLP

Family Mediation

Vancouver Family Law Mediators

Henderson Heinrichs is committed to exploring all options to assist our clients to reach a successful resolution of their family law issues. To that end, we are pleased to advise that we have Accredited Family Law Mediators at our firm who are trained to facilitate out of court settlement.

Mediation can be highly successful when both parties are committed to working in this framework. Mediation has been used successfully to resolve all areas of family disputes, including custody and guardianship issues, primary residence, parenting plans, asset and property division, spousal support, separation agreements and cohabitation agreements.

 

Our Mediators

To book a mediation appointment with Angie Riaño please contact her Legal Assistant

Tiffany Gentleman
[email protected]

Angie has been an Accredited Family Law Mediator since 2017. She is a passionate advocate for finding out-of-court solutions to legal problems. Angie is experienced in all areas of family law, including parenting, support, property division and debt management. She is skilled at resolving family dynamics involving parenting and children. Angie is equally compassionate and direct with parties. She works through the layers of conflict and legal issues to achieve outcomes that meet the underlying interests of both parties. Her ultimate goal is to help families move forward in a positive way following separation or divorce.

What is Family Mediation?

Mediation is an Alternative Dispute Resolution process where a neutral third party mediator assists the parties in resolving their family law dispute without going to court.  As a neutral third party, the mediator does not provide legal advice or make decisions for the parties.  The mediator facilitates discussions between the parties to ensure that each party’s interests are heard, helps with the exchange of information necessary for the parties to make informed decisions, and assists the parties in thinking out of the box to come up with solutions that meet their families’ specific needs.

When Does Mediation Happen?

Mediation can be conducted at any time during the process, including when litigation has already been started.  Mediation is a private, without prejudice process.  This means that if your matter does not resolve at mediation, neither party can use what the other has said during the mediation in court.

Family Mediation Benefits

The benefits of mediating family law matters include:

  • the parties are in control of the process;
  • the process is less adversarial;
  • it is an informal process and more flexible than a court proceeding;
  • it will often result in a resolution tailored to meet each family’s specific needs;
  • it generally brings matters more quickly to resolution; and,
  • it is typically less expensive than dealing with the matter in court.

Henderson Heinrichs LLP Accredited Family Law Mediators

When you hire one of our Accredited Family Law Mediators they will:

  1. Actively listen to your needs, fears, and hopes that surround your legal issues. In family law, issues are typically multifaceted and layered with emotions. In order to develop a sustainable solution, there needs to be an in-depth understanding of the problem. Our mediators are trained to evaluate and assess interests, and to assist the parties in reaching an agreement based on those interests.
  2. Make you feel comfortable and knowledgeable about the mediation process. We know that people need to feel safe and empowered in order to make lasting decisions. There are different kinds of processes that can be used at mediation to make sure all parties are comfortable at the negotiation table. Options such as shuttle mediation allow for privacy for the parties in working with the mediator. Our mediators are trained to ensure that family violence issues and power imbalances do not impact a successful resolution of your case through mediation. Prior to mediation, our mediator will have a private session with each party to get a better understanding of the family dynamic and any issues which may impact the mediation process.
  3. Explore practical solutions. The law often serves as a compass for helping parties establish a fair and reasonable resolution. However, every family is unique and as such, using a cookie cutter application of the law is often not helpful. In mediation, our mediators encourage parties to explore a variety of legal and non-legal solutions that meet your individual family’s circumstances. By exploring both practical and creative solutions, parties are better able to achieve sustainable and long-lasting outcomes that avoid court and minimize legal costs.