Dispute Resolution Training and Workshops

At West Coast ADR Law Group, our lawyers, mediators, arbitrators and staff have extensive experience in training and instruction. We are available to provide training, create individual workshops or for speaking engagements.

Our team of professionals, led by Carol Hickman, Q.C., has worked with Continuing Legal Education (CLE) to create family ADR courses for family dispute resolution professionals in British Columbia; including the Family Law Arbitration course and Screening for Family Violence.

As part of her Master of Laws (ADR), Carol designed a course regarding Med-Arb (the hybrid of mediation and arbitration). This course is the first of its kind in North America. The first course, which was sponsored by CLE and Mediate BC, sold out within weeks and will be delivered again in the spring.

Carol has helped bring about reform and continues to advocate to ensure ADR is accessible and affordable to the general public. Now that British Columbia has enacted the Family Law Act, putting an emphasis on out-of-court solutions and child-centred approaches to family matters, there is a need for more trained professionals in this area.

Carol has been invited to speak across Canada and the United States regarding Family violence training, Med-Arb Training as well as a variety of topics in family law.

Contributing To The Profession And The Public

Carol can provide training in the following areas:

• Training for lawyers:
  • Family Law
  • Family Law Mediation
  • Family Law Arbitration
  • Negotiation Theory and Skill
  • Family Violence and Power Imbalance
  • Med-Arb Training
• Custom workshops and speaking engagements: A gifted, informative and approachable speaker, Carol is also available for workshops and speaking engagements for small groups of lawyers or other professionals, and can travel throughout British Columbia to provide courses suitable to your office.
• Training for law students and articled students: Carol has been a guest speaker at UBC Law School, Thompson Rivers Law School and at the Law Society of BC Professional Legal Training Course, speaking to law students and articled students regarding family law, ADR and ethical concerns facing lawyers.
• Education for paralegals: Carol and Michele have been involved in professional development for designated paralegals and legal assistants as well, co-chairing the course for designated paralegals and providing training in family law through the Canadian Paralegal Institute.

Thank you so much for organizing the Intermediate Family Law Mediation Course. The efforts of you and Arlene are much appreciated! You both do so much to foster the junior bar and to advance changes to how family law is practiced in our province. Participant at CLE Course – KT

I attended the last Mediation training (& will be attending the next two). Arlene kindly agreed that I could attend despite not having attended the Intro Course, (I had other Mediation training). Just wanted to thank you both. It was a wonderful course. Look forward to seeing you both again next month. Participant at CLE Course – S

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) evaluations of Carol have described her as follows:

• Carol is a knowledgeable and engaging instructor, who made the day interesting, entertaining and informative.
• [Carol is] easy to listen to, charismatic and an extremely gifted speaker.
• One of the best CLE’s I have attended in a long time.
• [Carol is] engaging, informative and an approachable speaker.

Contact West Coast ADR Law Group

Please contact us at 604-531-9494 or fill out our online form to discuss a course or workshop suitable to your needs.

We provide training to lawyers, paralegals and members of the public in Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, surrounding areas, as well as across Canada and internationally.