Grey Wowk Spencer LLP is pleased to announce that its partner, Lawren Wowk, has recently completed extensive mediation training with Mosten Guthrie. We now offer mediation services for divorces and separations, including parenting, income, support, and property issues. Our service will mediate any relationship breakdown, regardless of the level of conflict. Mediation allows the parties to choose how to resolve their differences by removing conflict. The process is entirely client-based and driven, including a child-centered approach for relationships that have children. Mediation assists with positively restructuring your family, striving to improve communication and understanding while building creative solutions outside the courtroom.
Re-Structuring your Family: Mediation v. Litigation
Grey Wowk Spencer LLP have been your family law advocates for over 30 years. Litigation has generally been the understood method of resolving differences when it comes to divorce and separations. Many people feel that the adversarial process is not only extremely stressful and expensive, but it serves to create greater divide between the parties. Litigation often drives people further apart, deepening resentment, and further breaking down what was already struggling communication between spouses and partners. The fabric of every community is the family unit. Mediation offers a cooperative approach to resolving your differences. In mediation, you and your spouse/partner are the ones in control of the process and the ultimate determinations. More importantly, it helps to encourage and improve your communication which has the benefit of keeping the family unit intact despite living separate and apart.
Mediation is a family focused decision-making process whereby parties work together with a neutral Mediator to find creative solutions to their relationship issues. In mediation, you can be as creative as you wish. You are not bound by the litigation structure, mandatory procedures, and results of the Court process. Moreover, mediation is not only far more effective in controlling process but can occur within a far more reasonable period of time. We offer in-person and virtual Divorce (married) and Separation (non-married) Mediation including property division.
We take a child-centered approach when dealing with families who have children under the age of majority. A child-centered approach is not what is best for either parent, but helping the parents see what may be best for their children.
Divorce/Separation Mediation:
Mediation is for families who are separating or divorcing while focusing on the future. Many divorces and separations focus on the past, leaving parents feeling stuck or even lost. Whether you and your partner are separating amicably or seeking a process that helps you manage conflict, Mediation is a wonderful tool for people to access. The parties would commit to providing all information necessary and work together to build agreements on the following, but not limited to, topics:
- Parenting
- Finances and income issues
- Support issues; and
- Dividing assets and debts
When an agreement is reached, the Mediator will draft a Separation Agreement, or a summary of the agreements reached during the mediation. Lawyers, or such other experts like business valuators and real property appraisers, may be involved in a consulting role during Mediation by coming to the Mediation sessions or providing legal advice in a private setting to their client or the parties if the expert is hired jointly. A lawyer might only be hired at the end of the process for independent legal advice to review and sign the final agreement. The best part is that these decisions are all up to you and your spouse to make.
If you think Mediation may be right for you, please contact our office at (780) 594-0299 to schedule an initial consultation.
What is Marital / Relationship Mediation?
Marital or Relationship Mediation is for married or unmarried families who wish to remain together but need more definition around the terms of their relationship. This is not relationship therapy or relationship counseling. The intention is to come to a contractual agreement concerning certain terms of a continued cohabitation. Negotiations may include:
- Support and other financial decisions
- Parenting communication and parenting structures
- Communication strategies
- Asset and debt ownership
- Cohabitation/Pre-Nuptial Agreements
Families may use lawyers, financial advisors, or other professionals as needed during the process. If you’re interested in creating an agreement with your partner using the Marital / Relationship Mediation process, please contact our office to schedule an initial consultation.
Virtual Mediation
Cannot drive? No problem. Not local? No problem. We offer Virtual Mediation using Zoom/Teams video conferencing. Ensuring all security features are enabled, we are able to assist families across Canada. All you need is an internet connected device with a camera (most computers and phones have them built in) to join the link provided. Any required disclosure or documents are uploaded electronically to our secure server. Screen sharing and note taking software allow us to collaborate and review documents together in-session. Virtual Mediation is just as effective as in-person sessions as essential non-verbal cues are discernable on video.
Will Mediation work for me?
Here are some questions you may wish to explore to help decide if mediation is the right process for you:
- Do lawyers care about me or my family?
- Do Courts care about me or my family?
- Do I want to avoid having the Court decide my future?
- Do I want to reduce conflict with the other party?
- Do I want to show my children how to properly resolve difficult issues?
- Do I want to spend my children’s future on legal fees and waste years in Court?
Getting Started
To learn more about the Mediation process and whether it’s a match for your family, please call to schedule an initial consultation with us today. Once it is determined to be the right process, we will schedule a 1-hour initial consultation for each party. We will strive to tailor our process for your needs to maximize efficiency and minimize costs.
We look forward to assisting you through a difficult time and assisting with re-structuring your family.
