Our goal is to help people involved in family law disputes resolve their differences with courage, respect and integrity. We aim to resolve family law problems fairly, quickly and at the lowest possible cost, while reducing the impact of the disagreement on children, minimizing conflict and promoting parents’ ability to work together into the future. John-Paul E. Boyd, KC has provided mediation services since 2005 and arbitration services since 2011; he is an accredited family law mediator and an accredited family law arbitrator.

As a mediator, John-Paul works with the parties and their counsel to reach agreements that are practical, fair, responsive to children’s changing needs, and give the parties the best possible chance of being able to cooperate and resolve future disputes on their own.

As an arbitrator, John-Paul collaborates with the parties and their counsel to design an arbitration process that is fast and efficient, appropriate to the circumstances of the parties and their children and, most importantly, proportionate to the complexity, importance and value of the issues in dispute. John-Paul has developed a set of procedural options for the arbitration of family law disputes that are flexible, allow the voices of the children to be heard, are capable of accommodating opinion evidence from financial, mental health and other experts, and can be adapted to suit the specific needs of the parties and their dispute.

Download our current mediation, arbitration and med-arb agreements from the Participation Agreements page. Learn more about mediation and arbitration in the How it Works page, and about our rates in the Fees & Expenses page.

intake process

Before we can take on a new case, we need the full names of all parties to check for conflicts, and the names of their lawyers.

People who are not represented by a lawyer will also need to complete our intake form and provide us with a photograph of their driver’s licence, passport or some other form of photo identification.

meetings, conferences & hearings

Preliminary planning meetings are usually held by videoconference. These are relatively brief meetings to identify the issues, check on the exchange of documents and information, and plan for the mediation or arbitration itself.

Subsequent meetings, conferences and hearings may be conducted in person or remotely, as everyone prefers. In-person meetings and hearings can be held anywhere in Alberta and British Columbia.

agreements & awards

Immediately following the end of mediation, John-Paul will usually prepare a memorandum summarizing the terms on which the parties have agreed to settle their legal dispute, and identifying any issues on which agreement has not been reached. This memorandum will form the basis of a separation agreement or consent order to be prepared by the parties’ lawyers.

At the end of an arbitration, John-Paul will, depending on the process selected, prepare a written award that summarizes his conclusions about the facts of the dispute, the law that applies to the dispute and his decisions about how each issue in the dispute will be resolved. This award may be filed in court and be enforced as it if were an order of the court.

people without lawyers

We provide mediation, arbitration and mediation-arbitration services for people who do not have lawyers. Download our special mediation and arbitration agreements for people without lawyers from the Participation Agreements page.

Anyone who participates in a mediation or arbitration process without the help of a lawyer must get independent legal advice before starting that process. You will need advice about the meaning and effect of the participation agreements used by John-Paul Boyd Arbitration Chambers, as well as the basic law that applies to your situation and the range of likely outcomes if your dispute were resolved through the courts.

Rate & retainer

John-Paul’s general rate for mediation, arbitration and med-arb services is $500 per hour, plus GST. Retainers — a sum of money provided as security for a lawyer’s future fees — are not usually required for people represented by lawyers, as our participation agreements make the lawyers responsible for paying our fees. (The lawyers then usually charge our fees to their clients as a disbursement.)

Retainers are required for people participating in these processes without lawyers. The amount we will ask for depends on the nature of the dispute resolution process and the number of days the meeting or hearing is expected to take.

We charge a flat per diem rate of $500 when John-Paul is required to travel outside Calgary; clients are not otherwise responsible for John-Paul’s travel costs or travel time, and will not be asked to pay for common disbursements such as accommodation, airfare or mileage.

GUIDELINES FOR LAWYERS

While remote mediation meetings and arbitration hearings are run in much the same way as hearings conducted in person, there are a few extra steps that must be taken to ensure the reliability of the internet connection, ease of access to documents and exhibits, and the integrity of any oral evidence that is given.

If you are a lawyer and your meeting or hearing will be held by videoconference, download our guidelines for remote mediation meetings and our guidelines for remote arbitration hearings.