1 Hilary A. Linton, B. J.(Hons); J.D., LL.M. (ADR) Award of Excellence in ADR, Ontario Bar Association (2014) Accredited Family Mediator Visiting Professor of ADR, Western University Faculty of Law (2005, 2009, 2012) Adjunct Professor in ADR & Family Law, Osgoode Hall Law School LL.B./LL.M. (2005- current) President Riverdale Mediation Ltd. President, mediate393 inc. Founding Director, Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario Past-chair, Ontario Bar Association, ADR section Ms. Linton is an internationally recognized expert in identifying, assessing and managing negotiation power in dispute resolution. She is best known for her work designing and creating dispute resolution processes that address the unique needs of clients based on a thoughtful assessment of risk and power for each. She has successfully mediated, arbitrated and med-arbitrated hundreds of disputes. She is retained by lawyers, as well as clients without lawyers, for her skill in helping those in dispute reach workable settlements. Ms. Linton is recognized as an outstanding and inspiring teacher of mediation and negotiation theory and skills. She is best known for custom-designing dispute resolution workshops for professionals in all fields, including programs for: Ontario Office of the Children s Lawyer Legal Aid Ontario Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia Resolution, UK Swedish Forum for Mediation and Conflict Resolution Dublin Family Lawyers Association Nunavut Legal Services Board Ismaili Conciliation and Arbitration Board Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama-at of Canada She has also designed Riverdale s highly successful Family Negotiation and Mediation Certificate Program. Mediation and Arbitration Ms. Linton s expertise is with disputes where the relationship will, in some way, continue. She helps parties stay focused on effective, efficient problem-solving. Her priority is to provide a fair, highly
2 professional, balanced, accessible, culturally sensitive and safe place for parties to have difficult negotiations to resolve conflict. If they are unable to settle she provides private adjudication in a setting that is fair, affordable; comfortable and designed for the needs of the case, the parties and their counsel. Through mediate393 inc., Ms. Linton manages a large roster of family mediators and professionals, and information officers and also personally provides court-connected family mediation services. Riverdale Mediation provides mediation, mediation-arbitration, & parenting coordination and arbitration of all family law matters including: Parenting plans Property division Child and spousal support Separation agreements Marriage contracts Ms. Linton and her colleagues at Riverdale Mediation Ltd. also provide mediation and dispute/meeting facilitation for other disputes such as: Employment Family, estates and pre-estate disputes Defamation Education-related matters Victim-offender and other forms of conferencing Civil abuse and harassment claims Community and neighbour disputes Disputes between and within organizations Family business disagreements Teaching and Training Ms. Linton has earned wide acclaim for her mediation and negotiation training, which emphasizes the importance of understanding what each party needs in order to fully participate in an informed and safe negotiation. She is an internationally recognized expert on the subject of screening for power imbalances, cultural differences and family violence in mediation, litigation, collaborative law, parenting coordination and arbitration. She trains prospective family mediators and arbitrators in all of the courses required for accreditation as a family mediator, including family law, arbitration law and process, and family mediation theory and skills. Through Riverdale, she provides an internship program that has dozens of prospective mediators to obtain their accreditation credentials. Some of her training projects:
3 Mediation-Arbitration, with Felicity Shedden, Woburn, UK, October 2014. Screening for Power Imbalances: Helping separating couples make appropriate FDR process choices, with Grace Corrigan, Dublin, Ireland, October 2014. Two day mediation skills and screening training, with Bill Eddy and Claudette Reimer, for the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, Seattle, Washington, Summer 2014. Two day training in Screening for Power Imbalances and Family Violence in Family Mediation & Arbitration to Canada-wide members of the Ismaili Conciliation and Arbitration Board, Fall 2013. Screening for power imbalances and family mediation to staff lawyers and clinicians at the Ontario Office for the Children s Lawyer, Spring 2013. Training, with Bill Eddy, Rod Wells and Claudette Reimer, for the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, Atlanta, Georgia, Spring 2013. Screening for power imbalances to B.C. family law professionals, CLEBC, Spring 2013. Family law, family arbitration and screening for power imbalances, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama-at of Canada, Fall 2012. Workshop in screening for power imbalances for collaborative lawyers and mediators at London, U.K. law firms, May 2012. Visiting Professor, "Family Law Dispute Resolution", University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law, 2005, 2009, 2012 (and recipient of the James G. McLeod Professorship in Family Law 2009 & 2012) Adjunct Professor, "Family Law Dispute Resolution", Osgoode Hall LL.M. in Family Law, 2010, 2012 and 2014. Trainer, "Basic Family Mediation and Screening for Power Imbalances", Legal Services Board of Nunavut, 2011 and 2012. Trainer, Family Arbitration Law and Procedure, Manitoba Bar Association (via webcast) 2011. Keynote Presenter, "Family Mediation in Canada", First Annual International Congress in Mediation, Lisbon Portugal, 2011. Trainer, Restorative Justice Conferencing under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, Toronto Advanced Professional Education, 2006-2010. Co-Trainer, "Family Mediation Theory and Skills", Ismaili Conciliation and Arbitration Board, Toronto, 2006. Instructor, "Conferencing under the Youth Criminal Justice Act", Ontario Crown Attorney Summer Training 2004. Teacher, Law Society of Upper Canada Bar Admission Course, Civil Litigation and/or Family Law, 1990-2004. Process Design Projects Member of Consular Round Table on Family Mediation and International Parental Child Abductions, Department of Foreign Affairs, 2009-2011.
4 Member of Provincial Advisory Committee on Formal Dispute Resolution regarding Special Education Programs and Services, 2007-2010. Member of T.D.S.B. training team delivering negotiation theory and skills support to educators and parents, 2009-2010. Team member designing a restorative justice conferencing process for Toronto s Community Centre 55, 2001-2003. Speaking and Writing Contributing Author, Settling Family Law Cases: Practical Techniques for Neutrals and Advocates (forthcoming), Carswell, 2015 ADR Institute of Ontario, January 2015 University of Western Ontario Student Council, January 2015 Six Minute Family Lawyer (Law Society of Upper Canada), December 4, 2014 Presenter, Swedish Forum for Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Mediation Day, Gothenberg, Sweden, November 14th 2014 Presenter, Resolution, Dispute Resolution Conference, Nottingham, UK, October 16 th 2014: Mediation-Arbitration - ethical and practical pros and cons. Presenter, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, 51 st Annual Conference, Toronto: Procedural Triage for Lawyers, Arbitrators, Dispute Resolution Officers, PCs and Judges. 2014 Presenter, Ontario Collaborative Law Federation, Eighth Conference, Kingston, Ontario, 2014: Continuing the Dialogue on Safety Family Violence and Screening in CP. Presenter, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Forum, San Antonio, Texas: Power Imbalances and Family Violence in Collaborative Cases: Balancing Safety and Transparency.2013 Featured expert in Mediation for Civil Litigators Issues and Solutions Handbook, Hollander, J.,(Irwin Law). 2013 Presenter, ADR Institute of Canada Gold Standard Conference, Toronto, Fall 2013: Negotiation Power in Family Law Dispute Resolution Presenter, Academy of Professional Family Mediators Annual Conference, Fall 2013, Denver, Colorado: Understanding Negotiation Power in Family Mediation Five day custom training, Office of the Children s Lawyer, 2013 Keynote speaker, County of Carleton Law Association/Annual Civil Litigation Conference. November 2012 5th Annual Fall Conference, Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers. November 2011 Children and the Law, University of Toronto- School of Social Work. November 2011 First International Congress on Mediation, Lisbon, Portugal. October 2010 AFCC (Ontario Chapter) Annual Conference. October 2010 Parent Education Sessions at Toronto District School Board. 2009-2011 Morningstar Canada, Conflict Resolution in the Workplace, 2008 Young Lawyers Division, Ontario Bar Association. March 2008, Annual Institute in Family Law, Ontario Bar Association. February 2008
5 December 2007, Mandatory or Voluntary Mediation? ADR Institute of Ontario November 2007, Law Society of Upper Canada program on Family Arbitration. March 2007, YLD meeting, Ontario Bar Association. February 2007, Osgoode Hall Law School Conference on ADR. 2006, OBA ADR Section, Deputation, Hearings into proposed changes to Ontario s Arbitration and Family Law Acts. Chair, September 2006, The Great Debate, Ontario Bar Association. June 2006, Family Arbitration, OAFM AGM. May 2006, Income Determination in Family Law (Arbitration), Ontario Bar Association. November 2005, Mediation-Arbitration Practice Tips, Ontario Bar Association. June 2005, Spousal Support Guidelines Annual General Meeting, Ontario Association of Family Mediation. May 2005, Religious Arbitration in Ontario, ADR Institute of Ontario. March 2005, The Youth Criminal Justice Act and Extrajudicial Measures: Keeping Kids Out of Court, Ontario Bar Association. Co-chair, February 2005, Annual Institute of Continuing Legal Education; Family, Ontario Bar Association Law Program. April 2003, Contemporary Perspectives on Conflict, Disputes and Dispute Resolution, Osgoode Hall Law School PDP. Guest expert 2001, three-part Canadian Living Television series on family law and mediation. OBA Deputation, June 2000, Family Law Section, to Justice Peter de Cory, A Framework for Regulating Paralegal Practice in Ontario. Family law expert, 2000, featured in Separating Smart video series produced by Toronto's Family Law Centre. Contributing author, 1999, Common Civil Applications in Ontario, Butterworths. Legal columnist, 1993-2007, Beach Metro Community News. Legal Background Chappell Bushell Stewart LLP (Toronto), Associate and Partner 1996-2001. Koskie, Minsky (Toronto), Associate 1994-1996. Gloria J. Epstein and Associates (Toronto), Associate 1988-1994. Aiken, Capp (Toronto), Associate, 1987-1988. Ms. Linton s litigation practice focused on construction lien, defamation law, family law, and unauthorized practice prosecutions under the Law Society Act. Education LL.M. (ADR): Osgoode Hall Law School, 2003. Called to the Ontario Bar: 1987. Articles: Campbell, Godfrey & Lewtas, Toronto, 1986.
6 University of Western Ontario Law School: 1982-1985, J.D. Carleton University: 1978-1982, Honours Bachelor of Journalism Awards, Executive Positions, Appointments and Memberships CANSI Certified Cross-Country Ski Instructor, 2015 Recipient, ADR Award of Excellence, Ontario Bar Association ADR Section, 2014. Founding Director, Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario, 2014-Present. Director, Academy of Professional Family Mediators, 2014-2015. Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Toronto) and Ontario Court of Justice Family Bench and Bar Committees, 2011- Present. Member of selection committee, John E. VanDuzer Scholarship Award for Family Law, 2009. Past-chair, ADR Section, Ontario Bar Association, 2007-2008. Appointment, by Attorney General of Ontario, to Justice and Media Committee, 2007. Member, Provincial Advisory Committee for Formal Dispute Resolution in Special Education Programs and Services, 2007-2009. Executive member of Ontario Bar Association- ADR Section, 2003-2010. Executive member of Ontario Bar Association- Family Law Section 1996-2004. Founding Member, Toronto Collaborative Family Law Association, 2001. Ontario Association of Family Mediation Director and Secretary, 2003-2004. Member of governance and privacy law committees, OAFM, 2004-2010. Accredited Family Mediator, OAFM, 2001-present. Member of the ADR Institute of Canada, 2004-present. Member of Law Society of Upper Canada, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association, Ontario Association of Family Mediation, ADR Institute of Ontario, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. (AFCC)- Present. Volunteer Work Co-chair, Walsh Family Law Negotiation Competition, (2015). Coach, mediator and/or judge for the International Mediation Advocacy Competition, 2009-Present. Member of Organizing Committee, Roger Fisher Tribute, September 2007. Member, Planned Giving Committee, Toronto East General Hospital, 2007-present. Volunteer facilitator of restorative justice conferences for young offenders, PACT, 2003-2010. Director, East End Community Health Centre, 1999-2005 Member of Advisory Team for Community Centre 55's Restorative Justice Project, 2002. Director, Beach Metro Community News, 2003-2004. Founding member, Toronto Beach Rotary Club. Director, Regent Park Community Health Centre, 1994-1999.
7 Contact Information Riverdale Mediation Ltd. 393 University Avenue, Suite 2000 Tel: 416.593.0210 ext. 291 Fax: 416.593.1352 Email: hilary@riverdalemediation.com, hilary@mediate393.ca Websites:, www.mediate393.ca