You have decisions to make with the one person you can no longer talk to. A neutral person in the room means you make them yourselves, privately.
The default route is two lawyers and a court process, and within a few weeks you are deciding things about your children through other people. Every conversation turns into the same argument. Months pass and nothing is settled. And whatever the outcome, you still have to raise these children with this person afterward.
Family mediation is a voluntary, confidential process for reaching agreement on parenting, support, property, and the practical questions that need answers. Questions that take a year or more in court are often settled in a handful of sessions, at a fraction of the cost. The outcome stays with the two of you rather than a judge who has never met your family.
The process protects both of you. Either person can get independent legal advice at any point, nothing binds anyone until you both agree, and the mediator is neutral, acting as no one's lawyer and deciding nothing.
People usually come to me at the point where they can see how bad this could get and want to know whether there is another route. There is.
Mark Lawrence is the neutral person in the room. He does not represent either of you and he does not decide anything. He works at the pace of trust, which means not pushing a family toward a decision before both people are ready to make one.
JD · LLM Dispute Resolution
More than ten years mediating difficult and personal disputes. Six years teaching negotiation at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. In person across the Greater Toronto Area, or virtually across Ontario.
A private conversation about your situation and whether mediation is right for you. This includes a confidential check that the process will be safe and appropriate for everyone involved.
We work through the decisions that matter most, at a pace that feels manageable. You and the other person make the choices. My role is to guide the conversation and keep it fair.
I put the agreement into clear written form. You can then take it to be reviewed or formalized as needed.
That first conversation is private and costs nothing. You are welcome to make contact on your own, before the other person is involved.
Book a first conversationFamily counsel: referrals are welcome, including files where screening or the dynamics between the parties raise questions first. Contact Mark directly.
