Shannon provides the following legal services:

– Negotiation & drafting agreements
– Mediation and
– Litigation (representation in court)

Negotiation & drafting agreements:

Negotiation involves resolving a dispute through discussion. Shannon strives to help clients reach agreement about their family law issues through negotiation whenever possible.

Negotiations can be done:

– Between people involved in the dispute themselves (the “parties”) or between lawyers acting for the parties
– Informally through an exchange of letters and/or emails
– Informally in person by way of meetings with both parties and their lawyers present
– Formally through a structured process such as a settlement conference with a judge or mediation with a mediator (described below)

It is important to remember that negotiation is more likely to be successful when both parties are willing to compromise.

Once agreement is reached, Shannon records the settlement in carefully crafted prenuptial/marriage, cohabitation and separation agreements.

Mediation:

Mediation is a form of structured negotiation where a mediator helps the parties to discuss and reach an agreement about the issues in dispute. The mediator is a neutral third party who has no stake in the outcome and does not represent either party.

As a mediator, Shannon guides parties through their negotiations and can offer assistance by suggesting possible solutions and by providing advice about possible outcomes if the matter went to court instead.

At the beginning of the mediation process, Shannon meets with each party individually to gain an understanding of their interests and concerns and to comply with the Law Society of British Columbia’s screening requirements. She then assists the parties through an exchange of financial and other relevant information and documents. She then brings the parties together and guides them through their negotiations, sometimes through a series of sessions.

Once settlement is reached, Shannon records its terms in carefully crafted separation agreements.

Litigation:

Litigation involves representation in court.

Shannon provides vigorous and efficient representation in court. She has represented clients in the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia as well as the Court of Appeal. She has also appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada. For more information about resolving legal issues through court, see: https://wiki.clicklaw.bc.ca/index.php?title=Resolving_Family_Law_Problems_in_Court

Shannon follows the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association’s “Best Practice Guidelines for Lawyers Practicing Family Law”.