WHY CHOOSE PARMAR LAW FOR YOUR MEDIATION?

The court process can be confusing, costly, and time consuming, with sometimes cases going on for years without any sort of outcome or resolution. Litigation and court decisions give the power to the Court in deciding an outcome. Mediations allow parties to meet with a Mediator, and have control over the process, and reach a mutually agreeable resolution. It can reduce stress, time, and can be considerably less costly. Our aim is to help the parties reach a voluntary outcome and resolve their issues.

A process in which a mediator, an impartial third party, facilitates the resolution of a dispute(s) by promoting the participants’ voluntary agreement.  Mediations are non-adversarial, generally non-binding, and confidential.

• The parties are in control of the outcome. The parties have the power, and not a decision-maker. Therefore, the parties have an opportunity to be heard. 
• The parties can discuss the type of mediation and mediation services options best suited for them.
• The process encourages exploring each parties interests, and options, coming to a win/win solution that allows for creativity. 
• Can save time/money, saving legal fees, expensive, long litigations, and reducing the amount of time parties have to take off work.
• Can enhance the relationship and communication between the parties, and hopefully even teach better ways to communicate, and provide a healing and a therapeutic benefit.
• Outlines the responsibilities appropriately for each party.
• Ensures confidentiality, dignity and privacy. 
• Reduces stress.

Our mediations take place in a private setting, which can be either in the office or virtually. 

Generally, only the parties involved attend the mediation and participate. The parties do not need to have a lawyer. If a party does have a lawyer, it is optional for them to bring their lawyer to the Mediation. A party can simply speak to their lawyer during the course of the Mediation for advice or can report the results of the Mediation back to their lawyer at the conclusion of the Mediation. The purpose of the Mediation is to allow the parties the time and opportunity to be heard and come to a voluntary outcome.

The length of a Mediation can vary, and is generally up to the parties to advise how many hours they would like to book the mediation for. We generally have the pre-mediation meetings, mediation and provide the Mediation Summary all on the same day. 

We provide a variety of mediation services, including Mediations and Pre-Separation Mediations. Generally, the parties tend to split the costs of the Mediation, and Mediation prices are generally less than what some initial retainers, or in some cases, the hourly rate for a lawyer would be on litigation files.

Prior to the Mediation, we would discuss with the parties any safety concerns, court orders, and the appropriateness of the Mediation. If needed, safety mechanisms can be utilized, including conducting the Mediation virtually, or through shuttle Mediation, where the parties are in separate rooms and never speak to one another directly. 

Our role is to be impartial and neutral, with our mediation services, with no decision-making power. Our role is to assist the communication of the parties, encourage understanding, and focus the parties on their individual and common interests. We work with the parties to explore their interests, options, make decisions, and reach their own voluntary solutions.

Should the parties reach a voluntary resolution on some or all issues, they can receive a Mediation Summary. The Mediation Summary is non-binding, and the parties will be encouraged to obtain Independent Legal Advice, and financial or other advice regarding their rights and obligations. If the parties agree, the Mediation Summary can be made into a Court Order or can be used by a lawyer to prepare a formal agreement. This would be discussed more during the Mediation.

1. We would first discuss any safety concerns, and the appropriateness of the Mediation. If there are safety concerns, and the Mediation is still appropriate, we would utilize ways to minimize those concerns. 

2. Generally, we would conduct a pre-mediation meeting with each party. 

3. The Mediation:  We would use the Mediation to discuss the parties issues. We would assist the parties in their discussions, explore their interests, reasons for their wishes and concerns. We would hopefully come to a resolution on some or all the issues. 

4. The parties will be provided a copy of the confidential Mediation Summary and would be encouraged to obtain Independent Legal Advice. The parties then, should they wish, could use the Mediation Summary as a basis to draft a legal agreement or court order. 

Sanjiv is a former Crown Counsel with Alberta Justice’s Family Law Department, where he represented the Director in matters involving child welfare, Maintenance Enforcement, the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act, Secured Services, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), and Income Support Services.

With more than 15 years of experience in family law, Sanjiv has developed extensive expertise in family and child protection matters, including child welfare proceedings, protection orders, and complex divorce cases. Over the course of his career, he has assisted thousands of clients and brings significant depth of knowledge to each file. He has also trained on the Office of Child and Youth Advocate Children’s Counsel roster. 

Sanjiv has mediated hundreds of family law matters, including child protection mediations. He holds two recognized family mediation designations: Registered Family Mediator (RFM) with the Alberta Family Mediation Society and Certified Comprehensive Family Mediator (Cert. CFM) with Family Mediation Canada. He has extensive training, including in safety screenings. In addition, he completed an intensive Alternative Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Certificate program and holds the Qualified Arbitrator (QArb) designation from the ADR Institute of Canada.

We provide professional mediation services for matters such as child protection, pre-separation planning, separation and divorce, and parenting disputes. Our approach supports families in addressing complex issues within a structured, respectful, and confidential framework. 

Issues addressed through mediation may include parenting schedules, holidays and vacations, travel and mobility, decision-making responsibilities, guardianship, communication between parents, involvement of significant others, as well as child support, spousal support, and property-related concerns.

We can also assist parties in identifying available community and legal resources, developing safety-focused plans to address domestic violence concerns, preventing the escalation of conflict, and supporting family reunification when appropriate.

Should the parties like to book a Med-Arb - Mediation and Arbitration, please review our Med-Arb process. 

Please see our Resources page to assist to Prepare for the Family Mediation.