Speakers

Gain knowledge from speakers who bring valuable hands-on experience.

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Todd Bell is a highly skilled family law litigator and trial lawyer with wide-ranging courtroom experience spanning all levels of Court in British Columbia. This experience makes him well-placed to analyze the latest case law developments in the highly anticipated Year in Review session.

Todd’s family law practice includes the division of high net-worth assets such as corporate interests, trusts, foreign property, and pensions as well as the determination of income for support purposes. He practices parenting and custody litigation and assisting parties seeking emergency protection from family violence. Todd has been successful counsel on multiple seminal family law judgments since the Family Law Act came into force.

Topic: A Year in Review

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Alex supports clients through separation with a collaborative approach. Alex bring specialized knowledge and competencies he has developed over his years of experience. Alex practices family law primarily, and nearly exclusively, in his ten+ years of practice. Alex often writes and presents frequently on family law topics and is a contributing author to the leading BC family law texts (CLEBC’s Family Law Sourcebook and Annotated Practice).

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Experienced in all aspects of family law, Aaron Frank’s clients trust him to recognize the unique complexities of their case and to provide practical solutions that work best for them. His experience enables him to provide valuable insight during the conference’s Year in Review.

As partner at Epstein Cole, Aaron’s practice encompasses all areas of family law and the defence of solicitor's negligence claims. His practice ranges from complex financial issues to national and international child abduction.

Topic: A Year in Review 

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Bree Hankins focuses on family law and estate litigation. She provides clients with assistance on all types of family matters, particularly on cohabitation and separation agreements.

She is an expert in: drafting and/or advising on marriage agreements and cohabitation agreements; helping parties navigate a divorce or separation; assisting parties with obtaining a divorce; drafting separation agreements; and Litigation dealing with division of property and/or support issues.

Bree is an accredited Family Law Mediator and a qualified Collaborative Divorce Practitioner.

Topic: Unlocking Legal Agreements: Challenges & Best Practices

 

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The Hon. Justice Hardwick was appointed to the British Columbia Supreme Court effective February 7, 2022.  Prior to her appointment, Justice Hardwick served as a law clerk for the British Columbia Supreme Court. Upon completing her clerkship and shortly after her call to the bar, she helped form the litigation boutique firm Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP with her partners David M. Rush, K.C. and Kenneth J. Ihas. She initially practised a broad range civil, commercial, and family litigation. In 2012, Justice Hardwick assumed the role of the head of the family law department at Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP. Thereafter, she focused her practice primarily on resolving family law matters and litigating family law disputes. She appeared as counsel on various occasions before the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the British Columbia Court of Appeal.

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Ian Hayward’s practice consists of family, personal injury and administrative law. Ian’s philosophy on practicing family law is that practitioners must be versatile in their approach to their client’s problems. To this end, Ian was one of the first lawyers certified in Collaborative Law in Vancouver which is a great skill to have when it comes to parenting coordination.

Topic: Trends in Parenting Coordination

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Paul Henry has owned his legal practice in Kelowna for 26 years, after working with young people at risk and homeless adults in Vancouver. He has taken numerous courses in mediation practice, collaborative law, and parenting coordination. This  knowledge and experience sets him up to present on the recent amendments to Section 85 of the BC Family Law Act.

Paul is a member and former chair of the Okanagan Collaborative Family Law Group; a member of The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and of Family Mediation Canada. He is on the roster of the Hear the Child Society and the BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society.

Topic: Pets, Pensions & Property Division: Amendments to the BC Family Law Act 

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For over a decade, Julia focuses her practice exclusively on family law, with expertise on parenting coordination. Julia is an experienced litigator who has appeared at all levels of court in the province. Moreover, Julia is a certified Family Law Mediator and Family Law Arbitrator, both accredited by the Law Society of British Columbia, and a member of the Collaborative Divorce Vancouver practice group. Julia accepts files for litigation, mediation, Collaborative practice and parenting coordination.

Topic: Trends in Parenting Coordination 

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Alyson Jones is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 30 years’ experience. She is passionate about families and children, advocating for the best interests of children and encouraging parents to do divorce better. She is presenting on Child Support in the Age of Delayed Adulthood.

Alyson developed the Family Forward Reunification Program which assists families in navigating through parent child contact problems and highly complex family issues.  She also spearheaded the Specialized Services Program which services high conflict families who are going through family transitions.

Topic: Child Support in the Age of Delayed Adulthood

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Joni’s practice encompasses a range of civil litigation areas. She has extensive experience in wills, trust and estate litigation, as well as real property and easement disputes. She also has significant experience in litigating and resolving disputes with respect to wills, powers of attorney, the administration of estates and trusts, and claims under the Wills, Estates and Succession Act. Her experience working in this area of law prompted her interest in  dementia friendly practice.

She has conducted trials and appeals in all of the British Columbia Courts and has represented clients before various tribunals and mediations, including the BC Labour Relations Board, Employment Standards Tribunal, and Human Rights Tribunal.

Topic: How to Create a Dementia Friendly Practice 

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By leveraging Clark Wilsons’ Family Law group’s extensive network, Cori supports clients by connecting them with professionals such as financial planners and parenting coaches to assist with changes.

Originally from the Canadian prairies, Cori began her career working alongside an accomplished family lawyer, now a judge in the Family Law Division of Saskatchewan’s Court of Queen’s Bench. Additionally, Cori completed a court clerkship in Saskatoon, where she gained invaluable experience in getting a “behind the bench” view of judges’ decision-making processes.

With previous experience practicing corporate and commercial law and as a business owner, Cori offers a well-rounded perspective to her work at Clark Wilson.

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When it comes to the practice of family law, Karen Redmond believes there is a better way. After twenty years of courtroom litigation, where she witnessed families torn apart by the adversarial process, Karen’s desire to help and not harm has taken a place of precedence in her law practice. Her current focus is primarily on mediation, where she facilitates collaborative conversations crafted to meet the needs of each family, and the individuals involved. She is presenting on child support in the age of delayed adulthood with Alyson Jones.

Karen has extensive experience with all issues in family law, including complex personal and corporate finances, division of property and debt, challenging income determination cases, spousal support claims for all genders, and guardianship of children.

Topic: Child Support in the Age of Delayed Adulthood 

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Jeff is regarded as one of British Columbia’s most skillful commercial litigators. Jeff is sought after by companies and high-net-worth individuals for his experience resolving complex civil disputes and high-value family litigation where business interests are at stake. He is presenting on how to navigate financial crossroads, where bankruptcy plays a major role in asset division.

Jeff has deep knowledge across an unusually broad range of industries and legal fields.

Topic: Navigating Financial Crossroads: Bankruptcy and Asset Division