510
edits
Changes
→Lawyers as dispute resolution professionals
Lawyers who are family law arbitrators have special, additional training in arbitration and are required to meet other requirements imposed by the Law Society and the [http://canlii.ca/t/8rdx Family Law Act Regulation]. Family law arbitrators are like private judges; their job is to hear the evidence and arguments presented by the parties and fairly resolve a legal problem by making a decision. Lawyers who <span class="noglossary">act</span> as arbitrators are neither party's advocate: they are neutral decision-makers.
Lawyers who are parenting coordinators are trained as mediators and arbitrators, and have a great deal of additional training on top of that. The sort of services parenting coordinators provide are a blend of mediation and arbitration, with a bit of counselling thrown in. Parenting coordinators help parents deal with parenting disputes when they arise and, if an agreement cannot be reached with between the parents' agreement, then the parenting coordinator <span class="noglossary">will</span> make a decision resolving the issue using a process that's a bit like arbitration. Lawyers who <span class="noglossary">act</span> as parenting coordinators are neither party's advocate. If they're anyone's advocate, they're the children's advocate.
==Finding and hiring a lawyer==