Victoria Smith

38 Howard Park Avenue, #R4
Toronto, Ontario M6R 0A7
Canada
Office Phone: (416) 767-1256
Member since 2004
Membership Type: IACP

Profession(s)

Lawyer, Mediator

I have practiced family law in the Toronto area for over 30 years. Since 2000, I have confined my services to helping clients reach out-of-court settlements by way of Collaborative Practice and Mediation. I provide trainings in Collaborative Practice, settlement advocacy and negotiation skills internationally. I am co-author of Collaborative Family Law, Another Way To Resolve Family Disputes.

Area(s) of Practice: Collaborative Law, Family Law, Mediation
License(s): Certified as Comprehensive Family Mediator with Family Mediation Canada. ~Certified as a Chartered Mediator with Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Ontario. ~Certified as an Accredited Family Mediator with Ontario Association for Family Mediation.

Professional Activities

Former Member of the Board of Directors Collaborative Practice Toronto. Former Member of the Board of Directors IACP. Founding Member and Past Chair of the Peel Halton Collaborative Family Law Association. Founding Member of the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation. Member of the Law Society of Upper of Canada, Ontario Bar Association (Family Law and Alternate Dispute Resolution subsections), Family Mediation Canada, the ADR Institute of Canada Inc., and the I.A.C.P.

Undergraduate Education

1977 B.A. Queen's University

Professional Education

1981 LL.B. - Osgoode Hall Law School
1983 Called to the Bar in Ontario - Law Society of Upper Canada

Comments

I am a passionate advocate of the collaborative process and devoted to its growth. I have successfully resolved hundreds of collaborative cases. I speak and write often about Collaborative Practice. I present workshops throughout North America and internationally in the collaborative process, settlement advocacy, interest-based negotiation, communication skills, managing strong emotion/challenging clients and effective team process to critical acclaim. I am a former member of the Board of Collaborative Practice Toronto and a former member of the Board of Directors of the I.A.C.P.
Training Offered

Introduction to Collaborative Law / Collaborative Practice, Collaborative Practice skills, advanced issues and skills, advanced negotiation and collaborative advocacy. Trainings are customized to practice group and interdisciplinary workshops are presented with mental health professional and financial professional.

Training Conducted

2 day introduction to Collaborative Law (primarily lawyer focused); 2 day introduction to collaborative Practice (interdisciplinary-presented with mental health professional and financial professional); 3 day collaborative skills (principled negotiation, communication, working in effective teams, collaborative advocacy, power issues, bring the law into the collaborative process); advanced negotiation, and advanced collaborative advocacy.

Collaborative Training Offered

(Refer to www.victoriasmith.ca for recent Collaborative Training Offered)

2011:

Creating Competence and Confidence: Jump-start your Collaborative Practice!!
Presented with Sherri Goren Slovin- Anchorage, Alaska
Collaborative Advocacy-Albuquerque, New Mexico
Introduction to Collaborative Practice – with Sheila Brown MSW, RSW, Acc.FM and Jane Tremblay, CFP, FLMI, CDFA, FDS.– Charlottetown, PEI

2010:

Introduction to Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice– with Linda Solomon, LPC, L.M.FT, LCD C.– Syracuse, New York
Collaborative Practice – Interdisciplinary Skills – with Linda Solomon, and Jane Tremblay – Halifax, NS
Collaborative Practice – Interdisciplinary Skills Training – with Jane Tremblay and Sheila Brown,– York Region, Ontario
Collaborative Practice – Interdisciplinary Skills Training – with Jane Tremblay and Sheila Brown, – London, Ontario

2009:

Collaborative Practice – Introduction to Collaborative Practice – with Jane Tremblay and Sheila Brown – York Region, Ontario
Collaborative Practice – Introduction to Collaborative Practice – with Jane Tremblay and Sheila Brown – London, Ontario
Collaborative Practice – Interdisciplinary Skills Training – with Jane Tremblay and Sheila Brown – York-Durham Region, Ontario

2008:

Collaborative Training â€' Advanced Collaborative Negotiation Workshop - with Sherri Goren Slovin â€' Sonoma, California
Collaborative Training - Introduction to Collaborative Practice Process Training - with Jane Tremblay and Sheila Brown â€' York-Durham Region, Ontario
Difficult Divorces - Putting Your Collaborative Skills to the Test - with Sherri Goren Slovin - Hartford, Connecticut
Collaborative Training, Negotiating in the Eye of the Storm â€' Balancing Emotion and Reason in the Collaborative Process - with Linda Solomon - Cincinnati, Ohio
2007:

Collaborative Practice Introductory Training - with Jacinta Gallant - Toronto, Ontario
Collaborative Negotiation, the 8th Annual Networking and Educational Forum, Pre-Forum Institutes, I.A.C.P., Toronto
Mediation and Collaborative Practice, Allies at lastz, the 8th Annual Networking and Educational Forum, I.A.C.P., Toronto
Collaborative Practice Skills Training - with Christopher Arnold â€' Oshawa, Ontario
Intermediate Collaborative Practice Workshop â€' New Britain, Connecticut
2006:

Collaborative Skills Training - with Dr. Susan Gamache - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Negotiation Workshop - with Sherri Goren Slovin, J.D. - Bath, England
Advanced Collaborative Training - Hartford, Connecticut
Introduction to interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice - with Linda Solomon, LPC, L.M.FT, LCD C.; Sheila Brown, MSW, RSW, AccFM; and Jane Tremblay, CFP, FLMI, CDFA, FDS - Toronto, Ontario
Introduction to Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice - with Sherri Goren Slovin,J.D., Linda Solomon, LPC, L.M.FT, LCD C.; and Jane Tremblay, CFP, FLMI, CDFA, FDS.- Los Angeles, California
Advanced Collaborative Practice Training - with Sherri Goren Slovin, J.D.- the Berkshires, New York
Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice Skills Training - with Dr.Susan Gamache - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Introduction to Collaborative Practice - Halifax
2005:

Advanced Collaborative Practice Skills Training with Dr. Susan Gamache - Toronto
Advanced Negotiation Skills Training (with Sherri Goren Slovin)
Two Module Collaborative Family Law Workshop (with Sherri Goren Slovin) - Baltimore
Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice Skills Training (with Susan Gamache and Jackie Ramler) - Toronto
2004:

Train The Trainers - Montreal 2004 CFL Skills Training - Montreal
CFL Skills Training - Whitby 2004 CFL Skills Training - Toronto (with June Maresca)
CFL Skills Training - Montreal (with June Maresca) 2003 CFL Process Training Ð Epstein, Cole
2003:

CFL Process Training - Montreal (with June Maresca)
CFL Process Training - Toronto (with June Maresca)
2002:

CFL Process Training - Barrie (with Richard Shields and Judith Ryan)
2001:

CFL Process Training - North Bay (with Richard Shields and Judith Ryan)
CFL Process Training - Toronto (with Richard Shields and Judith Ryan)
CFL Skills Training - Toronto (with Richard Shields and Judith Ryan)
2000:

CFL Practice Training - Royal Botanical Gardens (with Richard Shields and Judith Ryan)

Collaborative Training Reference

· Sherri Goren Slovin-Cincinnati

· Linda Solomon-Texas

· James Pirrie-England

· Rita Pollock-Boston