The National Family Law Arbitration Course runs for 40 hours over six days on selected Fridays and Saturdays in the fall (October and November) or winter (February and March). The course is preceded by two optional pre-course programs for those interested in practicing as parenting coordinators, one directed to lawyers and taught by experienced mental health professionals working in the area of family breakdown, and another directed to mental health professionals and taught by seasoned family law lawyers.

Participant feedback

Participants in the 2021 course rated the course and its impact on their knowledge of the subject matter very highly:

• 78% of participants who completed our feedback survey described the materials as very relevant and 22% described them as relevant,
• 84% strongly agreed that the course increased their knowledge of the subject matter and 16% agreed that it increased their knowledge, and
• 96% said they would strongly encourage or encourage others to take the course.

Course dates

The 2024 course begins with an optional pre-course program on psychology for lawyers on Friday 26 January 2024 and the companion pre-course program on family law for mental health professionals on Saturday 27 January 2024. The course itself will run on the following dates:

• Day One: Friday 9 February 2024
• Day Two: Saturday 10 February 2024
• Day Three: Friday 23 February 2024
• Day Four: Saturday 24 February 2024
• Dave Five: Friday 8 March 2024
• Day Six: Saturday 9 March 2024

Download the syllabi for psychology for family law lawyers and family law for mental health professionals. Download the syllabus for the 2022 course. Learn about our faculty and review the course curriculum.

Organizers

The organizers of this course are John-Paul Boyd KC of John-Paul Boyd Arbitration Chambers in Alberta and British Columbia, Lawrence Pinsky KC of Taylor McCaffrey LLP in Manitoba, and Lorne Wolfson of Torkin Manes in Ontario. The course administrator is Marcy McCabe, who can be reached at NFLACoffice@gmail.com.