Fees

Parent Coaching and Mediation Fees are applied as follows:
150 per hour (per family conflict specialist/mediator
210 – 350 per hour (per lawyer-mediator)
Plus GST 5% of total

The fees for mediation are typically split equally between the parties.

The total cost of coaching and mediation varies, depending on the process needs, the relational dynamics and the complexities of each particular situation. The total bill can range from as little as $1000 to as much as (or more than) $6000.

The average cost of a contested divorce process in Canada is almost $13,000 per person.

Litigation can cost up to $18,706 for one or two days in court and $35,950 for 5 days.*

General Billing Information and Process

• We require ongoing authorization from the parties to bill their credit cards monthly for fees that have accrued during that month.
• We invoice at the beginning of each month.
• At any point, parties should feel free to inquire about the balance on their account. We commit to both transparency (i.e. no surprises) and efficiency (i.e. to always work as cost-effectively as possible).

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How does the cost of mediation compare with the traditional legal system?
Here’s some information taken from this article:

A simple, contested divorce in Canada can cost anywhere from $7,208 to $74,122, with the average cost being $12,875 (per person).

Those fees don’t include disbursements, according to Canadian Legal Resources Centre, a paralegal services company. Disbursements typically entail costs such as the court filing fee and process serving.

Here’s an example of what those fees might look like in Scarborough, Ont., for a simple divorce, according to the firm Fleury, Comery LLP:

• Issue application (court fee): $157
• Search registry (government fee): $10
• Process server: approximately $64
• Motion for judgment (court fee): $280
• Court clerk for filing attendances: about $56
• Certificate of divorce (court fee): $19

Court fees vary among provinces and territories. “Discoveries, appraisals, mediation, domestic specials, and financial audits are other examples of add-ons that can cost hundreds and thousands more,” the Canadian Legal Resources Centre website states. And don’t forget a lawyer’s charge for emails, phone calls, and photocopying.

Ottawa family law lawyer Jeffrey Behrendt says that even if a divorce doesn’t go to court, legal fees can easily reach the $10,000 mark. “A case that goes to court will cost you at least $10,000; more realistically it will cost at least $20,000 if it does not go to trial,” Behrendt writes on CanadianDivorceLaws.com. “If your case goes to trial, your costs could be at least $50,000.”

*Click here or here or here for more information on the costs of divorce in Canada.