Victoria Smith, LL.B., C.Med., Cert. CFM (FMC)

Victoria Smith is a family lawyer with over 27 years experience, offering services as a collaborative lawyer, mediator and arbitrator.  Her practice is confined to helping her clients achieve effective settlements, out of court. 

Victoria Smith is a settlement specialist, offering services as a collaborative lawyer, mediator and arbitrator in Toronto, Canada.  Her practice is confined to helping clients achieve customized, effective settlements out of court.  She train lawyers and other professionals in the collaborative process, communication and negotiation skills, and collaborative advocacy throughout North America.  She is a regular presenter at IACP conferences, and an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where she teaches Collaborative Lawyering.  She is coauthor of Collaborative Family Law, Another Way To Resolve Family Disputes, published by Thompson Carswell in 2003.  Victoria Smith is certified as a Comprehensive Family Mediator with Family Mediation Canada and she is a Chartered Mediator with the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Ontario.  She is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

Relevant Education:
1979 B.A. Queen's University. 
1981 LL.B. Osgoode Hall Law School.
1983 Called to the Bar in Ontario

Professional Licenses:
JD., Certified as Comprehensive Family Mediator with Family Mediation Canada

Type of Practice:
Collaborative Practice, Mediation, and Arbitration 

Collaborative Trainings 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.

Prev. Collaborative 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 Attended:

• 2010 Family Arbitration and Domestic Violence Screening Workshop – Philip Epstein, Alf Mamo, Hilary Linton, and Peter Jaffe  
• 2009 Collaborative Trainers Workshop – Rick Shields
• 2008 Interdisciplinary Team Workshop – Angie Bain, Scott Clarke, and Linda Solomon
• January 2006 Advanced Collaborative Practice Training - Bernie Mayer
• October 2004 Transforming Your Group to Interdisciplinary Practice, Nancy Cameron and Susan Gamache
• October 2004 Difficult Conversations - Jeffrey Kerr
• April 2004 Communication Strategies - Deborah Pearce
• March 2004 Narrative Mediation - John Winslade
• February 2004 The Heart of Mediation - Bernie Mayer
• May 2003 Advanced Collaborative Family Law Training - Chip Rose
• 2002 Advanced Collaborative Family Law Training with Pauline Tesler and Chip Rose
• 2002 Intermediate Collaborative Family Law Training - Pauline Tessler
• 2000 Advanced Family Mediation Training - Judith Ryan and Helen Gouge
• 2000 Caught In the Middle: Families of High Conflict Divorce - Carla Garrity and Mitch Baris November 9 and 10, 2000
• 2000 Advanced Family Mediation Training Program - Law Society of Upper Canada
• 2000 Collaborative Family Law Training - Chip Rose
• 1999 Estates Law for Mediators - Strategy Institute
• 1999 Workplace Conferencing Facilitators Workshop - Transformative Justice Australia
• 1999 Mediation and Domestic Violence Conference - Family Mediation Canada
• 1998 Getting to Yes Negotiation Workshop - with Roger Fisher of Harvard University and Conflict Management Group and the Advocates Society
• 1997 Advanced Mediation Workshop - Osgoode Hall Law School
• 1997 Divorce and Custody Mediation Training Program - CDR Associates, Boulder, Colorado
• 1991 Advanced Family Mediation Training Program - Family Mediation Service of Ontario
• 1990 Family Mediation Training Program - Family Mediation Service of Ontario (under the instruction of Bob McWhinney, Dr. Clive Chamberlain, Resa Eisen, Helen Goudge and Judith Ryan)