Introduction to Family Dispute Resolution

Course Chairs
Carol W. Hickman, QC — Virgin Hickman, Vancouver
Arlene H. Henry, QC — Arlene H. Henry Law Corporation, Vancouver

About the Course Chairs

Carol Hickman, QC has practiced family law in the Greater Vancouver area for 25 years. She has experience at all levels of court, including the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. She has extensive experience in complex family law matters, including property division, maintenance, and custody and access disputes. A Law Society of BC bencher from 2004 to 2011, Carol is now a Life Bencher and chairs the Family Law Task Force which was responsible for developing the Regulations for Family Law Mediators, Arbitrators, and Parenting Coordinators.

For the past 10 years, Carol has been a family law mediator, collaborative family lawyer, and family law arbitrator. She is one of the pioneering members of the Collaborative Family Law Group. In 2012, Carol established West Coast ADR Law Group which focuses on ADR options, including mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law. Carol has been a frequent instructor and coach for CLEBC, including five times at the biennial Family Law Conference from 2001 to 2011. In addition, Carol assisted CLEBC to develop the Family Law Arbitration course in BC.

Carol received her LLB in 1987, and her LLM in Alternate Dispute Resolution in 2014. She was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2010.

Arlene H. Henry, QC is a lawyer, mediator, parenting coordinator, adjudicator, instructor, and dispute resolution coach. She has been mediating since 1998 and is particularly interested in the restructuring of families. Arlene trained at both the Justice Institute of BC and CLEBC and is a certified comprehensive family mediator with Family Mediation Canada. She is a former member of Mediate BC's Board and Roster Committee, current member of the Civil and Family Rosters, and has a special interest in children and youth participation in dispute resolution processes. Arlene recently completed more than eight years on the boards of each of the BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society and the BC Hear the Child Society and is actively involved in the development of each discipline within BC. She has taught family and civil mediation courses for CLEBC and other advanced education agencies annually since the late 1990s. In addition, Arlene is a training instructor for the Med-Arbitration, Family Law Arbitration, and Family Violence Screening courses in BC.

Arlene is also experienced in working with Indigenous Nations, assisting with the implementation of each of the Tsawwassen and the Maa-nulth First Nations' Treaties. She is a former member of the Employment Assistance Appeal Tribunal and former roster mediator for the Police Complaint Commission.