Norman Pickell's Resumé


Advance
 

Lawyer Mediator Arbitrator

Integrity Commissioner of Nunavut
 
58 South Street, Goderich, Ontario, Canada N7A 3L5
 
Telephone: (519) 524-8335      Facsimile: (519) 524-1530 
 
e-mail: norman@normanpickell.com   web site: www.NormanPickell.com

 
Formal Education
  Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Training
Arbitration Training
Mediation Training

  Continuing Education (in subjects other than Alternate Dispute Resolution)

  Experience
Small Claims Court Deputy Judge
Mediator and Arbitrator
Lawyer
Integrity Commissioner of Nunavut
Practice Reviewer for the Law Society of Upper Canada

  Publications
  Other Current Areas of Interest
  Past Areas of Interest
  Present Memberships
Legal and Mediation/Arbitration
Other Present Memberships
  Personal
  Hobbies

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Formal Education
 
1967 - 1969  University of Western Ontario - 2 years towards Hon. B.A. in  Political Science
1969 - 1972 University of Windsor - Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)
1973 - 1974 Osgoode Hall - Bar Admission Course
1974 called to Bar of Ontario

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Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Training
 

Arbitration Training
  Comprehensive Arbitration Training Course
- 40 hour course - Fall 1997
- Murray H. Miskin
- ADR Institute of Ontario accredited Course
  Conducting the Commercial Arbitration
- 3.5 hour course - March 1998
- The Law Society of Upper Canada
  Advanced Commercial Arbitration
- 7 hour course - April 2007
- The Law Society of Upper Canada
Mediation Training
  Mandatory Mediation in Ontario
-  1.0 hour - Feb. 1998
- ADR Institute of Ontario
   Mediation of Estates Disputes
- 1.5 hours - March 1998
- Canadian Bar Association - Ontario
  Negotiation & Mediation in the Insurance Industry
- 16 hour course - Nov. 1998
- Osgoode Hall Law School (York University)
  Advanced Mediation Workshop
- 24 hour course - Feb. 1999
- Osgoode Hall Law School (York University)
  Mediating Estates Disputes Workshop
- 4.5 hour course - March 1999
- The Law Society of Upper Canada
  Basic Family Mediation Skills
- 45 hour course - March 1999
- Dr. Barbara Landau, Ph.D., LL.M., C. Med.
- course approved by the Ontario Association for Family Mediation, Academy of Family Mediators and the ADR Institute of Ontario.
  Mediation and Domestic Violence
- 15 hour course - March 1999
- Dr. Barbara Landau, Ph.D., LL.M., C. Med.
- course approved by the Ontario Association for Family Mediation, Academy of Family Mediators and the ADR Institute of Ontario.
Older and Wiser: Wrinkles in Boomer & Elder Law
- 6.5 hours - May 1999
- Ontario Bar Association
  Advanced Family Mediation Course
- 30 hour course - June 1999
- Dr. Barbara Landau, Ph.D., LL.M., C. Med.
- Academy of Family Mediators accredited course
- Ontario Association for Family Mediation accredited course
  Ethics in Mediation
- 1.0 hour - March 2000
- Ian Darling
- London Area Mediators' Association
  Estate Mediation: The Family Cottage
- 1.5 hours - March 2000
- The Centre for Estate Mediation
- Ontario Bar Association
  Family Mediation 
- 1.0 hour - April 2000
- Mitch Lesperance
- London Area Mediators' Association
  Mediation in Education
- 1.0 hour - May 2000

- 

 Douglas McCarthy
- London Area Mediators' Association

 
  Adult Guardianship Mediation
- 20 hour course - June 2001
- The Center for Social Gerontology and Peace Talks, Ann Arbor, Michigan

 
  Mediator Challenges in Negotiations with Native People
- 1.5 hours - January 2002
- Professor Michael Coyle
Faculty of Law, University of Western Ontario
  Capacity, Consent and Substitute Decisions (including Mediating Mental Health Capacity Disputes)
- Powers of Attorney and Guardianship
- Substitute Decisions Act, Health Care Consent Act, and Mental Health Act
- 6.5 hour course - February 2002
- The Law Society of Upper Canada

 
Papering the Mediation: What You Need to Succeed
- 3.5 hours - April 2003
- The Law Society of Upper Canada

 
Apologies, Non-Apologies and Conflict Resolution
- 7.5 hours - October 2003
- University of Victoria Institute for Dispute Resolution, Victoria, B.C.

 
Anger Mastery: Taking the Fear Out of Anger
- 1.0 hour - October 2003
- Kathryn Munn (Munn Conflict Resolution Services)
-  London Area Mediators Association

 
Breaking Impasse in Mediation
- 1 hour - January 2004
- Nina Meierding
- Association for Conflict Resolution
Valuing Assets in Divorce Mediation
- 1 hour - March 2004
- Lee Borden
- Association for Conflict Resolution
Advanced Issues in Family and Divorce Mediation
- 18 hours - June 2004
- Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California
- Robert Benjamin
- Christine Coates
Youth Criminal Justice Act and Extrajudicial Measures
- 2.0 hours - March 2005
- Ontario Bar Association - ADR Section
Transforming Conflict in Families
- 1.0 hour - March 2005
- Louise Phipps Senft
- Association for Conflict Resolution
Eldercare Mediation
- 1.0 hour - April 2005
- Judy McCann Beranger
- Family Mediation Canada
Mediator Power
- 1.5 hours - May 2005
- Professor Colleen Hanycz, Assistant Dean, Osgoode Hall Law School (York University)
- London Area Mediators Association
Mediating Parenting Plans for Children Exposed to Parental Conflict and/or Violence
- 1.25 hours - June 2005
- Gary Direnfeld
- Family Mediation Canada

Estate Mediation: Rolling Over in Their Graves
- 4.75 hours - February 2006
- Ontario Bar Association
- The Centre for Estate Mediation
 
Financial Issues in Divorce Mediation
- 1.0 hours - March 2006
- Debbie Hartzman
- Ontario Association for Family Mediation
Workplace Mediation
- 2.0 hours - April 2006
- Janine Higgins
- London Area Mediators Association
Advanced Family Mediation
- 15.0 hours - May 2006
- The New York State Council on Divorce Mediation
- sessions included:
Taking the Conflict out of Child Custody Dr. Chet Muklewicz
Kids First: Helping Parents Find Unity in Their Agreements Dr. Chet Muklewicz
Conflict Transformation for Separating Couples Louise Phipps Senft
Strategies to Use to Assist Couples in Disconnecting From an Intimate Relationship Steve Erickson and Marilyn McKnight
Strategies to Avoid Impasse Steve Erickson and Marilyn McKnight
Domestic Violence and Family Mediation Dr. Desmond Ellis

 
Communication Training
- 1 hour - May 2006
- FBI Special Supervisory Agent Greg Vecchi
- Association for Conflict Resolution
Child Protection Mediation
- 3 hours - May 2006
- Linda Crush
- Child Protection Mediation Association
- The Alternative Dispute Resolution Network
Advanced Issues in Family Mediation
- 16.5 hours - July 2006
- Association for Conflict Resolution - Family Section at Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- sessions included:
Addressing Tough Financial Issues
Dealing with Challenging Clients
Breaking Through Impasse
Balancing Power
High Conflict Cases
Managing Difficult Clients
Managing Difficult People in Mediation
High Conflict Couples
 
Parenting Coordination
- 2.5 hours - July 2006
- Christine Coates
- Association for Conflict Resolution - Family Section at Cape Cod, Massachusetts
 
Marital Mediation
- 1.5 hours - July 2006
- John Fiske
- Lynda Robbins
- Association for Conflict Resolution - Family Section at Cape Cod, Massachusetts
 
Facilitation in Faith Communities
- 1.5 hours - September 2006
- David Robinson
- ADR Institute of Ontario

 
Advanced Mediation Skills Training
- 12.0 hours - October 2006
American Bar Association - Dispute Resolution Section

 
Child Protection Mediation
- 21 hours - November 2006
- Linda Crush
- Seneca College

 
Child Protection Mediator
- January 2007
- Ontario Association of Family Mediation

 
Applications for High Conflict Families
- 17 hours - September 2007
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

 
Mediating Conflicts over Child Abuse and Neglect
- 3 hours - September 2007
- Dr. Gregory Firestone
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

 
Child Dependency Mediation: New Ways for Child Welfare Agencies and Families to Work Together
- 1 hour - March 2008
- Karen Asaro
- Association for Conflict Resolution - Family Section

 
Aboriginal Conference on Original Dispute Resolution (including Native Child Welfare)
- 15 hours - March 2008
- Mnaasged Child and Family Services
- Chippewas of the Thames First Nation

 
Estate Mediation
- 1.5 hours - February 2009
- Ontario Bar Association - ADR Section
- Strathgowan Estate Mediation

 
Total Hours of ADR Training - 385 hours

Mediation - 334.5 hours

Arbitration - 50.5 hours

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CONTINUING EDUCATION (in subjects other than Alternate Dispute Resolution)

I have taken numerous Continuing Education courses over the years in the areas of Family Law, Corporate, Commercial and Business Law, Wills, Estate Planning and Estate Administration, Powers of Attorney, Elder Law, Real Estate, Landlord and Tenant, Personal Injury, Insurance, Civil Litigation, Education Law and Office Management to keep current in the fields of my law practice.

In addition, I have attended several training sessions and workshops sponsored by the Office of the Children's Lawyer regarding the interviewing and representation of children of all ages.

I have also presented at workshops and spoken to groups of all ages on various topics, including: Mediation, the Child Support Guidelines, Marriage Contracts, the Family Law Act, Wills, Estate Planning, Powers of Attorney, the Buying and Selling of a House, the Conduct of a Civil Trial, the Conduct of a Criminal Trial, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the Charter of Rights.

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EXPERIENCE

 Small Claims Court Deputy Judge

1978 - 1986
1994 to date
- conduct trials and pre-trials
- do this primarily in Huron, Lambton, Perth, and Bruce Counties


Mediator and Arbitrator
 
1997 to date
- on the Ontario Child Protection Mediation Roster
- on both the Mediation Panel and the Arbitration Panel of the ADR Institute of Ontario
- on both the Mediation Panel and the Arbitration Panel of the World Intellectual Property Organization - WIPO - Arbitration and Mediation Centre, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland
- on the Mediation Roster of London and Area Mediators' Association
- on both the Mediation and Arbitration Rosters of the Dispute Resolution Centre of the Better Business Bureau of Western Ontario
- listed on the Mediation Referral Service of Family Mediation Canada
- listed on the Mediator Referral Service of Ontario Association for Family Mediation
- listed in the "Locate a Mediator" database of the Mediation Information and Resource Center
- listed in the database of Special Education Mediators maintained by CADRE (Consortium of Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education) 



Lawyer
 
1974 to date (over 35 years as a lawyer)
 
General Law Practice, including:
- business, commercial and corporate law
- criminal law
- elder law
- estate administration
- estate litigation
- family law
- landlord and tenant law
- power of attorney law
- real estate law
- wills and estate planning


Integrity Commissioner of Nunavut

(part-time) July 2008 to date
- for more information on this part of my work, please visit the website of the Integrity Commissioner of Nunavut
- while most of my work can be done from Goderich, Ontario, some travel to Nunavut is necessary

 
Practice Reviewer for the Law Society of Upper Canada

(part-time) 1989 to date
- involves assessing other lawyers’ practices and providing suggestions for improvements
- involves travel throughout Ontario


Past Areas of Practice

Until recently, I also included the following in my law practice:
 
- arbitration - as the lawyer (and not the arbitrator)
       
- criminal law - defending adults and young offenders
    - have appeared at parole and review hearings
    - have acted as Assistant Crown Attorney and as Federal Prosecutor
       
- debtor/creditor - involved with both debtors and creditors (including large financial institutions as well as private, individual persons)
    - have acted as Counsel for the Family Responsibility Office, the branch of the Ontario Government charged with collecting child and spousal support arrears
       
- family law - involved with custody and access, child support, spousal support, property and equalization claims, divorce actions and variation applications
    - involved with child protection cases involving Children's Aid Societies
    - acted for children, as a lawyer for The Office of The Children's Lawyer, from 1984 until 2003
       
- litigation - civil - contract disputes
    - disputes involving wills and estates
    - personal injury, including injuries arising from motor vehicle accidents, slip and fall accidents, sexual assault and medical malpractice
    - wrongful dismissal
    - acting for and against insurance companies in all aspects, including mediation and negotiation of settlements
    - property and boundary disputes
       
- mediation - as the lawyer (and not the mediator)

 
Legal Aid Panel  

1974 until 2004 (30 years)
- on the criminal, civil and duty counsel panel

 
Children's Lawyer
 
1984 until 2003 (19 years)
- acted as a lawyer for children who had a lawyer appointed for them by the Office of the Children's Lawyer (which is a branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General)
 

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PUBLICATIONS
 
Child Support and Mediation
-  published in the December 2000 issue of the Canadian Bar Association - Ontario Alternate Dispute Resolution Newsletter

 
Comparison of Mediation, Arbitration and Court
-  this article compares mediation, arbitration and court

 
Die Without a Will
-  this article lists the consequences for a person living in Ontario who dies without a will

 
Estate Administration - Duties of Lawyer and Estate Trustee
-  this article lists in a general way what is expected of the estate trustee (also known as the "Executor") and what the role of the estate lawyer is in the administration of an estate in Ontario

 
In Family Law, How is Mediation Different from a Settlement Meeting?
- published in the February 2000 issue of the Canadian Bar Association - Ontario Family Law Section Newsletter
- published in the March 2000 issue of the Canadian Bar Association - Ontario General Practice Section Newsletter

 

 
Power of Attorney - Personal Care - Duties and Responsibilities
-  this article highlights the duties and responsibilities of the Attorney for Personal Care - Health Care - under the Ontario legislation

 
Preparing for Mediation
- for presentation to the Ontario Bar Association's Seminar entitled Mediation: The Next Generation which was to have been held on October 17, 2000

 
Purchase and Sale of Farms in Ontario
- presented to an Ontario Bar Association Real Estate Seminar in Toronto, Ontario on November 25, 2002

 
Reluctant to Mediate
- this article examines some of the reasons why people are hesitant to try mediation

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OTHER CURRENT AREAS OF INTEREST

2003 to date

Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, Goderich, Ontario

- Director on the Board of Directors - January 2003 to date
- Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors - June 2003 to June 2004
- Chair of the Board of Directors - June 2004 to June 2007


1972 to date
North Street United Church, Goderich, Ontario
The United Church of Canada
- Chair of Church Board - January 1999 – January 2001
-                                  - January 1975 – January 1977
- Chair of many Committees over the years including:
- Chair of Ministry and Personnel Committee (dealt with Human Resources issues for all of the church staff, including negotiations of salary and benefits)  


1975 to date
The Rotary Club of Goderich
- President 1979 - 1980
- Program Chair for many years
Rotary International
Other Rotary links

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PAST AREAS OF INTEREST
 
2002 - 2004
Law Society of Upper Canada - General Practitioners Working Group
One of 8 lawyers in Ontario selected to sit on a Committee to examine the feasibility of certifying qualified lawyers as General Practitioners
 
1988 - 1997
- School Trustee with the Huron County Board of Education
(now part of the Avon Maitland District School Board)
- served on all Standing Committees of the Board
- served on Executive Committee and Audit Committee including
Vice-Chair of Human Resources and Chair of Education Committees
- involved with labour negotiations and mediations as a School Trustee
- involved with School Councils and with Special Education

1980 to 2006
Airplane Pilot - Private Licence with Night Endorsement


1995
Producer of Faye Waller's vocal music CD entitled "Count Your Blessings" which was used as a charity fund-raiser for North Street United Church, Goderich.

1990
Honorary Member of the Kinsmen Club of Goderich

1980
Member of the Town of Goderich Vandalism Committee

1979 - 1981
Part-owner of The Little Inn, Bayfield, Ontario
- gained experience in all aspects of operating a small country inn


1977
Huron Centre for Children and Youth
Member of the steering committee which set up the Huron Centre for Children and Youth (now part of the Huron-Perth Centre). The Huron-Perth Centre provides services to children, youth and their families as a means of solving emotional and family problems.

1975 - 78
Camp Menesetung (part of Huron-Perth Presbytery of the United Church of Canada)
- member of the Board of Directors
- Chair of the Board of Directors for one year from 1977 to 1978

1974
Soviet-Canadian Legal Conference
- attended meetings with Soviet and Canadian lawyers in Moscow and in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad)

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PRESENT MEMBERSHIPS
 
Legal and Mediation/Arbitration
  The Law Society of Upper Canada
  Ontario Deputy Judges Association
  The Huron Law Association - President 1996 - 1998
  The Canadian Bar Association
  The Ontario Bar Association - including member of the ADR Section
  ADR Institute of Canada
  ADR Institute of Ontario
  London Area Mediators' Association 
  Ontario Association for Family Mediation
  Family Mediation Canada 
  Association for Conflict Resolution
 
Other Present Memberships
  Goderich - Huron YMCA - charter member
  Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) 
  Goderich and District Chamber of Commerce
  Goderich Business Improvement Area

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PERSONAL
- born in Toronto, Ontario
- married since 1972 to Nancy, who is an elementary school teacher and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow (for her volunteer work in the community) 
- Nancy and I are the proud parents of three grown children and two grandchildren
- we have lived in Goderich, Ontario (part of Huron County) since 1972  
- prior to 1972, I lived in Wawa, Thessalon, Dorchester, Sarnia, London, Windsor and Burlington



HOBBIES

 flying, camping, travel, music

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Norman B. Pickell  Lawyer - Mediator - Arbitrator  58 South Street, Goderich, Ontario N7A 3L5  Telephone (519) 524-8335   Fax (519) 524-1530