Officers
Edmonton,
AB
Burlington,
ON
Winnipeg,
MB
Toronto,
ON
Toronto,
ON
Ottawa,
ON
Branch Chairs
560-330 5th Ave SW
Calgary,
AB
T2P 0L4
First Year of Call: 2001
2030-638 8th Ave SW
Calgary,
AB
T2P 3M3
First Year of Call: 2016
201-11611 107 Ave NW
Edmonton,
AB
T5H 0P9
First Year of Call: 2015
9259 Main St
Chilliwack,
BC
V2P 4M8
First Year of Call: 2015
33783 Essendene Avenue
Abbotsford,
BC
V2S2H1
First Year of Call: 2013
700-275 Lansdowne St
Kamloops,
BC
V2C 6H6
First Year of Call: 1985
300-272 Victoria St
Kamloops,
BC
V2C 2A2
First Year of Call: 2016
Aachal N. Soll
Biography
Aachal enjoys practicing in the "people-focused" areas of law such family law, child protection, and administrative law.
Having received training for trauma-informed practice, family violence screening, and training for assisting sexual assault survivors, Aachal strives to be cognizant of the challenges often faced by the separating spouses who she represents.
She is grateful to be a Children's Lawyer and help children who get caught up in the legal system. She provides independent legal advice to youth who have been removed from their caregivers by child protection services and represents the youth at child protection trials. She can interview children and prepare Hear the Child Reports in family law matters to ensure that the court can consider the children's views when determining what is in their best interests. At the end of the day, while the judge makes the order, it impacts the children's lives and they deserve to be heard. She advocates for policy changes in family law and child protection so that the children are better supported.
Aachal is an avid volunteer with the Canadian Bar Association – BC Branch. She is the Yale Country Representative to the Provincial Council. She has been an executive member of the Women Lawyers Forum (WLF) – Kamloops Section since June 2015 and chaired the section for three years. She is presently a Co-Chair for the Family Law – Kamloops Section. She has chaired the CBABC Law Week Regional Committee and served on the CBABC Member Services & Engagement Committee, the CBABC WLF Retreat Committee, and the CBABC Equality & Diversity Committee.
As a member of the BC Family Law Working Group, she worked on the CBABC Submissions to BCLI on Modernizing the CFCSA and is currently involved in the CBABC submissions on the ongoing Modernization of the FLA project. Aachal is also involved in the National Family Law section and advocacy efforts to improve access to justice in family law.
Aachal loves getting involved in events at the law school at Thompson Rivers University be it at speaking engagements or mentorship. In the broader Kamloops community, Aachal has volunteered with the “Pit Stop Meals” lunch program through Kamloops United Church, been a member of the Family Tree board and volunteered with the local rotary club in local community events.
Outside of her profession Aachal likes to read (fiction - because who needs reality after a day of family law practice), snowboard (does once a year count?), and do yoga ... in the few breaths between mothering two little kids, running a full-time private practice and pro bono work.
First Year of Call: 2005
1400 - 1030 West Georgia Street
Vancouver,
BC
First Year of Call: 2019
PO Box 9216
Victoria,
BC
V8W 9J1
First Year of Call: 2010
4th Floor, 19 Bastion Square
Victoria,
BC
V8W 1J1
First Year of Call: 2009
1000-330 St Mary Ave
Winnipeg,
MB
R3C 3Z5
First Year of Call: 2013
First Year of Call: 2022
131 Conception Bay Hwy
Po Box 14002 Stn Manuels
Conception Bay South,
NL
A1W 3J1
First Year of Call: 2006
First Year of Call: 2021
Members-at-Large
1500 - 1625 Grafton Street
PO Box 2380 Central
Halifax,
NS
B3J 3E5
First Year of Call: 2011
1980 Ogilvie Road, Suite 200
Ottawa,
ON
K1J 9L3
First Year of Call: 2000
302-626 Broadway Ave
Saskatoon,
SK
S7N 1A9
First Year of Call: 2018
144 12th St E
Prince Albert,
SK
S6V 1B6
First Year of Call: 1998
Victoria E. Elliott-Erickson
Biography
Victoria Elliott-Erickson was called to the Bar in 1998. She is currently an associate with Zatlyn Law Office. Before joining that firm, she was General Counsel to the Prince Albert Grand Counsel. Prior to that, she was an associate with the law office of Pandila & Co. where she articled with the Honourable Judge Gerry Morin, Q.C. Her preferred areas of practice are civil law: including health law, education law, employment law, family law and aboriginal law and governance, all areas which allow for alternative dispute resolution and creative problem-solving. She is a collaboratively-trained professional. She has represented a number of non-profit boards including Health Authorities, Hospital Foundations, a Palliative Hospice Association and a number of Child and Family Service Agencies. She works with a number of First Nations. She is regularly called upon to assist with corporate governance, policy drafting, accreditation-related issues, and strategic planning.
252-5489 Byrne Rd
Burnaby,
BC
V5J 3J1
First Year of Call: 2022
601-1133 Yonge Street
Toronto,
ON
M4T 2Y7
First Year of Call: 1999
200 rue Champlain Suite 161
Dieppe,
NB
E1A 1P1
First Year of Call: 2000
PO Box 23089
Ottawa RPO Fairlawn
Ottawa,
ON
K2A 4E2
First Year of Call: 1986
Katherine L. Shadbolt
Biography
I have practiced in the area of family law and dispute resolution for 39 years, since 1986. Until June 30, 2023, I was a partner at a mid-size full service firm in Ottawa, where I provided the full range of family law services to clients, appearing at all levels of Court, and providing mediation services. I now act as a mediator and am focused on giving back to the profession by writing/teaching and mentoring. Currently I am an advisor with the LSO's Coach and Advisor Network (CAN) and a mentor on the Advocates Society's roster. I am also on the OBA ADR Section Executive Committee for a second term (2025-2026), as CPD liaison, and a member-at-large on the OBA Family Law Executive (2025-2026) & CBA Family Law Section (2024-2026).
Offices in North and West Vancouver
Vancouver,
BC
V7R 4T1
First Year of Call: 1993
Marion (Mara) E. Stickland
Biography
Mara Stickland is a lawyer with a concentration in family law matters. Mara works as a collaborative lawyer, a Mediator, an Arbitrator and Parenting Coordinator. Mara's practice focuses on negotiated resolution of family matters, including: division of assets, child and spousal support, guardianship issues and parenting plans. Mara has a particular interest in facilitating effective co-parenting amidst spousal separation. Mara's practice emphasizes collaborative and mediation models wherever possible. As an Arbitrator and Parenting Coordinator Mara is dedicated to creating a fair process where parties feel heard and understood. Mara is committed to making legal services affordable and available to people of all communities. She is dedicated to a "family first" practice that facilitates long term amicable relations between former spouses and co-parents. Mara's office is based in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Mara received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia in 1992 and was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1993. In 2008 Mara completed training in mediation and advanced family law mediation. In 2020, Mara completed training as an Arbitrator and Parenting Coordinator. She is recognized by the Law Society of BC as an accredited Family Law Mediator, Family Law Arbitrator, and Parenting Coordinator. As a lawyer, Mara has successfully conducted trials at the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia, and argued cases in the BC Court of Appeal. As a mediator, Mara has assisted many families in redefining their family unit while maintaining positive relationships. Mara contributes on the Executive and is an active member of the Family Law and Dispute Resolution sections of the Canadian Bar Association.
First Year of Call: 2008
Honourary Members
605 5th Ave S.W.
Suite #2800
Calgary,
AB
T2P 3H5
First Year of Call: 1992
Wayne A. Barkauskas, K.C.
Biography
Mr. Barkauskas was called to the bar in 1992 and practices family law exclusively. His past corporate law experience and degree in psychology are valuable tools in his practice. Mr. Barkauskas is also a qualified mediator and arbitrator in all areas of family law and is a proponent of the use of mediation and other alternative dispute mechanisms in appropriate circumstances to minimize the uncertainty, delays, and costs associated with litigation. He is a registered Collaborative Law Lawyer and a Registered Parenting Coordinator as well. In addition to his training in alternative methods of dispute resolution, he has extensive Court experience in all levels of Canadian Courts in several Provinces, and in other jurisdictions such as the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. Mr. Barkauskas is a past National Chair of the Family Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, is a Past President of the Alberta Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, and has served on government committees concerning changes to the Divorce Act, changes to the Alberta Rules of Court, and for the appointment of new Judges. He is the current President of the Alberta Family Lawyers Association (AFLA), and is the current liaison between the Family Law Sections of the CBA and American Bar Association. Mr. Barkauskas has often been an instructor of family law for lawyers continuing education programs. He has also taught negotiation skills and family law to new lawyers, and has taught mediation and arbitration courses both in Canada and internationally. He sits on the Board of other community organizations as well and is an appointed Dispute Resolution Officer for the Court of King's Bench of Alberta.
206-75 Front St
Nanaimo,
BC
V9R 5H9
First Year of Call: 2008
Erin Leigh Brook
Biography
Past Chair of the National Family Law Section Current Chair of the CBABC Family Law Committee.
340-33 Alderney Drive
Dartmouth,
NS
B2Y 3N4
First Year of Call: 1992
Robyn L. Elliott, K.C.
Biography
Robyn L. Elliott, Q.C. has been practicing family law in the Halifax area for over 25 years. She is a past Chair of the CBA National Family Law Section and the CBA-NS Family Law Section. She has also served as CBA-NS President, CBA National Sections Chair and on the CBA National Board of Directors. Robyn presently Chairs the Board of the Lawyers' Insurance Association of Nova Scotia.
105-14727 87 AV
Edmonton,
AB
T5R 4E5
First Year of Call: 1995
Patricia M. Hebert, K.C.
Biography
Patricia Hébert is a family lawyer in private practice in Edmonton. Since her admission to the Alberta bar in 1995, she has practiced solely family law with a focus on children. After working with Alberta Justice and the Family Law Office of Legal Aid, then Bruyer & Mackay, she is now in sole private practice as Hebert Law and Mediation. In her practice, Ms. Hébert has represented children extensively in high conflict custody cases, abductions and child protection matters. She now assists parties in mediation settings and Collaborative Family Law only. She has published and presented locally and nationally on issues relating to parenting disputes, alienation, and children’s participation in family cases. Ms. Hébert has been a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Law since 2007. She is a long term board member and past Chair of the board of directors of the Kids Kottage Foundation, which provides emergency respite care to children while providing outreach to their families to address the challenges they face. She pioneered a program to provide respite care for children affected by FASD in partnership in the community. In her term as chair, she has worked to provide for the financial stability of the Kottage while protecting its core program and outreach services. Ms. Hébert was a steering committee member for the founding of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Alberta Chapter, in support of developing evidence-based interdisciplinary best practices for professionals in family disputes. She is very active with the Canadian Bar Association, as a past chair of the Family Section of the Alberta Branch, past Chair of the Family Law Section, past Chair of the National Legal Aid Liaison Committee, and a member of the National Access to Justice Committee which published the Reaching Equal Justice Report. She is the CBA's representative to the Supreme Court's Action Committee on Civil and Family Justice. She currently focusses her practice on mediation and collaborative family law.
1254 Bedford Hwy
Bedford,
NS
B4A 1C6
First Year of Call: 1999
Shelley Hounsell-Gray, KC
Biography
Shelley Hounsell Gray has been practicing family law for over 23 years. She graduated on the Dean's List with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1994, and from the Schulich School of Law, Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1998. She was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1999, and became a certified collaborative family law lawyer in 2002. Upon her call to the Bar Shelley was appointed as a per diem Crown Attorney for the provincial Crown Attorney's office. For the next four years she practiced family law in private practice, and acted as a per diem Crown Attorney. Shelley joined the Nova Scotia Legal Aid office in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in the fall of 2003. In May 2013 she became the managing lawyer of the newly formed Dartmouth Family Law Office, and held this position until she returned to private practice in February 2018. Shelley now works at the law firm of Blackburn Law, Bedford, N.S.. Shelley’s practice is focused on family law – representing clients in traditional and collaborative processes. She routinely mentors articling clerks and junior members of the Bar. Currently, Shelley is vice chair on the National Family Law Section for the CBA. She is an adjunct professor at the Schulich School of Law, and has organized and facilitated several conferences focused on child protection. Shelley is a returning presenter at programs offered by the National Judicial Institute, the National Family Law Program offered by the Canadian Federation of Law Societies, and the Canadian Bar Association. She often participates in specialized continuing education programs, and enjoys sharing ideas and learning from others.
77 Bloor Street West
Suite 1703
Toronto,
ON
M5S1M2
First Year of Call: 2007
2600-645 7 Ave SW
Calgary,
AB
T2P 4G8
First Year of Call: 1986
2200-201 Portage Ave
Winnipeg,
MB
R3B 3L3
First Year of Call: 1993
750-700 4 Ave SW
Calgary,
AB
T2P 3J4
First Year of Call: 1987
