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).
Hilary Cook
Biography
Since her call to the Bar in 2001, Hilary Cook has worked in the areas of Labour, Employment, and Human Rights. Hilary also has experience in Professional Regulation, short- and long-term disability claims, workplace Health and Safety, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, and Workers' Compensation, among other areas of law. Hilary's twenty years of labour relations and grievance experience include hospitals, health care, post-secondary (Universities and Community Colleges), community agencies, developmental services, arts and culture, not-for-profit, government workplaces as well as large and small private sector and for-profit employers. Hilary teaches university courses in employment law, labour law, workplace mediation, and educational law.
Jennifer Lyn Egsgard
Biography
Jennifer is available for virtual mediations globally, and selected in-person mediations. Advocates who have used Jennifer as a mediator have said that she has “tremendous skills with dealing with complicated parties and situations”, a “high level of skill and natural aptitude”, and is able to “gain the trust of both sides”. Jennifer completed the Harvard Negotiation Institute program "Mediating Commercial Disputes", an executive education course at Harvard Law School, as well as the “Mediator Skills Training” course with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in London, UK. Her training has also included shadowing leading mediators in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Jennifer is regularly invited to speak on issues such as multi-party mediation strategy, active listening, mediation in real estate disputes, mediation policy, and advocacy in mediation by various organizations globally. She provides consultancy services to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in London and organizes monthly professional development webinars for the International Academy of Mediators, arranging for leading international mediators to speak on cutting-edge mediation-related topics. She has coached mediation to law students on a pro bono basis at Small Claims Courts in Ontario, run mock mediation for students at the School of Law, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London, and was hired to provide training to mediators at the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. Jennifer’s legal career included over five years practising civil litigation at Fasken, one of Canada’s largest law firms, where she was Vice-Chair of the ADR Practice Group, and six years running her own practice. She has acted as counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of dual and multi-party cases including claims involving negligence, product liability, breach of contract, trademark, wrongful dismissal, personal injury, unjust enrichment, nuisance, defamation, occupier’s liability, negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation, landlord/tenant disputes, procurement challenges, director’s liability, estates, liability for environmental contamination, quasi-criminal environmental defence, private international law, refugee law, immigration detention and appeals, international trade and energy law. She has also provided advice and been invited to speak concerning foreign anti-corruption compliance and developing corporate social responsibility norms. The cases on which Jennifer has worked involve a broad range of industries including real estate, energy, insurance, technology, advertising, hospitality, entertainment, sports, transportation including railway, food products, construction, mining, not for profit, retail and manufacturing, including automotive and automotive part manufacturing. She is regularly invited to speak including at the American Bar Association, UK Civil Justice Committee, Judicial ADR Liaison Committee, Scottish Mediation, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, a legal team at a major multinational healthcare company, and the Ontario Bar Association. Jennifer is an executive member of the Ontario Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, and chairs a joint Ontario Bar Association committee which considered and recommended expanding automatic mediation more widely throughout Ontario. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Ottawa Law School and studied abroad on scholarship at George Washington University Law School in Washington DC. She received her undergraduate degree (with Honours) from the University of Guelph, with a semester completed at the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur, India. Approach Jennifer employs a flexible approach to mediation, recognizing that the dynamics of each case are unique. After ensuring the parties’ positions and interests are understood Jennifer helps identify issues, assists parties in considering the strengths and weaknesses of positions, and explores settlement options that may not be available through litigation. When relevant, she investigates the downsides of continued litigation such as risks to business, reputation, finances or regulatory risks, and helps the parties craft a satisfactory solution to their dispute. Jennifer appreciates that a mediator’s preparation can be critical to success and thoroughly reviews all submitted material prior to each mediation. She is respectful yet persistent in her efforts to help parties reach settlement.
Barry B. Fisher
Biography
Barry B. Fisher LL.B. is a mediator and arbitrator of both employment and labour relations matters . He offers three forms of ADR based on the clients’ needs: Mediation, Arbitration and Med/Arb. Barry is from the evaluative school of mediation and brings his over 30 years experience as an employment lawyer and legal author to the dispute. In addition to his knowledge of the legal issues involved in these disputes , he also has a deep understanding of the psychological factors that motivate both employees and employers. By combining these two skills, Barry is able to achieve a settlement rate of over 80% of the disputes that he mediates.
Mana Khami
Biography
Mana Khami is a partner at HARRISON PENSA™ (London and Toronto). Mana is engaged most often with employment and labour issues, human rights violations, commercial litigation, professional negligence, breach of contract cases, issues involving election law, and general litigation.
Mana has been highly active in the community, serving on multiple boards
and becoming involved in as many fundraising events as possible, both inside
and outside the firm. Mana previously served as an Executive Board Member of
the London Cross Cultural Learner Centre, as a Board Member for a local riding association, was the President of the Regional HIV/Aids Connection, and sat on
the Research Ethics Board at Fanshawe College. Mana is currently a Board Member of the London Lawyers Feed the Hungry and its “Court House Rocks” Committee, is a Board Member for the 20 Under 40 Foundation, and is a board member on the OBA ADR Executive Board, and the Vice-Chair of the OBA ADR Executive for 2020-2021.
In addition, Mana was an adjunct professor for the Civil Procedure class
at Western Law in the Fall of 2017. Mana has also helped teach the Litigation Practice Course at Western University as a facilitator for 8 years, she has participated in the Brescia Professional Mentoring Program for a number of years and has helped judge student moots at Western University for a number of years. She has also provided her time and expertise to the Western Law Small Claims Court Project for many years, attending three- or
four-hour sessions in order to help law students provide free legal advice to
those who cannot afford legal services.
In 2015, Mana was the recipient of London’s Top 20 under 40 award, and in 2017, she received an Ontario Volunteer Service Award.
Janet Victoria Lunau
Biography
Janet Lunau is a trained mediator and employment lawyer with a drive to help people solve their problems. As a lawyer, she acts for both employers and employees, which gives her a balanced insight into the legal complexities and human dynamics at the heart of each case. She handles cases in employment law, human rights, and commercial law (including shareholder and contract disputes).
