MEMBERS

Jodi Wyman has been practicing law since she received her Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Manitoba in 1997. She began working in Brandon in 1998 with Paterson Ross, became a partner of the firm Paterson Patterson Wyman & Abel in 2006, and remains a partner at Patersons LLP. Jodi has argued cases for her clients in all levels of court, including the Manitoba Court of Appeal, Court of Queen’s Bench, Provincial Court and administrative tribunals.

A strong believer in helping families work out their own separation and parenting issues, Jodi has been pursuing training in alternative dispute resolution to better assist her family law clients. She completed the necessary training to allow her to be one of the first lawyers in Brandon to offer Collaborative Family Law and was appointed to the Board of Collaborative Practice Manitoba in September 2011. In 2012 Jodi began mediation training with Mediation Services and received her Mediation Certificate in 2014. Jodi also gained adjudication and arbitration experience when she was appointed Chair of the Canada Pension Plan Review Tribunal in 2000 and 2003. In 2020 Jodi completed an Advanced Mediation Course and in 2021 attended a six day National Arbitration Training Course. She is a member of FAMLI.

Jodi’s volunteer involvement in the Brandon community includes being Past President of the YWCA, The Women’s Resource Centre and the Western Manitoba Bar Association. She was on the Board of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce. She currently facilitates the Western Manitoba Bar Association family law subsection meetings.

During breaks from work, Jodi enjoys spending time at the cabin, traveling back to her hometown of Thunder Bay and also visiting family in B.C., Nova Scotia and Ottawa.

Natalie is fluently bilingual and has been a practicing lawyer in Winnipeg for 10 years exclusively in the area of family law at the law firm of Pitblado Law.

Natalie is a member of Collaborative Practice Manitoba and has successfully completed advanced mediation training. In March 2021, Natalie will have completed extensive arbitration training through the National Family Law Arbitration Course. Natalie is a firm believer in family disputes being resolved by engaging in an alternative dispute resolution method.

Education

Admitted to the bar: Manitoba Bar, 2015 Western University (Juris Doctorate 2014) Canadian Securities Institute (2013) University of Manitoba (Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) 2011)

Profile

Alex is a family lawyer who assists his clients with a range of domestic issues, including prenuptial and cohabitation agreements, separation, divorce, child custody and support.

Alex has a particular interest in separations involving complex financial issues, including cases dealing with trusts, forensic auditing and accounting and business valuations. He is experienced working with clients and accountants to value and divide assets, and to determine income for support purposes in complex cases.

Alex is well versed in helping individuals and families resolve their family disputes outside of the court system. He has acted as counsel on a number of mediations and arbitrations in addition to his busy litigation practice. He is looking to build his mediation/arbitration practice in order to better serve individuals and families looking for more efficient ways to address and resolve their family law issues.

Renée has been a lawyer in Manitoba since 1994. She is trained in Collaborative Family Law, Mediation, Arbitration and Non-Evaluative Child Interviewing.

Renée recognizes the very personal and often difficult nature of family matters and understands that every family has different needs to address their legal issues. For families with children, Renée’s focus will always be the best interests of your child or children.

Renée is a strong advocate for resolving family matters without the need for court, where it is appropriate. Alternative dispute resolution processes (arbitration, mediation and collaborative family law) allow families to work together to make their own decisions, maintain privacy, and have more control over the process. Most important the process is respectful and seeks to restructure the family to meet the new needs of the separated family.

Renée is experienced in all aspects of Family Law, including Cohabitation Agreements, Pre-nuptial Agreements, Adoption, Guardianship, divorce, separation, breakdown of common-law relationships, custody, child support, property and changes to the family structure over the years.

Renée is a member of the Manitoba Soccer Association (MSA) Discipline Committee, a Board Member with Adoption Options and a Board Member with Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Manitoba.

She is active in sports and gym-life attending the gym, playing soccer and basketball for many years. She is also a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish.

Marcelin Murray is a family lawyer and a partner with Fillmore Riley LLP. With more than 20 years’ experience in family law, Marcelin helps her clients with a range of family law issues, including separation, decision-making and parenting time, dispute resolution and divorce.

As a member of Collaborative Practice Manitoba and FAMLI, Marcelin strives to resolve family law matters amicably. Trained in mediation and arbitration, she encourages clients to arrive at settlements outside of court.

Marcelin has a long history of contributing to her profession. She sits on the Executive of the Manitoba Bar Association Family Law subsection and the Board of Directors of FAMLI. She has authored several articles about family law issues, and she helped organize the Inaugural Western Canada Family Law Negotiation Competition.

Following a lengthy career in healthcare, Les received his law degree at the University of Manitoba in 2006, articled with Pitblado in 2006 and received his Call to the Bar in 2007. Les has practiced in Manitoba for 14 years with a primary focus on family law. Les does practice in some areas of estate litigation including seeking committeeship, the passing of accounts in relation to estate management and where estate issues interface with family property accounting.

Les is trained in the collaborative practice, is a member of Collaborative Practice Manitoba and is trained in Family Law Mediation. Les is also trained in screening for domestic violence. He is a member of Family Arbitration Mediation Legal Institute (FAMLI).

Laurelle has been a practicing lawyer in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba for over 19 years, primarily in the area of family law.

Throughout her career, Laurelle has undertaken extensive continuing legal education In addition to her undergraduate and law degrees, Laurelle holds a Certificate in Family Arbitration (2021) and a Certificate in Family Mediation from York University (2019), as well as general mediation training.

As a founding director of the Family Mediation and Arbitration Legal Institute (FAMLI), Laurelle has been at the forefront of the development of family arbitration resources in Manitoba.

Laurelle draws on the combination of her legal experience, training, and personal experience – as well as common sense and compassion – to help her clients achieve a fair resolution to their matters during what are often difficult, emotionally challenging times.

In addition to her legal practice, Laurelle has also taught at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law (Family Law and Gender in the Law).

Committed to service, Laurelle has always been actively involved in her community. She has volunteered for several non-profit organizations national and local, including as an adult literacy tutor, a counsellor in women’s health, with the Law Society of Manitoba, the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law, and the Legal Help Centre. In 2019, she was named an Honourary Lifetime Member by Women’s Health Clinic in recognition of her contributions to the Clinic, having served on the Board of Directors for more than ten years, including two years as Chair. She continues to sit on the Clinic’s Equity, Inclusion and Accountability Committee as a member-at-large. Laurelle has also previously served on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, also serving as the department Co-Chair for the Public Affairs and Advocacy Committee. She currently serves as Chair of the Manitoba Bar Association’s Equality Issues Section.

Families and individuals come in all forms, and Laurelle is dedicated to providing inclusive services with expertise, common sense and compassion.

Greg is an experienced family mediator and arbitrator. Greg has assisted families with mediated separation agreements. Greg is also frequently used to provide mediation/arbitration for families and has delivered decisions on topics such as parenting plans and timesharing of children, grandparent visitation, child support, spousal support and property division. Greg received his mediation training in 1998 and completed his arbitration training from the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Manitoba in 2005. Greg is a member of FAMLI and the ADR Institute of Canada.