Alberta Personal Injury Mediation
Personal Injury Mediation is an out-of-court dispute resolution process during which the mediator, a third party neutral, guides the plaintiff, his/her lawyer, the insurance adjuster and his/her lawyer through discussion of the claim in order to settle it on mutually agreeable grounds. The process is voluntary, confidential, time efficient and cost effective. The mediator cannot make any legal decision but instead assists the parties in exploring their own possibilities for settlement.
The mediation session opens with a brief introduction of the role and purpose of the mediator. Each lawyer then is invited to present his/her client’s case. The parties usually move to separate rooms and the mediator conveys offers to each party in private to enable them to reach a settlement of the claim. It may take an entire day to reach a mutually acceptable resolution. If a settlement is reached the case is closed. In some cases, mediation may not result in settlement but the greater clarity and understanding created by the mediation process may lead to a satisfactory offer thereafter.
Mediation is a conversation and each party should be prepared to be flexible, to be open to communicate and to listen to the other side. As a Certified Listening Professional, Dr. Dorczak is uniquely equipped to guide you through the process.
Dr. Dorczak is currently a vice-president (elect) of the International Listening Association and sits on Elder Mediation Committee of Family Mediation Canada. She has also chaired the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of Canadian Bar Association in Edmonton for 3 years and the Association of Collaborative Professionals in Edmonton.
She is a member of:
- International Listening Association
- Canadian Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Family Mediation Canada
- Association for Conflict Resolution
- Academy of Professional Family Mediators
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
- Elder Mediation International Network
Dr. Anita Dorczak has a unique educational and personal background. In addition to a law degree and a Ph.D. both from the University of Alberta in 1990, she has a Master’s degree in English Philology and speaks English, Polish and Spanish fluently. She studied Latin, French and Russian and took two years of Vietnamese. She enjoys working with a multicultural clientele.
She brings over 25 years of experience in negotiation and conflict resolution. Since the beginning of her practice, Dr. Dorczak has attended numerous courses on personal injury organized by the Legal Education Society of Alberta and the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association. She has also taken:
Harvard University:
- Beyond Yes: Deeper Wisdom and the Art of Negotiation (2009)
- Deepening Mindfulness with Thich Nhat Hanh (2013)
Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine School of Law, ranked the number one dispute resolution program by U.S. News & World Report for 11 out of the last 12 years:
- Neuro-collaboration (2010)
- Improvisational Mediation (2011)
- Mediator’s Boot Camp (2014)
She holds a certificate in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, is a certified mediator with Family Mediation Canada, has received training in interest based negotiation, narrative and transformative mediation, is currently a registered Collaborative Law Professional and a Certified Listening Professional with the International Listening Association.
Her story can be viewed by following this link: https://www.DrAnita.Lawyer/my-story/
For more information about her professional experience kindly follow this link: https://www.DrAnita.Lawyer/presentations/
Main Office
Westbrook Law & Mediation Centre
Suite 208, 11 Fairway Drive
Edmonton, AB T6J 2W4
Phone: 780-424-1212
Fax: 780-424-4242
E-mail: ADorczak@DrAnita.Lawyer