Verlyn Francis is an acknowledged leader in Dispute Resolution. She is a
highly experienced in the adjudicative process and has drafted hundreds of
decisions in Estates, Family, Disability and Commercial disputes. An Ontario
lawyers, she has been a mediator since 1999 and an arbitrator since 2009.
In addition to her in-person practice, Ms. Francis has been using her technological expertise to conduct hearings by videoconference since 2015. She is an effective arbitrator and adjudicator on several tribunals including Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Toronto Licensing Tribunal, Social Security Tribunal of Canada (SST), and Ontario College Relations Commission / Education Relations Commission.
A guiding voice on ethics for lawyers, arbitrators, and mediators, Verlyn has also taught arbitration, mediation, and negotiation up to the master’s level. She is a Professor of ADR at Centennial College, Toronto, Canada; visiting professor of Advanced Negotiation for Master of International Business students at La SalleEMCI in Lyon, France; and guest lecturer in the LL.M. Dispute Resolution Program at Osgoode Hall Law School. She also taught Ethics and Professional Responsibility to lawyer candidates for the Ontario Bar.
She practised law in Toronto for over 20 years in the areas of civil litigation, corporate/commercial, family and estates law. Her ground-breaking scholarship on the link between culture and conflict places at her at forefront of the ADR profession. As the Culture and Diversity Specialist at Isiko Dispute Resolution Consultants, she trains and presents to the legal and medical professions on conflict management.
Mediation and Arbitration Practices:
- Corporate/ Commercial
- Civil
- Estate
- Family
- Disability
- Diversity
Training and Certification:
- Ethics in ADR – ADR Institute of Ontario (2019)
- Arbitrator Training – National Bar Association, ADR Section (2019)
- International Commercial Arbitrator Training – Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Canada Branch (2018)
- Mediator Training, National Bar Association, ADR Section (2018)
- Arbitrator – Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) (2018)
- Master of Laws (ADR) – Osgoode Hall Law School (2016)
- Adjudicator Training – Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR) (2009)
- Mediator Certification Training – ADR Institute of Ontario (1999)
- Dispute Resolution Course – during J.D. at Osgoode Hall Law School (1995)
Styles of Mediation:
- Facilitative
- Transformative
Panel Memberships:
- International Institute for Conflict Resolution (CPR)
- Global and general commercial Financial Industry Regulatory (FINRA)
- Public Roster ADR Institute of Ontario – Ontario Health Shared Services Roster Toronto Licensing Tribunal Isiko Dispute Resolution Consultants, Inc.
Bar Admissions and Memberships:
- Bar: Ontario, Canada
- Member: Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Canada Branch, ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC), the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR), Law Society of Ontario (LSO), the American Bar Association (ABA), Canadian Bar Association (CBA), the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL), National Bar Association (NBA), and Toronto Lawyers Association (TLA).
Articles and Speaking Engagements:
- Ethics in Arbitration: Bias, Diversity and Inclusion, Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario, ADR Institute of Ontario, Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto
- Culture in Clinical Care Conflict Management, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto
- Shifting the Dispute Resolution Paradigm: Looking at Culture, Diversity and Power through the Lens of ‘Other’, Toronto
Education:
- 2016 Master of Laws (LL.M.) (ADR)Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada
- 2009 Certified Adjudicator Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR)
- 1999 Advanced Mediation Certificate ADR Institute of Canada
- 1997 Barrister & Solicitor Law Society of Ontario, Canada
- 1995 Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) /Juris Doctor (JD) Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada
Publications and Speaking Engagements:
- Infusing Dispute Resolution Teaching and Training with Culture and Diversity, 2018) 33:2 Ohio St. J. on Disp. Resol. at 171
- Teaching Dispute Resolution in a Multicultural Environment, (2017) 26:2 Can Arb & Mediation J 34
- Designing Emotional Support into Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (2016) 23 Willamette J. of Int’l Law & Disp Resol at 274.
- In the Application of the Best Interest of the Child Test in Adoption, there must be a place for consideration of Race – National Association of Women and the Law, Ottawa, Canada, 1994. ISBN: 0-895996-01-5 https://www.library.yorku.ca/find/Record/1234721
