I am applying to serve on the Board of Directors for the Alberta Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), an organization whose mission, supporting families, empowering children, and promoting collaborative, innovative approaches in family law, resonates deeply with both my professional and personal values. I am a dual-qualified lawyer, called to the Bar in Calgary, Alberta at the Court of Appeal by the Honourable Madam Justice B. Ho on August 27, 2025, and admitted as a Solicitor in England & Wales on March 3, 2023 (currently holding a non-practicing certificate). I am an Associate at Mincher Koeman LLP, where I focus primarily on high-conflict, complex disputes in family and civil litigation. My practice includes high-conflict parenting matters, arbitration, and litigation including Alberta Court of King’s Bench Family Practice Notes 7 and 8 interventions. I am a firm and confident advocate, thriving in the courtroom and in advocacy settings, with numerous successful appearances in the Court of King’s Bench, the Court of Justice, and in Arbitration proceedings. I am success-driven, competitive, and deeply committed to achieving outcomes that serve the best interests of children and families. My professional experience is complemented by a strong commitment to public service, community engagement, and leadership, qualities directly relevant to serving on the Board of Directors for the Alberta Chapter of AFCC. I have actively contributed to multiple pro bono initiatives that support families, vulnerable individuals, and community development, demonstrating both my dedication to service and my ability to manage responsibilities requiring governance, administration, and collaboration. Notably, I served as Chairman of the Ash Youth Club under Surrey Clubs for Young People (2019–2021), where I was responsible for overseeing board meetings, managing budgets, coordinating volunteers, and ensuring effective governance of the organization. This role provided me with hands-on experience in leadership, strategic planning, and organizational oversight, skills that directly translate to the responsibilities of a Board member, including participating in meetings, providing oversight of programs, and contributing to policy and strategic decisions. In addition, I have contributed to other pro bono initiatives with a focus on access to justice, community support, and family well-being, including: • Friends Against Scams (2016–2021), assisting families subject to scams. • National Centre for Domestic Violence (2016–2021), assisting those affected by domestic violence. • Legal Aid Triage Clinic (2016–2021). • Citizens Advice Bureau (2017–2018) • Marshalling (2017) Through these roles, I have developed skills in governance, client engagement, administrative coordination, and volunteer management, all of which are essential for effectively contributing as a member of a professional Board. My combined experience in leadership, legal advocacy, and community service has prepared me to participate actively in Board discussions, support AFCC initiatives, and help advance the organization’s mission to empower families and promote the best interests of children. I hold an LLB (Hons), a postgraduate Legal Practice Course degree, and a master’s degree in Law, Business & Management from the University of Law, Guildford (UK). After relocating to Canada in 2023, I completed all NCA requirements for internationally trained lawyers and successfully passed the CPLED PREP Bar Course. Outside of my legal practice, I am an international-level powerlifter, having represented England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where I won Gold. I have also won multiple national titles in England and have been selected to compete for Team Canada, achieving regional and provincial successes. These experiences reflect my discipline, competitive drive, and commitment to excellence—qualities I bring to my professional and community work. I have also engaged with the public and professional community through commentary and education, amassing a social media presence of over 30,000 followers, and contributing to podcasts and publications including Thomson Reuters, Legally Speaking, Business First, and Legal Cheek. These experiences have honed my ability to communicate complex legal issues clearly, an asset for educational initiatives within AFCC.

Rebecca Blain received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Calgary and was called to the Alberta bar in 2020. She is a family law lawyer, mediator, and children’s counsel at William James Legal Services, a small rural law firm where she is pleased to work alongside her Dad, William Blain, and carry on the family tradition of practicing law. While she never expected to end up working in family law, she finds it a dynamic and absorbing area of practice that offers many opportunities for creative problem solving. From her time spent working as a staff mediator for the Alberta Justice Family Mediation Program she became profoundly interested in the topic of family violence and has had the opportunity to invest in several professional development opportunities that have deepened her knowledge and understanding. She believes in prioritizing safety and encouraging her adult clients to take responsibility for themselves and the impact of their actions so they can participate in family law processes in a child focused way. Prior to being called to the bar, Rebecca assisted in litigating sexual and physical assault claims in the Independent Assessment Process for survivors of Indian Residential Schools. Through that experience she learned a great deal about her own Indigenous heritage, and she continues to learn much from her shared settler and Indigenous family heritage. Rebecca holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in English Literature, and remains a voracious reader, book collector, and all-around book enthusiast. She is frequently found perusing the aisles of the closest thrift store, doing her level best to contain her glee when she finds a treasure. In the glorious months of an Alberta summer, she enjoys kayaking mountain lakes and working in the garden and on the farm with her family.

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts is a strong organization with a proud history. It is a wonderful organization in which to meet colleagues who practice in this area, including lawyers, psychologists, social workers, mediators, and judges. I have especially enjoyed attending AFCC Conferences. Last year, I attended the AFCC Alberta Conference in Edmonton and the AFCC Annual Conference in New Orleans. I am an active member of the AFCC Alberta chapter. Other organizations to which I belong include the Canadian Bar Association, the Calgary Bar Association, the Alberta Family Mediation Society (currently Board member), Family Mediation Canada, the Association of Collaborative Professionals of Calgary (currently Acting Chair), the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and my local Community Association (of which I am currently President). I am also a member of the Law Society of Alberta and the Law Society of Prince Edward Island. Below, I provide some details on my work history and resume: After graduating from the University of Calgary in Archaeology, I went on to study acting and worked as an actor in Calgary and Vancouver. I then went to Law School at the University of Sydney in Australia and the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where I earned a Bachelor of Laws in 2010. I then articled in Prince Edward Island and was called to the Bar in Prince Edward Island in 2011. I returned to Calgary in the Spring of 2013 and was called to the Alberta Bar in July that year. In Calgary, I practiced at the law firms of Wise Scheible Barkauskas (now Wise Bickman Barkauskas), Scott Venturo LLP (now Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP), and Widdowson Kachur Ostwald Menzies LLP (now WK Family Lawyers LLP), before I opened my own practice as a solo practitioner in May 2017. As well as Family Law, I have experience in the areas of Personal Injury Law, Wills and Estates, Trusts, and Criminal Law. My practice emphasizes resolving disputes without unnecessary conflict. I am a trained Collaborative Family Law lawyer and Mediator. Under Family Mediation Canada, I am designated as an FMC Certified Comprehensive Family Mediator Advanced. I believe in utilizing alternative dispute resolution to solve conflicts, and I am proud to be the Past Chair of the Southern Alberta Branch of the Alternative Dispute Resolution section of the Canadian Bar Association, and the current Acting Chair of the Association of Collaborative Professionals of Calgary. Thank you for considering me to be part of the Board of the AFCC Alberta chapter.

Trish Guise is a behavioral scientist and Founder of Forensic Coercive Control Solutions Inc., a specialized forensic consultancy focused on coercive control, family violence and post-separation abuse. She holds a Master of Science in the Psychology of Coercive Control and a specialty certification in Litigation and Evaluation involving Abuse Allegations in Family Court Cases (LEFCC) through the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma. Trish provides expert reports, testimony, litigation support, and structured risk assessments in family and civil matters across Canada, the United States and Europe. She has been qualified as an expert witness in coercive control by the Superior Court of California. Her work supports courts and counsel in identifying patterns of coercive control, understanding the impacts on adult and child victim-survivors, and assessing implications for parenting arrangements and decision-making. In addition to her forensic practice, Trish is affiliated with the Directorate of Psychology and Sport within the school of Health and Society at the University of Salford, where she conducts research on coercive control, post-separation abuse, institutional responses to family violence, and re-victimization within legal systems. Her recent research examines the gap between coercive control survivors’ expectations of legal representation and their lived experience within the family justice system. Trish regularly delivers professional education to lawyers, mediators and court professionals, including provincial wide training she developed for Alberta Justice. She is committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing evidence-informed practice within family law. She is an active member of AFCC at both the national and provincial levels.