# Family Law Services in Ontario: Who Does What (Lawyers, Mediators, Coaches & More) When you're going through a separation or divorce, you'll hear about many different professionals who might be able to help: lawyers, mediators, divorce coaches, financial specialists, and more. It can be confusing. What does each one actually do? When do you need which one? Can they work together? Understanding the different roles can help you get the right help for your situation—and avoid paying for services you don't need or missing help that would make a real difference. This guide explains who does what in Ontario family law, so you can figure out which professionals might help you. ## The Short Version: Who Does What | Professional | What They Do | Can They Give Legal Advice? | |-------------|--------------|----------------------------| | **Family Lawyer** | Represents your interests, gives legal advice, handles court proceedings | Yes | | **Mediator** | Helps both parties reach agreement through facilitated negotiation | No (neutral) | | **Divorce Coach** | Provides emotional support, helps you communicate and make decisions | No | | **Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA)** | Analyzes financial implications of divorce options | No (financial, not legal) | | **Parenting Coordinator** | Helps implement parenting plans and resolve day-to-day disputes | Limited (depends on role) | | **Collaborative Lawyer** | Represents you in collaborative process, committed to settlement | Yes | | **Duty Counsel** | Provides brief free legal advice at court | Yes (limited scope) | | **Legal Aid Lawyer** | Represents qualifying low-income individuals | Yes | Let's look at each in more detail. ## Family Lawyers A **family lawyer** (sometimes called a divorce lawyer or family law lawyer) is a lawyer who specializes in family law matters: divorce, separation, parenting, support, and property division. ### What Family Lawyers Do **Give legal advice.** A lawyer can explain your rights, assess your situation, tell you what you might be entitled to, and advise on strategy. This is something only lawyers can do—other professionals cannot give legal advice. **Represent you.** A lawyer advocates for your interests. They're on your side, working to get the best outcome for you. This is different from a mediator, who is neutral. **Prepare legal documents.** Lawyers draft separation agreements, court applications, financial statements, and other documents. **Handle court proceedings.** If your matter goes to court, a lawyer can represent you at hearings, conferences, motions, and trial. **Negotiate on your behalf.** Many cases settle through lawyer-to-lawyer negotiation without ever going to court. ### When You Need a Family Lawyer You likely need a lawyer if your situation is contested (you and your spouse don't agree), there's significant property, pensions, or money at stake, there are complex parenting issues, your spouse has a lawyer, there's family violence or a power imbalance, or you're not sure what you're entitled to. Even if you don't need full representation, a lawyer consultation can help you understand your rights before you negotiate or sign anything. ### Cost Lawyers typically charge hourly rates, though some offer flat fees for specific services. Rates vary significantly based on experience, location, and the complexity of your case. A consultation might cost a few hundred dollars. Full representation for a contested divorce can cost tens of thousands. For more, see our guide on [how to choose a divorce lawyer in Ontario](/blog/how-to-choose-a-divorce-lawyer-in-ontario). ## Mediators A **mediator** is a neutral third party who helps you and your spouse reach agreements through facilitated discussion. The mediator doesn't take sides or represent either of you. ### What Mediators Do **Facilitate negotiation.** Mediators create a structured environment for you to discuss issues and work toward agreement. They help you communicate more effectively and find solutions you might not have found on your own. **Help identify issues.** A good mediator helps you understand what needs to be decided and keeps discussions focused and productive. **Draft memoranda of understanding.** If you reach agreements, the mediator typically prepares a memorandum of understanding summarizing what you've agreed to. This isn't a legal contract—it's a record of your agreements that you then take to lawyers to formalize. ### What Mediators Don't Do **Give legal advice.** Mediators are neutral. They can't tell you what you're entitled to, whether an agreement is fair to you, or what a court would likely do. Even mediators who are also lawyers don't give legal advice when acting as mediator. **Represent either party.** A mediator works with both of you. They don't advocate for either side. **Make decisions for you.** Unlike a judge or arbitrator, a mediator has no power to impose outcomes. You and your spouse decide. ### Types of Mediators **Family mediators** may come from various backgrounds: law, social work, psychology, or other fields. What matters is their training in family mediation and their understanding of family law issues. **Lawyer-mediators** are lawyers who also practice as mediators. They understand the legal landscape but still don't give legal advice when mediating. **Accredited mediators** have completed recognized training and may be members of professional organizations like the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM) or the ADR Institute. ### When Mediation Works Best Mediation is often effective when both parties are willing to negotiate in good faith, there's no significant power imbalance, there's no history of family violence or coercion, both parties can advocate for themselves (with lawyer support as needed), and you want to maintain a reasonable relationship (especially important if you have children). ### When Mediation May Not Work Mediation may not be appropriate when there's family violence or fear of the other party, there's a significant power imbalance, one party is hiding assets or being dishonest, one party simply refuses to negotiate reasonably, or urgent court orders are needed. ### Cost Mediation is typically less expensive than litigation. Mediators usually charge hourly rates, and you split the cost with your spouse. Even with the cost of lawyers to review the final agreement, mediation often costs significantly less than a court process. ### Important: Get Independent Legal Advice Even if you mediate successfully, **each person should have their own lawyer review any agreement before signing.** This is called independent legal advice (ILA). A mediator can help you reach an agreement, but only your own lawyer can tell you whether that agreement protects your interests. For more, see our guide on [how to choose a mediator in Ontario](/blog/how-to-choose-a-divorce-mediator-in-ontario). ## Divorce Coaches A **divorce coach** helps you manage the emotional and practical challenges of divorce. They're not therapists (though some have therapy backgrounds), and they're not lawyers. They focus on helping you function effectively during a difficult time. ### What Divorce Coaches Do **Provide emotional support.** Divorce is emotionally overwhelming. A coach helps you process emotions enough to make clear decisions—not to provide therapy, but to help you stay functional. **Help you communicate.** Coaches can help you communicate more effectively with your spouse, especially around difficult topics. They may help you prepare for difficult conversations or negotiations. **Keep you focused.** When emotions run high, it's easy to get distracted by anger, hurt, or the desire for revenge. A coach helps you stay focused on your goals and your children's wellbeing. **Assist with decision-making.** Coaches help you think through decisions, consider options, and avoid reactive choices you might regret. **Support you in other processes.** If you're in mediation or working with lawyers, a coach can help you prepare, manage anxiety, and process what's happening. ### What Divorce Coaches Don't Do **Give legal advice.** Coaches can't tell you what you're entitled to or what to ask for legally. **Give financial advice.** Coaches aren't financial professionals (unless they have separate credentials). **Provide therapy.** While coaching can be therapeutic, it's not therapy. If you need mental health treatment, you need a therapist. ### When a Divorce Coach Helps A divorce coach may be valuable when you're struggling emotionally and it's affecting your ability to make decisions, you need help communicating with your spouse, you want support through mediation or negotiations, you're making reactive decisions you might regret, or you need help staying focused on what matters (especially your children). ### Cost Coaches typically charge hourly rates, often comparable to or less than therapists. Some offer packages of sessions. For more, see our guide on [do I need a divorce coach](/blog/do-i-need-a-divorce-coach). ## Certified Divorce Financial Analysts (CDFAs) A **Certified Divorce Financial Analyst** is a financial professional with specialized training in divorce financial issues. They help you understand the financial implications of different settlement options. ### What CDFAs Do **Analyze settlement options.** A CDFA can model different scenarios: what happens financially if you keep the house versus sell it? How do different support arrangements affect your long-term finances? What's the real value of a pension versus other assets? **Help you understand complex assets.** Pensions, stock options, business interests, and investment portfolios can be hard to value and compare. A CDFA helps you understand what you're actually dealing with. **Project future finances.** Divorce has long-term financial consequences. A CDFA can help you see how decisions made today affect your finances in 5, 10, or 20 years. **Identify hidden or overlooked assets.** Financial complexity can hide assets unintentionally (or intentionally). A CDFA knows what to look for. **Support negotiations.** With clear financial analysis, you can negotiate from an informed position rather than guessing. ### What CDFAs Don't Do **Give legal advice.** CDFAs aren't lawyers. They can tell you the financial implications of options, but not whether an agreement is legally sound or what you're legally entitled to. **Make recommendations about what you should accept.** A CDFA presents analysis. The decisions are yours, informed by legal advice. **Provide tax advice.** While CDFAs understand divorce tax implications, for complex tax questions you may need a tax professional. ### When You Might Need a CDFA Consider a CDFA when there are significant assets to divide (house, pensions, investments, business), your financial situation is complex, you're not sure whether a proposed settlement is actually fair financially, you need to understand long-term implications of choices, one spouse handled all the finances and you feel at a disadvantage, or pension or business valuation is involved. ### Cost CDFAs typically charge hourly rates or project-based fees. The cost depends on complexity. For significant assets, the investment in proper financial analysis often pays for itself by helping you make better decisions. For more, see our guide on [do I need a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst](/blog/do-i-need-a-certified-divorce-financial-analyst-cdfa). ## Collaborative Professionals **Collaborative divorce** (or collaborative family law) is a specific process where both parties hire lawyers who are trained in collaborative practice, and everyone commits to reaching a settlement without going to court. ### How Collaborative Divorce Works Each spouse has their own **collaborative lawyer** who represents them and gives them legal advice. But unlike traditional litigation, the lawyers commit to working cooperatively toward settlement. If the process breaks down and either party goes to court, both collaborative lawyers must withdraw—neither can continue with the court case. This creates a strong incentive for everyone to make the process work. ### The Collaborative Team Beyond lawyers, collaborative divorce often involves other professionals working as a team: **Divorce coaches** (sometimes one for each party) help manage emotions and communication. **A financial specialist** (often a CDFA) provides neutral financial analysis for both parties. **A child specialist** may meet with children and help ensure their needs are central to parenting decisions. The exact team depends on your situation and what services you need. ### When Collaborative Divorce Works Well Collaborative divorce can be effective when both parties want to settle without court, you can afford the team approach (it's more expensive than mediation alone, but often less than litigation), you want professional support but also want control over the outcome, maintaining a decent relationship matters (especially with children), and both parties are committed to good-faith negotiation. ### Cost Collaborative divorce costs more than mediation (because you each have your own lawyer plus potentially other professionals) but typically costs less than going to trial. Costs vary based on complexity and how many professionals are involved. ## Parenting Coordinators A **parenting coordinator** (PC) is a neutral professional who helps separated parents implement their parenting plan and resolve day-to-day disputes without going back to court. Parenting coordination is typically used after there's already a parenting agreement or court order in place. ### What Parenting Coordinators Do **Help implement parenting plans.** Even with a good parenting agreement or court order, issues arise: schedule changes, holiday logistics, communication problems, transitions. A PC helps you work through these. **Resolve disputes.** When parents can't agree on something within their parenting arrangement, a PC can help them reach agreement through mediation-style facilitation. **Make binding decisions (in some cases).** If the parenting coordination arrangement includes arbitration and both parents have agreed to it, the PC may make binding decisions about how to interpret the court order or agreement, within the scope the parents agreed to. This arbitration component is tied to Ontario's arbitration framework. **Reduce conflict.** The goal is to keep disputes from escalating. Instead of going to court over every disagreement, you have a professional who can help resolve issues quickly. **Keep children out of the middle.** By giving parents a place to resolve conflicts, PCs help ensure children aren't put in the middle of parental disputes. ### What Parenting Coordinators Don't Do **Give legal advice.** Parenting coordinators are neutral. They don't advise either parent on their legal rights or what they should do legally. For legal advice, you need your own lawyer. ### When You Might Use a Parenting Coordinator Parenting coordination is most common in high-conflict situations, when parents have a parenting order or agreement but struggle to implement it, when frequent small disputes disrupt the children's lives, or when the cost and stress of going back to court repeatedly isn't sustainable. Sometimes courts order parenting coordination as part of a parenting order. Other times, parents agree to use a PC voluntarily. ### Cost PCs typically charge hourly rates. The cost is usually shared between parents. While it's an ongoing expense, it's typically much less than repeated court appearances. ## Mental Health Professionals Various mental health professionals may be involved in family law matters. ### Therapists and Counsellors **Therapists** (psychologists, social workers, counsellors) provide mental health treatment. During divorce, you might see a therapist for individual support during a difficult time, couples counselling (if you're trying to save the marriage or separate amicably), or family therapy (to help children adjust). Therapy is about mental health and wellbeing, not legal or financial outcomes. But being mentally healthy helps you navigate the legal process better. ### Assessors In contested parenting cases, the court may order a **parenting assessment** (sometimes called a custody and access assessment or a section 30 assessment). A qualified assessor—usually a psychologist or social worker—evaluates the family situation and makes recommendations about parenting arrangements. Assessors are typically court-appointed or jointly agreed upon. Their reports can significantly influence court decisions, which is why contested parenting cases are high-stakes matters that usually require legal representation. ### Child Specialists Some professionals specialize in working with children during divorce. They may help children express their views and feelings, provide information about children's needs to parents or the court, or provide therapeutic support to children adjusting to family changes. ## Free and Low-Cost Options Not everyone can afford private professionals. Several options provide free or reduced-cost help. ### Duty Counsel **Duty counsel** are lawyers who provide free legal advice at courthouses. They're available to people who qualify (usually based on income) and can help with understanding your court appearance, basic legal advice about your situation, and help preparing for the day's hearing. Duty counsel don't represent you for your whole case—they help with immediate needs on court days. ### Legal Aid Ontario If you qualify financially, **Legal Aid Ontario** may provide a certificate covering lawyer representation for certain family matters. Legal Aid prioritizes cases involving child protection, family violence, custody disputes, and other serious matters. Not everyone qualifies, and not all family matters are covered. But if you're low-income and facing a serious family law issue, it's worth applying. ### Family Law Information Centres (FLICs) **FLICs**, located at many Ontario courthouses, provide free information about the family law process, court procedures, and forms, referrals to appropriate services, and in some locations, access to a duty counsel lawyer for brief advice. FLICs don't represent you, but they help you understand the system. ### Community Legal Clinics Some **community legal clinics** help with family law matters, though many focus on other areas of law. Availability varies by location. ### Law School Clinics Several Ontario law schools operate clinics where supervised law students provide legal help under lawyer supervision. Services and availability vary. ### Mediation Services Some organizations offer subsidized or sliding-scale mediation services for people who can't afford private mediators. For more on free and low-cost options, see our guide on [free and low-cost family law help in Ontario](/blog/free-low-cost-family-law-help-ontario). ## How to Decide What Help You Need With all these options, how do you know what you need? ### Start with Your Situation **If you agree on everything and just need to make it official:** You might handle things yourself with forms and perhaps a lawyer to review your agreement. See our guide on [whether you need a lawyer](/blog/do-we-need-lawyer-to-get-divorced-canada). **If you mostly agree but need help working through some issues:** Mediation might be ideal. A neutral mediator can help you reach agreement, then you each get legal advice. **If you have significant assets or complex finances:** A CDFA can help you understand what you're actually dividing and the long-term implications. A lawyer is still important for legal advice. **If you don't agree and need to protect your interests:** A lawyer is probably essential. If you want to try settling before court, consider collaborative divorce or lawyer-assisted negotiation. **If you're struggling emotionally:** A divorce coach or therapist can help you function well enough to make good decisions. This complements other professional help—it doesn't replace legal advice. **If you have children and can't co-parent smoothly:** A parenting coordinator can help you implement your arrangements without constant conflict. **If cost is a major concern:** Explore duty counsel, Legal Aid, legal clinics, and unbundled legal services. Even limited help is better than none. ### Professionals Can Work Together These professionals aren't mutually exclusive. Many people use multiple services: - A mediator to reach agreement, plus lawyers for each party to review and finalize - A lawyer for legal advice, plus a CDFA for financial analysis - A collaborative team with lawyers, coaches, and a financial specialist - A lawyer for representation, plus a therapist for emotional support Think about what you need, not which single professional to pick. ### Questions to Ask Yourself - Do I know what I'm legally entitled to? - Do I need someone to represent my interests, or a neutral to help us both? - Are there financial complexities I don't understand? - Am I functioning well enough to make good decisions? - Can my spouse and I work together, or is this going to be a fight? - Can I afford private help, or do I need free/low-cost options? Your answers help point you toward the right professionals. ## Key Takeaways **Family lawyers** give legal advice and represent your interests. Only lawyers can tell you what you're entitled to legally. **Mediators** are neutral. They help you and your spouse reach agreement but don't give legal advice or represent either party. Get independent legal advice before signing any agreement. **Divorce coaches** provide emotional and practical support to help you communicate and make decisions. They're not lawyers or therapists. **CDFAs** analyze the financial implications of divorce options. They help you understand complex assets and long-term financial consequences but don't give legal advice. **Collaborative professionals** work as a team to help you reach settlement without court. Each spouse has their own collaborative lawyer, plus possibly coaches and financial specialists. **Parenting coordinators** help you implement parenting plans and resolve day-to-day parenting disputes, especially in high-conflict situations. **Free and low-cost options** include duty counsel, Legal Aid, FLICs, community legal clinics, and law school clinics. **Many people use multiple professionals**—a mediator plus lawyers for review, a lawyer plus a CDFA, or a full collaborative team. Think about what you need, not which single professional to pick. **Start by assessing your situation:** Do you agree or disagree? Are finances complex? Do you need someone on your side, or a neutral helper? Are you functioning well emotionally? What can you afford? ### Disclaimer This article provides general information about family law professionals in Ontario. It is not legal advice. The right professionals for your situation depend on your specific circumstances. For advice about your case, speak to a family law lawyer.