CYNDY MORIN, FOUNDER OF Award Winning Firm RESOLVE LEGAL GROUP "Client -Centred, Solution Focu
CYNDY MORIN, FOUNDER OF RESOLVE LEGAL GROUP
Cyndy D. Morin founded Resolve Legal Group in October 2011 to exclusively practice regional and international Family Law. Cyndy completed both her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology (with Distinction) and her Law Degree (LLB) at the University of Calgary (she was honoured with the prestigious MRU Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award for 2017; please see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsyvrQYu7-s&feature=youtu.be for an inspirational video). She is also certified in Mediation, Arbitration and Private Investigation.
Prior to her legal career, Cyndy worked as a counsellor with families and youth. This background inspired her holistic, multidisciplinary, family systems approach to her family law practice, which incorporates the principles developed by the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative research on minimizing children’s exposure to toxic stress and maximizing children’s healthy brain development. (www.albertafamilywellness.org).
Cyndy founded Resolve Legal Group on the belief that legal services should be both accessible and client-centred. Today, the firm has seven locations (three Full Service Offices in downtown Calgary, Cochrane and Edmonton) and four Satellite Offices in Airdrie, Okotoks, Sherwood Park and NE Calgary.
“We believe essential services should be available to families in the communities they reside, hence our convenient satellite locations and after-hours availability. Our services are accessible, convenient and community oriented when possible,” the Resolve Legal Group founder says.
“Prior to becoming a lawyer, I struggled with my own access to justice concerns. I needed a lawyer and couldn’t afford one. Our commitment is to make legal services accessible to everyone, and there are a variety of ways we accommodate this without the use of Legal Aid. We service self-represented parties by offering lawyer-led classes to assist our clients in navigating through the court processes, including having our paralegals or law students vet their Court documents, to providing them with cost effective ‘limited scope retainers’ etc. We also have senior counsel to assist high net worth clients with complex matters,” Cyndy explains.
“Resolve Legal Group’s dedicated client Support Coordinator matches potential new clients with the lawyer best suited to the client’s individual needs and budget. Our lawyers meet regularly to review all files to offer mentorship and input to one another; our entire team is always on hand to assist. We find our clients really appreciate the service delivery model we have in place,” she adds.
Resolve Legal Group has won multiple awards that recognize the firm for a variety of its innovative, low and no cost programs. These include the Consumer’s Choice Awards for Business Excellence (2016-2018); Top Choice Award for Top Family Law Firm (2016-2018) and the Corporate Livewire Innovation & Excellence in Law Award (2017-2018).
Resolve Legal Group’s recognized programs:
1. Client Support Coordination: Resolve Legal Group is committed to setting the industry standard for client satisfaction. The firm’s Client Support Coordinator connects clients with whatever supports they need through Resolve’s partnerships with various community agencies. The firm’s philosophy is this: with the right supports, clients become empowered to make sound legal decisions. The Coordinator also acts as an independent client ombudsman to ensure the firm’s internal high standard delivery of legal services is consistently maintained in accordance with the firm’s written service delivery commitment provided in each new client package.
2. Step Forward Program: During times of transition, Resolve Legal Group provides clients with exclusive access to discounts on products and services from reputable companies. Currently, more than 100 brand name corporate partners participate and offer discounts on everything from counselling services, parenting classes, restaurants, hair salons, car dealerships, other professional services, nanny services, leisure programs, programs for children, and much more. A list of the program partners and the discounts they offer can be found at www.resolvelegalgroup.com.
3. The “KIDS in MIND” Study (Triaged Custody Mediation/Arbitration): In an already overburdened Court system, achieving resolution to any custody matter, is often a slow, frustrating, and expensive process. The “Kids in Mind” Study developed by Resolve Legal Group in conjunction with the Calgary Counselling Centre, bridges legal, psycho-social, and therapeutic intervention services to families on an immediate, triage basis. The parties, mediator/arbitrator and child development professionals (psychologist or social worker) all fully engage in the process to explore multiple solutions and ensure that any recommendations made are sustainable and consistent with the emotional and financial resources of the family. Where agreements are not reached, an arbitrated decision is made with the ‘real time’ consultation of a child development professional. The mediation/arbitration is led by either Retired Provincial Family Court Judge, the Honourable Nancy Flatters Q.C. or former Residential School Arbitrator Leanne Young Q.C. The child development consultations are performed by a volunteer roster of psychologists and social workers who support a multi-disciplinary approach to Family Custody matters.
For more information about the Kids in Mind Study, or to register as a participant in this free Study, please contact clientsupport@resolvelegalgroup.com for more information.
4. “Your Family Matters” Radio Show This program provides access to legal and professional Family Law information and provides insight on issues concerning families in conflict. This on-demand show can be found at http://www.resolvelegalgroup.com/yourfamilymatters.php.
5. Wills Week Awareness – “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way:” This annual Charity Fundraiser is a joint initiative started by Resolve Legal Group in conjunction with the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. Each November, students are partnered with senior, volunteer lawyers from various firms throughout Calgary, to meet with clients and prepare Wills. During this event, Wills are drafted for the general public in exchange for a $300.00 donation to the Calgary Counselling Centre; Wills are drafted for Veterans at no charge.
In her spare time, Cyndy sits on the Board of Calgary Discovery House, Big Hill Haven Woman’s Shelter in Cochrane and the Calgary Homeless Foundation. She also sits on the Access to Justice Committee of the Canadian Bar Association and is a voting CBA council member for the 2016-2018 term. Cyndy is an active member in the International Association of Family Conciliation Courts, and the Reforming the Family Justice System initiative for the Province of Alberta. Cyndy also represents Resolve Legal Group in the collaborative policy development for small firms under the Law Society of Alberta’s Justice project which develops firm policies to ensure equality within the workplace.
Cyndy has been a volunteer with the Calgary Youth Justice Society for over twenty years and is the current Co-Chair for the Crowfoot/University Youth Justice Committees. She has been a long-time volunteer with the Volunteer Lawyers’ Service and is a volunteer mentor to Law School Students in the Student Legal Assistance Program at the University of Calgary.
Cyndy also teaches Family Law courses through a joint Access to Justice Initiative between Chinook College and the Alberta Law Foundation. She also volunteers her time teaching ‘High Conflict Parenting After Separation Seminars’ at the Calgary Courts Centre. She regularly trains law school graduates and articling students to become compassionate family lawyers and even trains experienced lawyers on methods to better address clients’ needs through a multidisciplinary approach throughout Alberta through the Legal Education Society of Alberta.
Cyndy is a regular event speaker at the annual Sagesse fundraiser which supports individuals of any gender experiencing domestic violence. She is a regular speaker at Resilience Calgary, the annual Divorce Symposium and at the Womanition Biz Brigade conference that supports female entrepreneurs.
Cyndy also writes monthly articles on law and business for the Better Business Bureau Examiner Newsletter for Southern Alberta and East Kootenays. Here’s a link to all of the Examine Archives https://www.bbb.org/calgary/for-businesses/examiner-newsletter/examinerarchives/
A link to Cyndy’s most recent article:
utm_source=Examiner+January+2018&utm_campaign=Examiner+ January+2018&utm_medium=email
Cyndy is a single mom to three adult children, her youngest - Brooke Morin, is the receptionist at Resolve Legal Group’s downtown Calgary office. Brooke intends to remain in this role until she goes to SAIT this fall. Cyndy has a beloved pet tortoise named Georgina. She is a published author, an avid world traveler, a Padi Certified Open Water Diver and a Canadian and U.S. Private Pilot with a Seaplane endorsement, and an online radio talk show host on Tenacious Living Radio’s “Your Family Matters” (http://tlrstation.com). “Getting my pilot’s license was like achieving the unattainable. I thought that if I can do that, I can do anything. I’m always thinking of our clients, work and business, but when I go up, it’s just me and the airplane. This ensures I keep my eye on the destination, am focused on the horizon, and enjoy the journey. Flying is my escape – but I do try to instill in my clients to rise above the “He said / She said” battles and encourage them to focus on the horizon of their own journey by keeping their eye on the priority to restructure their family in a healthy way,” she adds with a smile.
Suzen Fromstein is the author of Suits and Ladders, Ten Proven Ways to Keep Your Job Safe - with a few jokes thrown in. Suits and Ladders was an Amazon Best Selling Book in the Career Guides Category
RESOLVE LEGAL GROUP
Family Law. Real Estate. Wills. Immigration
Suite #440, 318-11th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta T2G 0Y2
Phone 403-229-2365 Fax 403-229-0139
