CYNDY MORIN, Family Lawyer in Calgary & Founder, Resolve Legal Group & AskJAQQ

CYNDY MORIN & TEAM

“Got a Quick Legal Question?

AskJAQQ, our innovative online app, launches soon.

It gives answers to Quick Legal Questions from verified

lawyers and supports domestic violence prevention programs."

Ever been at a get-together where people ask you “quick” questions related to your profession? Maybe you’re a hairstylist, a physician, a mechanic. For Cyndy Morin, founder of both Resolve Legal Group and legal query app AskJAQQ (Just A Quick >legal< Question), it’s a given whether she’s on the clock or on a beach in Egypt.

“Since I started practicing as a family lawyer in 2007, I’ve had people reach out to me, messaging, ‘my uncle's neighbour’s cousin said I should call you because I have Just aQuick legal Question.’ Every time somebody reaches out to me randomly, that’s the common introduction,” says Cyndy. “I’d think to myself, wouldn't it be great to be able to say, ‘hey, there's an app for that!’ When I learned after 50 years of service, Alberta’s Lawyer Referral Program shut down, I thought, ‘well, maybe we should create that app.’”

With the dismantling of the Law Society of Alberta’s Lawyer Referral Program in September 2023, Albertans lost an affordable and time-saving resource for finding a lawyer, moving their issue forward, or determining if they even needed a lawyer. An individual could call and speak to each of three referred lawyers for their specific topic, such as divorce law, for up to 30 minutes at no charge for general legal information and options pointing them in the right direction.

“It provided a great first step for people to gain a lot of information usually given during an initial consultation, which in family law, is not typically a free service,” says Cyndy, adding that she appreciated the service not only as a lawyer, but also as a user. “Long before I thought of becoming a lawyer, there were three times I personally used the service and found it invaluable. At that time in my life, there was no way I could afford a lawyer, but to have a lawyer from the referral service point me in the right direction was all I initially needed. Then, when I could afford such services, I knew in advance who I wanted to work with. People never forget those who are there during their time of need.”

AskJAQQ, much like the lawyer referral service, helps people figure out what their legal needs actually are. “Not everybody is going to require legal services. That's okay, we’re providing access to justice – something all lawyers should strive for given our professional standing,” says Cyndy.

There are also built in consumer protections within the app. “We verify the lawyers to make sure they are in good standing with their respective Law Societies with no sanctions against them,” says Cyndy. “Lawyers can also verify their profiles on the app.

”To ask a legal question and have it answered by three lawyers on the app costs users only $5.99. One hundred per cent of user fees are donated to Sagesse.org, an organization that provides services for families dealing with domestic violence. “They work with the victims, but they also work with the perpetrators. Their programs are so supportive and effective,” says Cyndy.

The organization is close to Cyndy’s heart personally and professionally. “Domestic violence is a community health issue that affects all of us in some way,” she says. “I'm also a survivor of domestic violence and it was Sagesse who helped me leave that unsafe situation.”

The Sagesse team are leaders in disrupting patterns of abuse, providing an array of empowering supports Resolve has relied on for years. “Our clients feel supported there after first coming in terrified and confused about how to move forward,” says Cyndy. “Not only do they help clients, they work on advocacy, screening and educating clients, lawyers and judges.”

When using the app, the tech-wary need not worry. It’s designed for easy use. “I always say, if I can use the app as both a lawyer and a user, anybody can. there's nobody with less tech talent than I have,” laughs Cyndy.

The user accesses the site, selects their location and required practice area. Users select three verified lawyers in their region from the roster to contact directly through the app and ask their questions, for instance, “do I need a separation agreement?” Or, “how do I start divorce mediation?” “AskJAQQ streamlines things, getting people the information they need quickly and affordably so they have a sense of direction in where they need to go next and what to do,” says Cyndy, adding that of course, information is confidential and not shared publicly.

Seeing its potential to make a true impact, Cyndy designed AskJAQQ to be a win-win for all involved. “A common misperception about lawyers is that they do not donate their time, yet most lawyers I know donate much of their professional services in various capacities,” says Cyndy. “The app is also beneficial to the lawyers involved. It will showcase their talents but also improve their public image as they donate their time to this service. Many lawyers are caring people who give back, we just need a forum and safe space to do so. This is a feel-good project, there's no downside and I'm so pleased it's come together so smoothly.”

As AskJAQQ aims to scale across Canada, Cyndy and her team intend to allocate funds to other charities local to where users are. “We will have the lawyers choose reputable charities with proven track records that they would like the funds from their donated time to support,” says Cyndy.

To support her lack of tech expertise, Cyndy surrounded AskJAQQ with a strong team of strategic partners. She’s contracted the services of Freshly Pressed, High Riverbased app developer. With the help of Bobbi Fergstad, Resolve’s director of operations and AskJAQQ shareholder, all the pieces came together beyond Cyndy’s hopes. It started with a quote inquiry to ARC Business Solutions Inc., who were so excited about the app’s potential they partnered with Cyndy and Bobbi on the app. “One of those executives came on as a personal investor and he's got the skills to scale it across the country,” says Cyndy.

Also partnering with AskJAQQ is a strong marketing pro with tech experience as an investor. “I've got excellent strategic partners who know how to market and scale this across the country, while I’ve got the legal aspects covered.” says Cyndy. “When these tech industry experts came onboard, that gave me confidence that this is going to be launched properly and be well done.”

Taking a step back to understand how Cyndy built Resolve and how her team supports her vision, it’s clear to see the parallels with AskJAQQ. “We started the firm with the intent to make a difference, be client-centered and solution-focused. We don't just pay lip service to that; we walk the talk,” says Cyndy. “Our philosophy is to surround our clients with the supports they need to help them through their legal matter and restructure their families in the healthiest way possible. I believe a lawyer's footprint on any family should be minimal. Instead, we should empower families with tools so they can resolve issues on their own without having to go see a lawyer repeatedly, or worse, go to family court.”

In fact, Cyndy says often court outcomes in family law cause more harm to families. “Sometimes it's inevitable, but if you don't have to bring families through a court process, which is highly adversarial and only polarizes them further, I think that's a win,” she says. “Our goal is to look at the family as a whole and help them to restructure into different homes with healthier coping skills for effective co-parenting. The goal is to set families up for success and mitigate harm in the process. We want to set families up for success rather than contribute to the ongoing conflict, which most often occurs at a high emotional and financial cost to the family.”

To meet these mandates, Cyndy and the Resolve team have developed innovative programs within their multidisciplinary service offering. “I work with the most incredible team; everybody wants to make a difference. Of course they want to make a good livelihood too, but that is not their priority, which I love,” she says. “I’m proud of all the programs we’ve developed. Honestly, I'd love to take all the credit, but it really is a team effort.”

Client Support Coordination.

Born out of Cyndy’s close relationship with Sagesse, Resolve’s free Client Support Coordination program recognizes that retelling one’s experiences around domestic conflict repeatedly can be re-traumatizing. “After a separation or a trauma, even making a phone call can feel daunting, like walking through mud,” says Cyndy. “Our firm provides wraparound services that not only help with the legal matter, but also with other issues the family faces upon separation. They're supported and less stressed throughout their legal matter, which in turns helps clients to make better legal decisions involving their family”

Opting clients sign consent for the Client Support Coordinator to be their liaison, take in information and provide it where needed, such as scheduling appointments. The service goes beyond domestic violence supports, considering daily life stressors that clients can’t focus beyond to deal clearly with their legal matter. “Say a client comes in and with immigration issues. Our client support coordinator has relationships with different programs, lawyers and free services we can provide to better assist clients,” says Cyndy.

Resolve also provides free office space for complementary professionals to provide client services on-site – such as a Registered Psychologist, a Parenting Professional, and an expert on Coercive Control matters. Of Counsel tax lawyer, Jonathan Garbutt, is also available. “Client support helps with all kinds of non-legal necessities, all at no cost,” says Cyndy. “For example, in a scenario when one parent leaves the home and takes the only vehicle, the other parent is left trying to figure out how to get their kids to school. This is not a problem I want my client paying me to help figure out at my legal rate. But these kinds of issues can stress and preoccupy a client beyond focusing on their legal matter, and rightfully so. Who can think about what your next legal move is when you're worried about getting your kids to school?”

In these cases, Resolve’s Client Support Coordinator intervenes to help the client find non-legal resources to address those pressing and urgent real-life issues. “So, when they’re ready to come see me, we can focus on their legal matter.”

Step Forward Program.

“We know that after a serious life transition such as separation or the loss of a loved one, it takes families approximately one-to-two years to stabilize their finances,” says Cyndy.

Resolve’s Step Forward Program connects clients with partnering companies and professionals who provide exclusive discounts to clients and their family on various services and products that improve their conditions and help ease financial hardship.

“These amazing companies are all reputable and vetted by our firm,” says Cyndy. “In turn, we’ve negotiated deals for these companies to be rewarded through discounts with other partnering businesses. We support our partners by promoting them on our regular advertising platforms. Essentially, we help local businesses that help our clients.”

Kids in Mind program.

Every family law client asks the question, “How much will this cost and how long will this take?” says Cyndy, adding that it’s an impossible question to answer when there are so many variables to any file in a traditional family law practice. To address this, Resolve created the Kids in Mind program, a six month intensive custody and parenting multidisciplinary mediation-arbitration program offered at a flat rate with no hidden costs.

“When parties cannot agree through this mediation process, arbitration awards are made that are as binding as court orders,” says Cyndy, adding that the unique parts of the program are its time and rate structure, and critical, its psycho-educational component. “We have the ability to meet the family where they are at financially and emotionally to find the best outcomes given their unique needs, means and circumstances as each enters into the program.” says Cyndy.

The program is heavily subsidized, but its price tag can still surprise clients. “Unfortunately, based on a 60-random-participant study our firm conducted last year, the cost of custody and parenting matters within our group ranged from $24K on the low end with a legal aid client, to $1M-plus over several years. That was just the cost of their legal representation,” says Cyndy. “Custody and parenting matters tend to be the most expensive legal issues. We wanted to start a program that would address the underlying issues that negatively impact parenting matters while providing a results-oriented program that parties could better prepare and budget for.”

Kids in Mind is the quintessential, multidisciplinary team, including a divorce mediator, arbitrator, neutral lawyer, and psychologist consultant, all working with the family in real time.

The all-in-one cost includes long-term support and even a substantial rebate for each parent should they complete the program without arbitration. “We've not only dealt with your legal issue, but also your family as a whole,” says Cyndy. “After the six-month program has been completed, there's a one-year follow-up to ensure things are working well. If not, we tweak it under the original cost.”

It’s all that purposeful, compassionate innovation that is driving the creation of AskJAQQ, a natural progression for Cyndy and the Resolve team.

“We meet people from all different walks of life but the common theme is they're usually good people going through bad circumstances,” says Cyndy. “When I can take an awful situation and make it better, it feels good to know that not only am I helping this family, but we can put together the supports and services for them that might help break the cycle of whatever has gone wrong in their family.”

Natalie Noble’s love of writing stems from her passion for hearing and sharing people’s stories. Over the years she has written for various business, real estate, and agriculture publications. At the heart of her work is a desire to continuously learn and connect.

*Did you know AskJAQQ is nominated for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce’s

2025 People's Choice Awards? Click here to help us take it home!

Cyndy Morin, Family Lawyer and Founder

Resolve Legal Group

318 11 Ave SE #440

Calgary, AB T2G 0Y2

Phone: (403) 229-2365

c.morin@resolvelegalgroup.com

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