Your opportunity to design your own legal dispute resolution process.
Indigenous Mediation + Negotiation Centre
The IMNC was founded on the principal that the courts are often too rigid to resolve Indigenous-based disputes such as territory conflicts, estates and families to name a few.
We have assembled a talented team to assist you with your legal issue recognizing that not every dispute requires a lawyer. Our circle includes some lawyers and some non-lawyers. All have experience as mediators and negotiators.
We invite you to explore a legal dispute resolution process that is tailored to your dispute, instead of forcing your dispute to adhere to the pre-designed court system.
Most people that find themselves in a legal dispute expect that the court will resolve the dispute. Most times that is not true, and in fact the majority of legal disputes filed in British Columbia settle out of court.
Our clients that do find themselves in court report the experience as intimidating, confusing and stressful, in part because they have very little control over the process.
This is especially true for our First Nations clients who have reported that they specifically disliked:
- bowing to a judge that represents a legal system in which they do not believe
- relying on someone else to express their position absent any consideration of their cultural view
- sitting side by side with their adversary instead of being in a circle
In addition to being able to include the legal dispute process, our clients have preferred mediation to court because:
- it is cheaper
- it is shorter
- terms of a negotiated agreement is better
Our Circle
Your Next Steps
Getting Started
The first step is to determine whether you need a mediator wherein everyone party to your dispute has agreed to mediate, or whether you are party to a mediation and/or dispute and would like to retain the services of a negotiator.
Drop us a line and we can help point you in the right direction.
The Next Step is to consider what elements of the mediation you would prefer to be present such that you will feel comfortable participating.
Our Most Common Process Asks Include:
- I would like an Elder present;
- I would like the mediation to take place in our territory;
- I would like to be able to smudge the mediation space before we begin;
- I prefer virtual mediation because then I can see the person but don’t have to be in the same room with them.
We meet with all parties in advance of the mediation to get a better understanding of the issues and also to negotiate the “process” that will be used for mediation. Each mediation process is slightly different and is informed by the parties.
Join Our Circle
If you are interested in joining our circle, please send a recent CV. We are always looking for like minded people to connect with our clients.
Contact Us
We are situated on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc.
PHONE
250-374-6601
info@imnc.ca
8-1540 Springhill Drive
Kamloops, BC V2E 2H1