Nigel Macleod

Executive Director

Nigel Macleod has an extensive history and experience in CDR leadership and has held the distinguished advanced practice status with numerous ADR associations (notably the Ontario Association for Family Mediation, Association for Conflict Resolution and the Academy of Professional Family Mediators). Nigel Macleod was the first Canadian appointed as a Certified Florida Supreme Court Mediator in multiple disciplines (Civil Circuit / Appellate / Family / Child Dependency / Mortgage Foreclosures). He was on the original six mediator panel of the inaugural Ottawa Court-Connected Mediation Pilot Project in 1995/6 and has served as an OMMP Roster Mediator from 1997-2025. This lawyer-mediator has served as President with major ADR organizations (OAFM Ottawa chapter president; President of the Collaborative Law Network [Ottawa] and was Founding President of the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation [Collaborative Practice Ontario]) Mr. Macleod was the first President of the national charity: The Canadian Celiac Association and was instrumental in championing Canadian food labelling (gluten-free certification and industry protocols).

Nigel Macleod is a retired member of the Law Society of Ontario having completed a successful blended practice in law and mediation since 1981. He has taught at the college level and has extensive experience in adult learning and facilitation techniques. He was one of thirty-six international lawyers invited to an advanced certificate training at Harvard Law School with Professor Roger Fisher (Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School) in Advanced Multi-Party Negotiation. Mr. Macleod has successfully implemented this Harvard Negotiation Project multi-party model in various professional settings coordinating professional sector assemblies (Collaborative Practice Ontario) and with local, provincial and federal governments; and with community NGOs, working on Indigenous projects (Pinganodin Lodge: Child and Family Services Community Resources).

Nigel Macleod has presented papers and workshops with numerous professional organizations, including the Ottawa Public Library, CCLA, AFCC, Collaborative Practice Ontario and the Ontario Bar Association (OBA). Mr. Macleod has a distinguished record of successfully presenting on best practices in law and mediation and was instrumental in the design and development of Collaborative Practice: The New Solicitor-Client Relationship with the Law Society of Ontario (formerly The Law Society of Upper Canada) and LawPro.

Professor Michael A. Saini

Research Co-Ordinator

Professor Michael A. Saini, PhD, MSW, RSW is a Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, where he holds the Factor-Inwentash Chair in Law and Social Work. He is also Co-Director of the Combined J.D./M.S.W. Program with the Faculty of Law. His research focuses on family law, child welfare, parenting coordination, child custody evaluations, and evidence-based decision-making. With over 200 publications, he is recognized for advancing knowledge on high-conflict families, parent-child contact issues, and child protection within legal settings.

Professor Saini serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and plays a key role in initiatives such as the AFCC Peace Talks, which aim to depolarize discussions on parent-child contact problems. He is also an Executive Board Member of Family Mediation Canada (FMC), a Board Member of Access for Parents and Children of Ontario (APCO), and the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC). Additionally, he is an Associate Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and a member of the International Society of Family Law.

Professor Saini has conducted family justice research in both English and French, including studies funded by the Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH) and l’Alliance de recherche universités-communautés (ARUC). His work has examined family mediation, co-parenting, and child well-being in both official languages in Canada, and he has co-authored publications in French-language academic journals on parental separation, family recomposition, and judicial perspectives on severe separation conflicts.

His contributions have been widely recognized, including the 2019 Stanley Cohen Distinguished Research Award (AFCC) and the Meyer Elkin Essay Award for the best article in Family Court Review (2018).

Rod A. Vanier

Treasurer / Comptroller

Rod Vanier, Barrister and Solicitor, has an extensive history in law office administration and community service. He has been a practicing lawyer since 1981 and has been a board member in various community organizations and Not for Profits in Ottawa (including the Queensway Carleton Hospital and the Nepean Chamber of Commerce).

David White

Project Manager

David White is a licensed paralegal, working in Ottawa. A member of the AFCC and the CCLA, he has experience in ADR processes and as counsel before tribunals. Mr. White graduated from Humber College in 2023, having worked in various office settings beforehand, including managing IT resources. He will be working with the IJD faculty and volunteers in the research study, from recruitment through on-site project management to data assembly and collation.