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Managing Partner/Lawyer Accredited Family Mediator (OAFM) Accredited Intergenerational (Elder) Mediator (OAFM) Child-Inclusive Roster Mediator (OAFM/NavOn) Certified Collaborative Practitioner (OACP/IACP) ODR Specialist - Certificate in Online Dispute Resolution (FDRIO) Integrative Law Practitioner & Conscious Contracts® Practitioner
Connect(he/him/his)
Aubrey J. Sherman assists couples in struggling relationships or facing separation and divorce to gain clarity, navigate challenges, and improve communication. He facilitates opportunities to reduce conflict, resolve disputes, plan for a better future, and protect a legacy. Aubrey brings over 19 years of practical and hands-on experience in family law and divorce dispute resolution for the benefit of his clients. As an alumnus of Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation and Mediation, Aubrey is a skilled negotiator and accredited family mediator, a strong communicator, and an empathetic lawyer who champions a wholistic and integrative legal practice focused on peacemaking, problem-solving, and healing. Aubrey recognizes that court proceedings can be detrimental to families and emphasizes the importance of finding peaceful ways to address difficult issues and resolve disputes. |
His commitment to family law combined with over two decades of experience advocating for the interests of families and children has enabled him to develop expertise and a deep understanding of the complex issues that often arise in matrimonial matters. His extensive experience offers valuable insights into how the court may respond to various issues, including parenting, financial support, high-net-worth property division, and related concerns in high-conflict and complex litigation.
Aubrey assists clients in the Waterloo Region and across Ontario, both in-person and online via Zoom. He welcomes all modern families, including blended families, same-sex spouses and partners, and LGBTQ2S+ individuals.
Aubrey understands the significance of maintaining good relationships with others. As an insight-oriented mediator and conflict resolution specialist, he views his role as facilitating parties in gaining deeper insights into their relationships. He encourages conversations that foster learning and combines his legal, business, and social science backgrounds to help families reduce conflict and settle disputes. His practice focuses on resolving disputes peacefully through consensual dispute resolution methods, including collaborative divorce and mediation.
He skillfully facilitates important and sometimes challenging conversations in conflict situations, employing mindful approaches that help settle disputes and strengthen relationships. These discussions often involve 'listening to understand,' which promotes insight, awareness, and a deeper comprehension of the reasons behind interpersonal conflict.
Aubrey's extensive experience advocating for clients in litigation, often resolving complicated disputes without the need for a trial, has equipped him with firsthand knowledge that when families are no longer in conflict, they can resolve disputes, find values-based solutions, and create durable agreements.
Aubrey strategically advances his clients' interests while seeking timely resolutions. He advocates for a wholistic and interdisciplinary approach to family law that resolves disputes and allows clients to consult with top professionals in related fields, including family professionals, financial experts, forensic accountants, tax specialists, financial planners, social workers, mental health professionals, and child psychologists.
His early determination to gain advanced understanding of the intricate issues in family law has provided him with opportunities to learn from internationally recognized senior family law, corporate, and estates counsel. Aubrey is well-versed in the complex issues that arise in family law, including corporate, trust, and estates matters, joint family ventures, business valuations, division of family-run businesses, employment issues, constructive and resulting trust claims, unjust enrichment, and corporate succession planning.
As a Conscious Contracts® Practitioner, Aubrey offers clients the option to co-create separation agreements and marriage contracts based on the value alignment of the participants, placing relationships at the core of these agreements. This model fosters a process for creating sustainable, relational, and values-based agreements that reflect the parties' desires for a shared purpose. Discussions encompass authentic communication, connection, clarity, and relationship design, with a focus on plain language, creative design, innovative thinking, and the use of visual aids.
When necessary, Aubrey advocates for his clients in family court, providing knowledgeable and highly skilled litigation services, including conferences, motions, trials, and appeals.
As a fellow of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), Aubrey promotes collaborative practice as a superior alternative to traditional adversarial litigation for separation and divorce. He offers collaborative divorce and family law services for couples seeking to resolve their family law and divorce issues outside of court in a dignified, respectful, wholistic, and non-adversarial manner. Separating couples collaborate with a team of legal, family, and financial professionals to resolve disputes, reduce conflict, and enhance communication without ever stepping into a courtroom.
Aubrey's commitment to lifelong learning has led him to study at the IACP Global Virtual Institute under several esteemed authorities and international collaborative practitioners, including Nancy J. Ross (Los Gatos, CA) family professional and co-founder of the Collaborative Divorce process, Pauline Tesler (Mill Valley, CA) lawyer/author, and Stephen Sulmeyer (San Francisco, CA) lawyer/mediator and clinical psychologist.
He is a proud member of Collaborative Divorce of Waterloo Region (Best4All) and Collaborative Practice Hamilton Halton.
Aubrey is an Accredited Family Mediator (AccFM) and an Accredited Intergenerational (Elder) Mediator (AccIM) with the Ontario Association for Family Mediation, where he also serves on the Board of Directors. He is trained in child-inclusive mediation and is a member of the Voice of the Child/Child-Inclusive Mediator Roster with Navigating Onward.
Aubrey's commitment to quickly addressing the heart of disputes drives him to focus his mediations on developing mutually satisfactory resolutions that allow for creative settlement opportunities. Drawing on his 19 years of litigation experience, he understands the complex issues that can arise in family law and provides counsel and clients with insights into how the court may respond to specific issues. He offers counsel-assisted mediation and case management for matters currently before the court, identifying strengths and weaknesses of positions and providing candid suggestions for resolution. His mediation services encompass parenting plans, matrimonial disputes, intergenerational family conflicts, and aging-related issues.
Aubrey is an alumnus of advanced mediation, conflict management, and negotiation programs at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. He graduated from the conflict management and mediation certificate program at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo, and obtained certificates in dispute resolution through the ADR Institute of Ontario, focusing on conflict and negotiation theory and the mediation process. He has completed advanced family mediation training through Family Mediation Training Canada in both the insight approach (Picard) and the interest-based approach (Fisher/Ury), designed by Jennifer Suzor and Madam Justice L. Madsen of the Ontario Court of Appeal. Additionally, he completed intergenerational and elder mediation training with Elizabeth Sterritt.
Aubrey is a member with Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario (FDRIO) and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).
Aubrey offers collaborative divorce mediation, which extends collaborative divorce to include a neutral lawyer-mediator and a family professional who work together with the couple to navigate legal, financial, and emotional hurdles, ultimately reaching mutually acceptable agreements. This consensual dispute resolution process combines the best aspects of collaborative divorce with the cost-effectiveness of mediation, achieving outstanding success.
His dedication to providing innovative legal options motivated Aubrey to become the first IACP-trained collaborative lawyer-mediator in Waterloo Region to offer collaborative divorce mediation.
Aubrey's focus in estate planning extends beyond financial capital to encompass the intellectual, social, human, and spiritual dimensions when working with families of wealth. Once he understands the key individuals and goals important to his clients, he collaborates with them to create comprehensive estate plans that fulfill both financial and emotional objectives while remaining purposeful and family-centered.
His commitment to offering estate planning options that facilitate wealth transfer in ways that energize, motivate, and create opportunities for beneficiaries drives Aubrey to provide services that meet his clients' needs. He assists clients in drafting comprehensive Wills and Trusts to protect their legacy, minimize taxation and probate fees, and achieve their goals. He also provides succession planning advice regarding business and corporate interests, working alongside corporate lawyers and accountants.
Aubrey advises estate trustees throughout the administration process of estates, helping them navigate the challenges they face, including court appointments and probate processes. He also offers legal guidance on executor duties and estate distribution.
Aubrey has achieved notable recognition for his extensive professional experience and expertise, including:
Community Votes Kitchener-Waterloo awarded Aubrey two awards in 2024 - Platinum for mediation services and Gold for estate lawyers.
Divorce Angels recommends Aubrey as a trusted and vetted legal professional in Waterloo Region for individuals navigating divorce and estate matters. He frequently contributes legal commentary on family law featured by Divorce Angels.
ThreeBestRated consistently recognizes Aubrey as one of the top three divorce lawyers and estate planning lawyers in the Kitchener.
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Professional Accreditation
Professional Training
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Awards & Achievements
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Community Involvement &Speaking/Presenter Engagements
Year of Call2005, Ontario
A little bit more about AubreyAubrey actively engages in weekly BodyPump classes and practices yoga and mindfulness, demonstrating his dedication to both physical and mental well-being. His enthusiasm for culinary arts and gastronomy has encouraged him to become a skilled chef who delights in preparing family meals and entertaining friends. He enjoys traveling, exploring antique markets during day trips, and immersing himself in home and interior design projects. Aubrey is an arts enthusiast with a keen eye for fashion and design. He frequently visits the Saturday Kitchener Farmers’ Market, where he advocates for healthy eating while supporting local merchants.
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