Rhona Buchan
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador A1E 1W6
Canada
Profession(s)
Lawyer, MediatorRhona Buchan is a lawyer and an Accredited Mediator (AccMed). After 20 years of practising in courts, Rhona opened Buchan Law & Dispute Resolution in 2023 in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador to provide a specialized focus on out-of-court dispute resolution, including family law mediation and workplace investigations. In addition, she provides consultant services as a Senior Associate with the national firm, Goss Gilroy Inc. She has been a member of the Bar of Newfoundland and Labrador since 2001. Rhona practised with Legal Aid NL from 2001 – 2021, litigating family law, child protection law and criminal law, in provincial, supreme and appeal courts throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, including in indigenous communities. At Legal Aid NL she held the positions of Staff Solicitor, Duty Counsel at the Supreme Court of NL Family Division, and Area Director.
Rhona is passionate about deepening knowledge of dispute resolution: She is the founding chair of FDRIA (Family Dispute Resolution Institute Atlantic) a professional network to advance the knowledge and use of family dispute resolution in Atlantic Canada, and she teaches the Dispute Resolution section of the Bar Admission course for the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. Rhona is also a qualified yoga teacher, a parent of teens, and an actor holding a Diploma in Theatre Performance from Toronto Metropolitan University (1988-1991). For almost 30 years, yoga has been an integral practice in her life.
Professional Activities
Founding chair of FDRIA, the Family Dispute Resolution Institute Atlantic Member of OAFM, Acc Med. Member of ADRIC & ADRAI. Law Society of Newfoundland & Labrador, Instructor of DR section of the Bar Admission course since 2020 & member of the Disciplinary Panel.Undergraduate Education
Memorial University of NL, B.A. 1996
Toronto Metropolitan University, Diploma in Theatre Performance, 1988-1991
Postgraduate Education
University of Ottawa, LL.B. 2000
Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, LL.M (Dispute Resolution) 2021
Professional Education
Advanced Family Mediation (21 hours),
Family Arbitration (40 hours),
Screening for Power Imbalances (21 hours) all at Riverdale Mediation, Toronto 2020.
Mediation Practicum, Family Dispute Resolution Institute, (FDRIO, 40 hours) 2021.