Jessica Firestone

I obtained my Bachelor of Arts in history and French from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts and my law degree from the American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. I practiced law in DC and Maryland for approximately five years and after a two-month road trip across the US, moved back to Vancouver where I grew up.

My practice experience in the US includes a two year judicial clerkship for a family law Judge, two years as an associate attorney at a boutique family law firm, and one year as a contract attorney during which time I was appointed as a Guardian Ad Litem to represent children in custody proceedings. I also worked on a number of document review projects for large litigation matters, several of which involved French review and translation.

Throughout the several years during which I completed my Canadian legal accreditation, I worked as a legal assistant and office manager for a family and collaborative lawyer in Vancouver. Also during this time I completed my Family Law Mediation training.

After being called to the BC Bar in 2012 I started my own family law practice. I have extensive experience in both the US and Canada preparing for and attending court hearings and trials and have seen first hand the devastating emotional, psychological, and financial impact that such proceedings have on families and especially children. As such, I am very excited to be restricting my practice to out of court alternative dispute resolution processes, in particular, the collaborative process.

I am committed to assisting families to resolve the issues surrounding their separation and divorce respectfully, with dignity, and in the best interests of their children. I believe that the collaborative process empowers families to look ahead and move forward with their lives feeling positive about the future rather than looking backwards and focusing on who is to blame for what went wrong. The collaborative process allows families to be much more creative than a Judge can be in court and craft tailor made solutions that work for each individual family.

I also have experience advising individuals at the beginning of their relationships as well as drafting and providing legal advice about marriage and cohabitation agreements.

I am fluent in French, have lived in France, Israel, and the US. I am married and have two young children.