Russell Bennett

Description of Practice

Russell Bennett is a cannabis lawyer and author of Canada's Cannabis Act: Annotation and Commentary, the industry's leading textbook on the federal legislation to legalize cannabis. Russell provides intuitive and empathetic mediation services to help resolve inter and intra-corporate and franchise disputes within the North American cannabis industry. Russell interviews parties, identifies key issues of conflict, promotes negotiations, and explains cannabis laws, litigation procedure, costs and why mediation is the best first step before hiring a lawyer.

Professional Background

Bachelor of Science, University of Western Ontario
Bachelor of Laws, University of Windsor
Certificate of Acting Technique, The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater
Certificate of Producing Film/TV/Web, University of British Columbia

Mediation Experience

I am transitioning from being a lawyer to being a mediator, so my mediation experience is limited to two mediations I performed as a lawyer for my clients in 2021-22 and two mediations I performed as a mediator in 2022-23. The reason I am transitioning from being a lawyer to a mediator is that I am more suited to helping people resolve their differences than advocating one side's position. The combination of my personality, my attention to detail and my background in the entertainment industry as an actor, an acting teacher, a writer and director that gives me a unique perspective to disputes different from most lawyer-turned-mediators.

Mediation Approach & Philosophy

Most business/commercial disputes are between individuals, where there has been a breakdown in communication, or an incident that has been misinterpreted. Often there can be underlying personality issues that prevent resolution without outside assistance. My approach is to understand a holistic view of people within the corporate structure, and then to help people first analyze with deep probing questions what were the steps to the problem, and then work backwards to undo the damage.

Fees

$1499 per party

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