Chad Johnson of McLeod Law represented my ex-wife ...

Chad Johnson of McLeod Law represented my ex-wife for our separation agreement a few years ago and, recently, several mediations leading up to an arbitration. After these experiences I strongly feel the need to warn others about Chad s style but not for the reasons one may first think. Yes, Chad was opposing counsel but that does not necessarily mean I dislike Chad as I can have great respect for strong, knowledgeable opposition. However I am honestly concerned at his poor advice (or lack thereof) that he provided to my ex-wife during our mediations this year that resulted in a significant waste of time, money and effort on her behalf. We all know separations are very personal and people can act irrational, making poor and often misguided decisions based on resentment, anger and ego. This is when we rely on our professional help to put us on the right track. In Chad s case, he simply followed an ill-advised narrative from my ex-wife that had little to no chance of succeeding. For example almost every proposal (and suggested wording of agreements) received from Chad were cut-and-paste exact wording from my ex-wife with little or no attempt to temper tone, eliminate irrelevant content or check for spelling errors. Often this narrative took significant tangents away from main topics which angered the mediator and gave my position more credibility unnecessarily. All good for me right? Not really. As my ex-wife relies on me for spousal support, she is squandering her finances and Chad is happily accepting. One lawyer said to me if she [my ex] was my client, I would have straightened her out quickly and, unfortunately, Chad has not done this and has therefore drawn out the drama. Most importantly our mediations centered on time-sensitive issues for our young children. Chad clearly used tactics, albeit legal, to purposely slow the mediation process as this was to his client s advantage. Perhaps this was strong negotiating, but as the months dragged on, this negatively affected our children which I find shameful (fortunately the mediator saw similarly and smartly made the correct decision). Finally, I will note that Chad has a bad habit of not following a simple recommendation from the Law Society of Alberta; specifically the Code of Conduct, Rule 7.2-8. Chad routinely forwards email messages involving his client and third parties to opposing counsel that can invite unintended consequences such as those pointed out in the commentary under Rule 7.2-8 in the Code. After my lawyer repeatedly told Chad about his error, he blatantly continued doing it which can only be interpreted as a paltry attempt to annoy my counsel. Yet it really just shows a lack of respect of the Law Society and professionalism in general. In fairness, Chad is a calm and well-spoken man with experience but is capable of much better. He would be well-advised to be a leader and help his client(s) towards realistic and productive goals. Chad is a senior lawyer and would charge accordingly. Caveat emptor.