Lorne N. MacLean
Lorne N. MacLean is the founding partner of MFLG and is one of Western Canada’s most experienced attorneys concentrating in family law and BC divorce, successfully protecting clients’ rights since 1983 exclusively in the field of family law, on areas including spousal and child support, property division, custody and access, and common law relationships.
Mr. MacLean has published on numerous topics relating to BC divorce and BC family law. He has educated and updated BC divorce lawyers on developments in divorce and family law. A frequent guest on radio and television, a frequent subject of both Canadian and US magazine and newspaper articles, and a lecturer at the UBC Law School, Mr. MacLean has earned a reputation as a tough yet thoughtful advocate for his clients.
Mr. MacLean has also lectured and been interviewed on his multiple innovations in the efficient delivery of client based services that increase the client’s participation in their file and reduce their costs.
Mr. MacLean has had the rare honour of making two unprecedented appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of the Appellant’s in complex family law cases.
He received his B.Sc. in 1979 from the University of British Columbia and his LL.B. in 1983 from Osgoode Hall.
Shelagh Kinney
Shelagh Kinney has over 18 years of experience in family law. Her practice includes all matters relating to custody, access, mobility disputes, adoptions, property division, corporate and tax issues, child and spousal support, and trust claims, as well as the drafting of asset protection agreements and separation agreements. Shelagh has appeared as counsel in family law cases at the Provincial, Supreme, and Appeal levels.
As part of her practice, Shelagh has dealt with a number of cases under the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act (ISO) involving the recognition or variation of family support orders made in other Canadian provinces and territories or in specified foreign countries.
Certified as a Family Law Mediator, Shelagh also offers her clients alternatives to litigation and recognizes that, in appropriate cases, mediation can assist in resolving disputes in a timely and economical way.
Shelagh was educated at the University of British Columbia, and the University of Victoria. She is a registered Trade-Mark agent, and a member of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch Family Law, Civil Litigation, and Wills and Trusts subsections.
Shawna L. Specht
Shawna L. Specht is an associate lawyer with the MacLean Family Law Group. She articled with the MacLean Family Law Group and has remained with our firm as an associate after being called to the bar in 2004.
Shawna practices primarily in the area of family law and additionally in areas of property expropriation and oil and gas surface lease law in Northern B.C. Shawna obtained her BA in International Relations from Okanagan University in 1999 and her LLB from the University of Alberta in 2002, receiving several scholarships and bursaries along the way. Thereafter she received a one year clerkship with the Supreme Court of British Columbia working with six Supreme Court Justices.
Shawna has represented clients at all levels of the Court including chambers, trials, and appeals. She has also represented clients before the Mediation and Arbitration Board of B.C. and the Oil and Gas Commision and she is a member of the Expropriation Association of B.C.
Shawna also has a particular interest in international child custody law, having experience with both Hague and non-Hague custody actions for clients in Saudi Arabia, Texas, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and other jurisdictions. She recently spoke at the UBC Family Law Forum on this topic to practitioners and law students, sharing some of the complexity of this area of law.
Justin M. Werb
Mr. Werb obtained his LL.B. from the University of Ottawa after completing a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Political Science at Concordia University in Montreal. He spent his final year of his LL.B as a visiting student at the University of Victoria.
Mr. Werb was the recipient of the following awards while completing his LL.B.:
- The Maritime Law Book Award in Legal Ethics and Professionalism for highest standing in “Legal Ethics and Professionalism,”
- The Family Law Institute Prize for highest mark in a major paper in Advanced Family Law.
After graduating from the University of Ottawa, Mr. Werb articled with the MacLean Family Law Group where he has remained on as an associate.
Mike Jukic
Mr. Jukic was called to the bar in 2009. He obtained his L.L.B. from the University of British Columbia after completing a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in Criminology from Simon Fraser University.
Mr. Jukic has successfully represented clientele in family law litigation matters such as custody, access, child protection, and mobility related issues.
Mr. Jukic also practices in the field of criminal defence where he has prided himself in gaining his clients favourable results at trial and disposition related matters. Mike works primarily in our Fort St John office.
