McNeill, Beryl B.A Economics LL.B

Beryl McNeill strongly believes that mutual respect and understanding go a long way toward resolving family law matters. As a Registered Collaborative Law practitioner in Calgary, she has dedicated her firm to amicable, cooperative negotiation as a means for settling divorces. Throughout her law career Beryl has seen the costs of adversarial negotiations, both financial and emotional. In emphasizing the collaborative approach, Beryl offers her clients a more efficient model that preserves personal and monetary assets alike.

More and more individuals are attracted to resolving their family law matters in a civil, respectful way. They come to Beryl from many walks of life—as professionals in the oil and gas industry and their spouses, business owners, and working spouses with children. Clients say that even after a single consultation with Beryl they feel less stressed and more clear about the way forward.

Beryl understands the often fearful, emotional early stages of divorce. Incorporating skills developed from her training as a life coach, Beryl helps clients move beyond their stress response to more logical, creative thinking. Once there, she works with clients to discover what’s truly important to them in attaining divorce. Beryl encourages clients to picture what a successful settlement would look like a year or more down the road as a means for focusing their goals. By educating and empowering clients, Beryl seeks to transform the way they resolve family disputes—in a more constructive, intelligent and amicable way than would be possible otherwise.

Beginning her career in multiple court venues in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland, Beryl honed her negotiation and courtroom skills in the field of insurance and small claims. From there she was retained as legal counsel for the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program of British Columbia. This led to her work as an Associate with MacEachern Gambrel, where she focused her skills in the area of complex personal injury and family law cases.

Upon arriving in Alberta, Beryl opened her own law practice in 1996 with a continued focus on personal injury and family law. In 2003, she brought her mediation and negotiation skills to Moe and Hannah, and partnered with them in 2007, forming the law firm of Moe Hannah McNeill LLP.
In 2012 Beryl established the McNeill Family Law office so that she could concentrate her practice on assisting couples to divorce amicably and constructively, without the destruction that often accompanies a traditional separation or divorce.

Beryl is very active with the Family Bar and the Collaborative Law Community. Beryl’s involvement provides her clients with assurance that she has her finger on the pulse of Family Law in Alberta, offering them a distinct advantage in their quest for equity and civility.

Her professional commitments include:
• The Association of Collaborative Professionals of Calgary – Chair
• National Family Section Collaborative Law Committee
• Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Dispute Resolution Officer.
• Alberta Bar Admission Course Instructor
• The Canadian Bar Association: 
Family Law Section Alberta South – Title – Chair (2009-2010)
• The Collaborative Divorce Alberta Association – Title – Chair (2008-2010)