Ashford Law and Dispute Resolution

Ashford Law and Dispute Resolution is a law firm specializing predominantly in family law. Ferne Ashford has over 20 years of experience in the family law field. While Ferne may be more than capable of representing your interests in the court room (having experience in both the Court of King’s Bench and the Court of Appeal) she prefers to use her mediation and collaborative skills to assist clients in resolving their differences outside of the adversarial process, if possible. In addition, Ferne is skilled in real estate transactions (buying, selling, refinancing) and wills and estates. As a small firm, Ashford Law and Dispute Resolution offers personalized service, creative solutions and reasonable rates.

Who We Are

Ferne M. Ashford K.C.

Ms. Ashford began her career as a legal researcher incorporating a business that was geared towards providing professional legal research to lawyers and various institutions. She has been practicing for over 27 years in the areas of family law, real estate, and wills and estates.

On November 29th, 2021, Ferne Ashford received her designation as King's counsel. This is an honorary designation given to lawyers who have demonstrated outstanding practice, shown integrity and leadership, and made contributions to excellence in the profession.

Areas of Practice
  • Mediation Services
  • Family Law
  • Real Estate
  • Wills and Estates
  • Collaborative Law
Qualifications
  • LLB, University of New Brunswick,1997
  • BA History, St. Thomas University, 1994
  • Bar Admission: New Brunswick, 1998
Professional Affiliations
  • Member of the Law Society of New Brunswick
  • Member of the Canadian Bar Association
  • Member of the New Brunswick Insurance Board
  • Member of the Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) Committee

Katie MacDermaid

Katie was born and raised in Bathurst, New Brunswick. She is fluently bilingual and is happy to take on your legal matter in your language of choice. She is passionate about mental health advocacy, volunteer, and providing excellent customer service.

Katie currently lives with her husband and their two rescue dogs in Marysville, Fredericton. She attended St. Thomas University, where she played varsity soccer, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Great Books and a double-major in Communications and Public Policy. Katie then attended UNB Law in Fredericton and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 2022. She was called to the bar in June 2023.

Areas of Practice
  • Family Law
  • Wills and Estates
  • Collaborative Law and Family Dispute Resolution
  • Real Estate
  • Adoption
  • Domestic Contracts
Qualifications
  • JD, University of New Brunswick, 2022
  • Bachelor or Arts, Honours, STU 2019
  • Bar Admission, 2023
Professional Affiliations
  • Member of the Law Society of New Brunswick
  • Member of the Canadian Bar Association
  • Vice-President York Sunbury County Law Society

Nushka Blais

Nushka is a Montreal-born, Newfoundland-raised lawyer who now calls New Brunswick home. Her path across provinces mirrors her approach to law: adaptable, people-centred, and grounded in understanding where someone comes from. Bilingual in English and French, she is happy to serve clients in their preferred official language.

Nushka brings more than legal knowledge to her practice. She has pursued extensive additional training, including mental health emergency response and domestic violence intervention, allowing her to support clients through complex, emotionally charged situations with care and clarity.

As a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Nushka understands that identity, lived experience, and law are deeply intertwined. She is committed to meeting clients where they are, prioritizing access to justice, informed decision-making, and inclusive legal solutions.

Areas of Practice
  • Family Law
  • Wills and Estates
  • Collaborative Law
  • Mediation
  • Real Estate
  • Immigration
Qualifications
  • BSc Biology, MUN, 2015
  • JD UNB 2019
  • Bar Admission, 2020
Professional Affiliations
  • Member of the Law Society of New Brunswick
  • Member of the Canadian Bar Association
  • Member of the New Brunswick Law Society Equity and Social Justice Committee
  • Member of the Miramichi Region Multicultural Association

Services

Mediation Services

We are pleased to be able to provide mediation services to those that wish to attempt to navigate their differences through interest based negotiation. A mediator can not provide legal advice but is trained to assist the parties in coming to agreements together in a fair, diplomatic and respectful manner. We will meet with you and your partner, either individually and/or together, in an attempt to reach an amicable resolution of the issues facing your family. Mediation may allow us to consider ‘outside of the box’ solutions that are tailored to meet your family’s individual needs. Ferne Ashford is a member of FMC (Family Mediation Canada) and is a skilled mediator with several years of practice and continuing legal education in this ever growing area for dispute resolution. Mediation is a way to help you and your partner craft your own resolution to your difficulties and avoid the expense and emotional impact of litigation.

Family Law

Ferne has been practicing in the area of family law for her entire legal career and has in excess of 20 years experience in this field. Family law encompasses many different family related issues such as adoption, custody agreements, separation agreements, pre-nuptial or cohabitation agreements and Divorce. We address issues surrounding custody, access, support and the division of property and debts. The approach of Ashford Law and Dispute Resolution has consistently been to first attempt to find strategies to help your family find a resolution that meets your needs without resorting to litigation and court appearances. That said, sometimes, despite the best efforts of all those involved, court action is required to resolve family struggles. Ferne has appeared before all three levels of our court system in New Brunswick (Provincial, Court of King’s Bench and New Brunswick Court of Appeal). In particular, she has a wealth of experience before the Court of King’s Bench, Family Division. While she will actively try to resolve your matter by consent if possible, should your matter require litigation for resolution, you will be in capable hands with Ferne.

Real Estate

Ferne Ashford has been providing real estate services to her clientele in excess of 20 years. We are happy to assist you with buying your new home, selling your home and/or refinancing. We can provide consultations and drafting regarding any documentation required in this industry including Agreements of Purchase and Sale, Bills of Sale and Easements. We are skilled in real estate matters both in the Registry System an Land Titles System and are happy to assist you with issues surrounding title.

Wills and Estates

Ferne Ashford has been drafting Wills and providing probate and estate services to her clientele for in excess of 20 years. She is more than happy to meet with you to review the requirements for making a Will, taking your instructions, reviewing options and drafting a Will that is tailored to your needs. Should you experience the loss of a loved one and you require legal assistance with estate issues, we would be willing to assist in any way we can.

Collaborative Law

Collaborative law is a type of dispute resolution that works very well for matters involving the family. It is similar to mediation but with a twist. With Collaborative law you are avoiding court by addressing your issues in a mediation-like setting but instead of having one mediator that does not provide legal advice, each of you attend the collaborative law session with your individual lawyers. By attending a series of four way meetings (you, your ‘spouse’, your lawyer and your spouse’s lawyer) you are committed to finding resolution in a fair, respectful setting while having an advocate with you throughout the process. All four parties sign a contract at the outset that states that they are committed to not resorting to litigation and that they will work together to find a resolution that meets the needs of all parties in a satisfactory way. Should the process be unsuccessful, the lawyers must withdraw and the parties are free to find alternate counsel and proceed to court if required. That said, we have found that once people are committed to the process all involved parties become motivated to dedicate themselves to finding a resolution that avoids litigation. Collaborative law is a way to help you and your partner craft your own resolution to your difficulties and avoid the expense and emotional impact of litigation.

Links

Collaborative Family Law

A process by which disagreements can be resolved outside the court process in an atmosphere of trust and collaboration.

Department of Justice - Canada

Federal Acts and Regulations, Federal Child Support Guidelines, Divorce, Dispute Resolution, Youth Justice, Criminal Code of Canada, Forms and Publications

Department of Justice - NB

New Brunswick Acts and Regulations, Forms and Publications, The Royal Gazette, Rules of Court, Child Support Information

Law Society of New Brunswick

Public Legal Eduction and Information Services, Legal Aid, Complaints

Service New Brunswick

Land and property registry, Vital Stats (marriage, birth certificates)

Public Legal Education

Wills and estate planning, family law, family violence, criminal law

Contact Us

Phone: (506) 454-1256
Fax: (506) 457-2365

403 Regent St, Suite 208
Fredericton, NB
E3B 1E3

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