Richard Hart

Class of 1987-1988

Richard Hart (LLB ’88) is the Director of ProActive Resolutions, a business management consultation firm that focuses on building respectful, equal, and safe work environments. In an interview with the Peter A. Allard School of Law, Hart explained the fundamental goals and objectives of ProActive Resolutions: “Our aspiration was, and remains, to provide organizations with a truly multi-disciplinary approach to preventing and managing conflict, supported by a range of empirically validated processes.” The organization operates out of Australia, USA and Canada and has aided clients in dispute resolutions across the globe.

The road to ProActive Resolutions required ample tenacity, experience, and fortitude. Upon graduating law school, Hart began working with the Owen Bud Law Corporation with a focus on corporation solicitation and immigration before finding his own private practice where he specialized in corporate, employment, and matrimonial legal issues. He also worked for Basham Thompson & Liu. Each of these experiences contributed to Hart’s understanding of mediation and successful conflict resolution which aided his transition into the ProActive Resolutions corporate culture.

Hart is a well-regarded public speaker and frequently invited to present on conflict management and dispute resolution from institutions around the world. Many of his talks focus on bullying, harassment, threats, and violence with the goal of addressing and alleviating these workplace ills. He is also a registered Civil Mediator with the Mediation Roster Society and a Chartered Arbitrator.

During his time at law school, Hart met fellow classmate, and future wife Shirley Nakata (LLB '88). The alumni couple have been together for over 30 years. For more information on their law school experiences, partnership, and legal careers, see their collective interview with the Peter A. Allard School of Law.


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