CDS® Canada Connect
Divorce Education & Networking
Support. Community. Growth
Monthly virtual events designed exclusively for Canadian Divorce Professionals to stay current, connect, and elevate their practice.
Event Series Overview
The CDS® Canada Connect Learning Series is a monthly online event crafted for Certified Divorce Specialists across Canada.
These events focus on practical training, real-world case studies, and industry updates to help you better serve your divorcing clients.
🔹 What You’ll Learn
Live expert-led insights covering legal, emotional, financial, and communication topics relevant to Canadian divorce professionals.
🔹 CDS® Community Benefits
Stay connected with CDS® grads across Canada, share knowledge, and expand your referral network through monthly virtual meetups.
Our mission doesn’t stop at certification. Every month, we host exclusive virtual learning events for CDS® designees and other Canadian Divorce Professionals, designed to provide ongoing support, real-world insights, and a collaborative space to grow.
✅ This Month's Presention
Divorce Through a Financial Lens: Critical Mistakes, Tax Traps, and Client Complexities
📅 Date: May 21, 2026
🕒 Time: 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM EST
🎙️ Speaker: Mark Harendorf
This session explores the most common (and costly) breakdown points in divorce matters through an accounting and taxation lens, while connecting the impact across legal, real estate, financial, and mental health professionals.
Focusing on three key areas: the matrimonial home, clients navigating mental health challenges, and financial disclosure and agreement mistakes, the presentation highlights how misalignment between professionals can create risk, delay resolution, and increase costs for clients.
Why Attend?
- Stay up to date on family law trends in Canada
- Get real-life case insights from fellow CDS graduates
- Ask questions in a supportive, educational space
- Build your referral network within the Canadian divorce industry
- Collaborate with fellow Canadian CDS® pros
- Get updates on Canadian divorce trends
These Monthly Events Are Just One of the Many Benefits of Becoming a CDS®
Already certified? You’re welcome to attend every month and expand your toolkit.
Not certified yet? Learn more about the CDS Program here »
Monthly Learning Themes
Every month, our CDS® Canada Connect Learning Series covers practical, relevant topics that divorce professionals face across various fields — from legal to emotional and financial.
Whether you’re navigating the family court system or supporting a client’s mental health, each session is designed to build your skills and confidence.
You’ll gain clarity on current challenges and learn how to better support clients across the divorce journey.
Recent Topics Covered
By Focus Area:
- From High Conflict to Agreement : Unlocking Effective Mediation Tools
- Stable Clients, Smoother Cases: Strategies to Help Clients Regulate Their Emotional States
- The business of mrriage and the mediation of prenuptial agreements
- From Screening to Courtroom: Addressing Domestic Violence in Divorce Cases
- Client Management in Divorce: A Legal Perspective for Interdisciplinary Professionals
- Beyond Automation: How AI is reshaping the divorce professional’s toolkit
Speakers Spotlight
Mark Harendorf
Mark is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®) and a principal in a CPA firm in Markham, Ontario, who has been providing accounting and tax related advice to his clients for over 35 years.
Mark founded AFD Limited (Accounting for Divorce), a small boutique firm that specializes in assisting both separating and divorcing clients as well as family law lawyers with all the accounting and tax related issues imbedded in the separation and divorce process. Through his experiences gained over the years and from his own divorce, Mark is fully aware of what is involved in getting his clients to “the other side” and his hand holding approach gives comfort to his clients knowing that Mark will be there for them every step of the way.
Attendee Benefits Recap
- Free access to expert-led training
- 1 Hour of CE credit for CDS® designees
- Real-world case studies from Canadian professionals
- Actionable strategies for emotional and legal support
- Opportunity to ask questions during live Q&A
- 30-minute networking session with other CDS® grads
- Replay access available to registered attendees
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What CDS Graduates Are Saying...
