Please see the following links and resources regarding Family Law Services that are currently available in light of the COVID-19 pandemic:
COVID-19 Pandemic – Accessing Family Law Services
The Law Society of Ontario with support from the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice has launched an emergency family law referral phone line to assist people who are self-represented & trying to determine whether or not their family court matter meets the criteria to be heard by the Court on an “urgent” basis.
The emergency service will connect SRLs with family lawyers, working on a pro bono basis, who will provide 30 minutes of legal advice specific to determining whether or not their family court matter is urgent and referrals to other available legal services.
To access this service, which will be staffed during business hours, SRLs may contact the Law Society by phone at 1-800-268-7568 or 416-947-3310.
Callers get the option for French or English when they call the number. They can select French if they need services in French and may request a referral to a French-speaking Lawyer.
If you are interested in participating in this important initiative, please contact the OBA at advocacy@oba.org.
The Family Lawyers Association is now offering a 6 MONTH FREE TRIAL for any new members wishing to join the FLA. This discount is being offered only to first time subscribers. This free trial provides new members with the opportunity to experience all of the benefits of becoming a an FLA Member, free of charge! Once the trial has expired, members can decide whether they want to continue to participate in our association and can chose one of our other membership options, lasting one full year.
Please click here to join for free!
Please see the following notices regarding Family Court Matters at 47 Sheppard and in the Ontario Court of Justice.
NOTICE TO BAR REGARDING FAMILY MATTERS AT 47 SHEPPARD as of March 18th, 2020
NOTICE TO PUBLIC REGARDING FAMILY COURT MATTERS IN THE ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE
Please see the following links regarding COVID-19 and courtroom procedures from the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice:
https://www.ontariocourts.ca/en/covid.htm
https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/covid-19/
Once again, the FLA is offering a group discount rate for members only!
Don’t miss out and join our group to enjoy the discounted rate.
The deadline to register with our group is March 16th, 2020.
Please click here to view the poster with details and instructions on how to register with the FLA group!
Save the date and please join us for the FLA’s Annual General Meeting!
This year, our Annual General Meeting is taking place at 6:00 PM on November 27th, 2019at the Arts and Letters Club, located at 14 Elm Street, Toronto, Ontario.
Please join us to learn about what your association has been involved in over the past year and our plans for the future!
The Election of the Board of Directors will take place at the AGM. Please consider becoming a member of the Board! If you are interested in running for election, please fill out the Nomination Form below, include a short bio, and send to familylawassociation@gmail.com by November 17th, 2019.
2019-2020 Board Nomination Form
2019-2020 Officer Nomination Form
If you would like more information, please get in touch!
Please click here to view the flyer.
The FLA is continuing to advocate on behalf of our members with respect to the recent cuts to LAO in family law, as with the other work we do, we want to reflect the views of our membership as accurately as possible.
Please find below a link to our short survey on this issue:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SRRDZY7
The deadline to participate and complete the survey is September 30, 2019.
It is very important that each one of us take the time to complete the ten-minute survey. The legitimacy of our survey results depends on a high participation rate. Given the urgency of this issue, we ask that you complete the survey as soon as possible. Please feel free to share the survey with other family law lawyers.
Please join us for the
FAMILY LAWYERS ASSOCIATION’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY GALA!
The evening includes dinner, drinks, entertainment, and plenty of amazing surprises!
We are please to have the Honourable George Czutrin, Senior Judge of the Family Court, Superior Court of Justice, as our Keynote Speaker.
When: Thursday October 24, 2019 from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Where: Midtown Event Theatre (2492 Yonge Street)
Ticket Price: $100.00
Please click here to see the poster!
Get your tickets at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/family-lawyers-associations-25th-gala-tickets-68631443495.
The deadline to purchase tickets for the FLA’s 25th Anniversary Gala is October 21st, 2019. Get your tickets while you still can!
We are also offering a vegetarian meal option for those who are interested. If you would like to request the vegetarian meal option, please send us an email at familylawassociation@gmail.com before October 10th, 2019.
Tickets for the 25th Gala are also available for purchase by contacting Elizabeth Pacheco at epacheco@elizabethpacheco.ca or Diana Vasilescu at diana@dvlaw.ca.
Unlike many of our past events, tickets for the event cannot be purchased in at the door. Please be sure to get your tickets in advance!
The Family Lawyers Association is deeply concerned with the Ontario Government’s plan to cut funding to Legal Aid Ontario by over 30 per cent.
The FLA was founded 25 years ago in response to the legal aid funding crisis of the mid-1990s. Accordingly, the focus of the FLA has always been to work towards improving Legal Aid Ontario and protecting the rights of the most vulnerable low-income Ontarians. The FLA believes that all individuals involved in our family justice system should have easy access together with competent legal representation when dealing with the important issues affecting themselves and their families. Without adequate funding for LAO, the most vulnerable unrepresented litigants will be left to navigate the legal system on their own. The FLA is also gravely concerned with the Ontario Government’s position to no longer fund refugee and immigration law services.
We urge the Attorney General to reconsider and redress the substantial cuts to LAO’s funding.
Please see full statement and contact here.
The 13th Annual Family Law Summit is taking place on March 18th-19th, 2019.
This year, the FLA is offering a group registration discount for Members only!
Please click here for information regarding group registration and details about the Summit.
Annual General Meeting is taking place on January 17, 2019, at 6:00 p.m., at the Center for Social Innovation in the Atrium room, for more information on the location please click here.
Centre for Social Innovation
192 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M5T-2C2
Election to the Board of Directors for the Family Lawyers Association:
Election to the board takes place at our Annual General Meeting. Please consider becoming a member of our Board of Directors. If you are interested in running for election, please fill out a Nomination Form and provide a short bio and return them to me by January 7, 2019. If you’d like more information, please get in touch with me or any one of our existing Board Members.
Please find the Nomination Form here.