The Voice of the Child in Child Protection Proceedings: Methods, Challenges and Practice Considerations
Chair: Justice Michelle Cheung, Ontario Court of Justice
Speakers:
Yvonne Fiamengo, Counsel, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto Lisa Laborde, Counsel, Child Protection and OCL
Jeff Blayways, Counsel, Children Protection and OCL
Where: Online through ZOOM
When: Wednesday, April 10, 2024 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Join our panel of senior child protection lawyers for a primer on the legal framework that governs the admission of children’s evidence in a child protection proceeding. You will hear practical tips on how to conduct a voir dire on the admissibility of a child’s out of court statements without looking like a first-year law student. Cases where children have testified directly in a child protection proceeding will also be reviewed. The panel will provide expert guidance on how counsel should approach the relevant evidentiary and procedural issues from the perspective of Children’s Aid Society counsel, parent’s counsel and child’s counsel.
This program has been approved as an Accredited Provider of Professionalism by the Law Society of Ontario. Materials will be provided electronically. This is a continuing education program NOT open to the public. It contains 15 minutes of Professionalism hours and 75 minutes of substantive CLE.
You must register in advance through Eventbrite at the link below no later than April 8, 2024. There is no cost for this program. You will receive information on how to access Zoom through Eventbrite after ticket purchase.
To view the flyer, please click here.
All about Spousal Support:
A master class with Rollie Thompson
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Join us for a master class in spousal support with Professor Rollie Thompson. From the basics of entitlement and the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines, to the more challenging issues that arise in spousal support cases, including retroactive spousal support claims, learn effective and practical tips to successfully litigate your spousal support claims. This program is not to be missed for family law practitioners!
Chair: The Honourable Justice Danielle Szandtner, Ontario Court of Justice, Toronto
Speakers: Professor Rollie Thompson, KC, Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, and
Counsel, Epstein Cole LLP.
Project Managers: Lauren Calderwood, Karen Ksienski and Arthika Srivarapathy
REGISTER NOW – FREE PROGRAM!
Click here to register now via Eventbrite at no cost. Materials included. On the day of the program, the Zoom session will open in advance at 4:00 p.m. Once admitted, you are free to attend to other tasks until the 4:30 pm start time. If you attempt to join at or after 4:30pm, there may be a delay in admitting you.
To view the flyer, please click here
Effective Advocacy:
FRO and Interjurisdictional Support Enforcement
Chair: Justice Carolyn Jones, Ontario Court of Justice
Speakers: Diane Gillies, Counsel, FRO
Heather Puchala, Counsel, FRO
Michelle Douglas-Cummings, Counsel, FRO
Where: Online through ZOOM
When: Monday, March 4, 2024
From: 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m
The non-payment of support presents challenges for both Payors and Recipients. Recipient’s counsel must ensure a support order is enforceable and avoid drafting errors that may impact enforcement. Payor’s counsel must have knowledge and expertise in FRO enforcement proceedings to provide advice on how to respond in these cases. Enforcement becomes more complex, when a payor or recipient resides in a different jurisdiction.
Join our expert panel who will:
- provide an overview of FRO support enforcement proceedings, Notice of Default Hearings, Motions for Committal and Refraining Motions, and how to respond to these proceedings;
- discuss pointers and pitfalls in the drafting of support provisions;
- examine the enforcement of support across jurisdictions; and
- review what you need to know about the relevant legislation, including the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act, 1996 the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act, 2002, and the newly implemented 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (in effect as of February 1, 2024)
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/effective-advocacy-fro-and-interjurisdictional-support-enforcement-tickets-838910663377?aff=oddtdtcreator
Please see attached letter and appendices from Chief Justice Morawetz regarding the revised Guidelines to Determine Mode of Proceeding in Criminal, Family and Civil. Please distribute as appropriate.
To view the letter, please click here.
THE YEAR IN REVIEW: CHILD PROTECTION
Do not miss our panel of experts explain important developments in child protection law over the last 12 months. The panelists have selected a few of the most significant cases to child protection practitioners and will examine each case from the perspective of parent’s counsel, child’s counsel, and counsel for Children’s Aid Society. You will also be provided with essential developments in the case law relating to An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families. This program is a must for those who practice child protection or are interested in expanding their family practice.
Chair: Justice Susan Sullivan, Ontario Court of Justice
Speakers:
Simon Fisch, Counsel, Clarke Child & Family Law
Renatta Austin, Counsel, Child Protection & Family Litigation
Chithika Withanage, Counsel, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
Emma Byrnes, Counsel, Tammy Law Professional Corporation
Where: Online through ZOOM
When: Monday, February 5, 2024
From: 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-year-in-review-child-protection-tickets-809292665147?aff=oddtdtcreator
For more information, please view the flyer here.
The Top Family Law Cases of 2023
Speakers: Aaron Franks, Counsel, Epstein Cole & Adam Prewer, Counsel, Epstein ColeWhere: Online through ZOOM
When: Monday, January 17, 2024 from 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
EXPERT EVIDENCE FROM AN EXPERT ON EVIDENCE
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Effective advocacy requires a firm grasp of the rules of expert evidence. Professor Benjamin Berger will give you a refresher on the key rules and latest developments on expert evidence, including the most recent case law. The panel will discuss the updated legal tests on expert evidence and how it may impact your family law and child protection cases. Don’t miss this!
Chair: The Honourable Justice Debra Paulseth, Ontario Court of Justice, Toronto
Speaker: Professor Benjamin L. Berger, Osgoode Hall Law School
Project Managers: Aron David, Jane Long, and Wendy Yee
REGISTER NOW – FREE PROGRAM!
Click here to register now via Eventbrite at no cost. Materials included. On the day of the program, the Zoom session will open at 4:00 p.m. Once admitted, you are free to attend to other tasks until the start of the program. If you attempt to join at or after 4:30pm, there may be a delay in admitting you. Please join the meeting with your name as registered or you will risk being removed.
Deadline to register: January 24, 2024
THIS PROGRAM MAY BE CLAIMED FOR 1.5 SUBSTANTIVE HOURS
TOWARD CPD.
This organization has been approved as an Accredited Provider of Professionalism Content by the Law
Society of Ontario.
These continuing education programs are NOT open to the public. Lawyers, Law Students, Social Workers and Court Workers are welcome. Professional identification may be required for admission.
Mental Health and the Family Lawyer
Chair: Justice Danielle Szandtner, Ontario Court of Justice
Speaker: Doron Gold, The Lawyer Therapist
Where: Online through ZOOM
When: Monday, December 4, 2023
From: 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Doron Gold, The Lawyer Therapist, a former practicing family and child protection lawyer, will discuss the unique mental health challenges facing lawyers, including the elements of the lawyer personality which contribute to these challenges, the impact they have on individuals, the stigma that keeps those individuals from seeking help, and some solutions to stay mentally healthy while in practice.
This program has been approved as an Accredited Provider of Professionalism by the Law Society of Ontario.
CPD: 75 minutes professionalism
This is a free event!
TO REGISTER, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/mental-health-and-the-family-lawyer-tickets
For more information, please view the flyer here
NAVIGATING FAMILY VIOLENCE ISSUES
November 15th, 2023, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00p.m.
Join our panel on ZOOM for a lively educational session that will challenge your legal knowledge about navigating family violence issues through family law and child protection court systems. The following issues will be explored:
❖ Recognizing how family violence intersects with criminal, child protection, and family law
❖ Deciding how to proceed whether for the (alleged) victim or (alleged) perpetrator.
❖ Understanding the role of Family Courts and court orders, including restraining orders, supervision orders, and
no contact orders
❖ Identifying the evidence required for the various orders
❖ Knowing the role of CAS in family violence cases
❖ Understanding when family violence becomes a child protection issue
❖ Supporting victims and safety planning
Chair: The Honourable Justice Danielle Szandtner, Ontario Court of Justice, Toronto
Speakers:
Haley Gaber-Katz, Senior Legal Counsel at Jewish Family and Child Service Archana Medhekar, Senior Family Lawyer and Mediator
Greta Reiss, Manager of Family Services – Domestic Violence at Jewish Family and Child Service
Project Managers: Karen Ksienski, David Miller, and Stephanie Okola
REGISTER NOW- Through Eventbrite at the link below no later than November 13, 2023
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/navigating-family-violence-issues-tickets-749398610417?aff=oddtdtcreator
For More Information please view the flyer here.
Tips and Tricks when drafting/negotiating Minutes of Settlement, Separation Agreements, and Statements of Agreed Facts: How to make sure you cover all the bases
Please join our panel of experts regarding best practices for drafting Minutes of Settlement, Separation Agreements, and Statements of Agreed Facts in child protection matters. This program will teach you everything you need to know about the differences between each of these documents, what each document should contain, how to protect both yourself and your client, and what pitfalls you may encounter. Do not miss this essential primer in drafting!
Chair: Justice Sandra Meyrick, Ontario Court of Justice
Speakers:
Andrea Kim, Barrister and Solicitor, Partner at Jain Family Law
Paula McGirr, Barrister and Solicitor, Senior counsel at LAO
Eric Savdari, Barrister and Solicitor, Senior counsel at Goldhart Kenet
To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/tips-and-tricks-how-to-make-sure-you-cover-all-the-bases-tickets-741726091707?aff=oddtdtcreator
To view the flyer, please click here.
The Family Lawyer’s Association Annual General Meeting
To register, please visit: https://forms.gle/F9ghcC5qYAYcbBbG9
311 Open Bar Series Presents..
Am I a Party? Navigating Party Status in Child Protection Cases When Providing ILA to Prospective Caregivers
Chair: Justice Sheilagh O’Connell, Senior Advisory Family Justice, Ontario Court of Justice
Speakers:
Deana DeGrâce, Legal Director, Peel Children’s Aid Society
Tammy Law, Barrister & Solicitor, Tammy Law Corporation
Margarida Pacheco, Barrister & Solicitor, Pacheco Family Law
Where: Online through ZOOM
When: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 from 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The family bar is often called upon to provide ILA to prospective caregivers about the implications of assuming care and custody of a child involved in the child welfare system. Knowing how to competently advise a caregiver has become all the more important in light of the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision in Children’s Aid Society of London and Middlesex v. T.E. on party status in child protection proceedings. The panel will also offer their best tips on providing ILA in family law.
CPD: 75 minutes substantive; 15 minutes professionalism. Materials will be provided electronically.
For more information please view the flyer here.
To register, please visit: