Thursday, April 25, 2019 @ 8:46 AM
Law Society of Ontario should step up for pro bono | Guy PratteThe recent provincial budget proposal of a 30 per cent funding cut to Legal Aid Ontario with no funding for Pro Bono Ontario (PBO), highlights the challenges the legal profession needs to grapple with: the access to justice crisis, the obligations of government, a healthy legal aid and the need to innovate. ... [read more]
Thursday, April 25, 2019 @ 8:05 AM
FEDERAL INCOME TAX - Computation of tax - Child tax benefitsAppeal by Morrissey from the dismissal of her appeal of redeterminations by the Minister of National Revenue. ... [read more]
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 @ 12:47 PM
Lessons learned from homicide headlines following family breakup
In 2016, Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji was murdered by her husband two days after she asked for a divorce. Her three children were in the other room. She was later found in a suitcase by the Humber River. Her husband Dr. Mohammed Shamji, a surgeon, pleaded guilty to second degree murder on April 8, 2019. ... [read more]
Thursday, April 18, 2019 @ 12:04 PM
LAO explains changes to refugee services; legal community slams provincial cuts
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) has clarified that it will not be suspending all of its refugee and immigration services but has made interim changes to maintain “core” services in the wake of funding cuts made to the justice sector in the provincial budget. ... [read more]
Thursday, April 18, 2019 @ 8:42 AM
Quebec mom denied shared custody because of cannabis useA mother addicted to marijuana was denied shared custody of her 3-year-old child after Quebec Superior Court held that her cannabis consumption compromised her parental skills. In a ruling widely expected by family lawyers to be among the first of many the courts will hand down following the legalization of cannabis, Justice Jérôme Frappier held that the mother’s cannabis addiction, coupled with her anxiety attacks, represented a “serious risk” ... [read more]
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 @ 1:43 PM
Early resolution for family matters | Kurt SandstromOn May 13, the B.C. provincial court and the Ministry of Attorney General will launch the Victoria Early Resolution and Case Management Model. ... [read more]
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 @ 11:18 AM
Supporting a child with disability: Family law considerations
It is trite that supporting a child with a disability is costly for families. Lawyers should engage the appropriate estate, tax and financial planning professionals to ensure their clients receive comprehensive advice or information when negotiating child support issues arising from the breakdown of their relationship. ... [read more]
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 @ 8:40 AM
U.S. tax changes affecting cross-border alimony
The 2017 Tax Reform Act (the Act) signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2017 affects taxpayers who are getting a divorce — even if one is a Canadian resident. ... [read more]
Monday, April 15, 2019 @ 1:02 PM
It’s time to take mandatory mediation national | Stuart RudnerBack in 1999, mandatory mediation was introduced in a few jurisdictions in Ontario on a trial basis. Which means that mandatory mediation has been part of the legal system in Ontario for as long as I have (I was called to the bar that February). ... [read more]
Monday, April 15, 2019 @ 12:18 PM
Difference between lawyers, paralegals | Sam GoldsteinIt’s interesting during this bencher election in Ontario no candidate demanded that the standards to become a paralegal must come down so more people can enter that profession. Why would a person interested in a legal career want to spend $40,000 a year on law school when you can take a two-year paralegal course at Seneca College for a total cost of $4,028 and do almost the same work? ... [read more]
