Recording Release – Presumptive Hearings: Town Hall for Legal Professionals and Members of the Public
On Wednesday, June 28th, Russell Alexander will be joined by members of the Family Law Ad Hoc Steering Committee Professors Nicholas Bala (Queen’s Law), Rachel Birnbaum (Social Work at Kings University College – Western) and Claire Houston (Law at Western) who conducted a survey to help understand the experiences of family lawyers as a result of the pandemic and the adoption of virtual technology in family court. In the 1-hour virtual town hall, they will present the results of their survey. Members of the Family Law Ad Hoc Steering Committee will also offer their thoughts on how the outcome of the survey can help inform the discussion surrounding presumptive hearings in family courts in Ontario and access to justice.
In advance of the town hall, we are pleased to share the recording release of Presumptive Hearings: Town Hall for Legal Professionals and Members of the Public which was held by the Family Law Ad Hoc Committee and Professor Nicholas Bala in the summer of 2022, as next week’s presentation will be a continuation of this discussion.
In this 1.5-hour presentation, the panel of Ontario family lawyers hosted a live town hall for legal professionals and members of the public regarding presumptive hearings in Ontario Family Courts covering the following topics:
1. Access to Justice
2. Different Approaches in Different Judicial Regions
3. Family Bar Experience Regarding In-Person Hearings Since April
4. What Our Clients Are Saying
5. Have the Presumptive Guidelines Brought the Administration of Justice into Disrepute
6. What is the Data Telling Us
7. Next Steps and Moving Forward to Improve the Family Law Justice System
8. Q&A
