Family law practice can be hard. Lawyers must navigate the law, including legislative amendments and common law changes, clients with their own issues (not all of them legal ones), the challenges of carrying on a business/practice, and so on. This roundtable discussion explores challenges that family lawyers may face and provides strategies to address these challenges. This on-demand program was originally presented as an in-person program on December 1, 2023 as part of our Collateral Issues in Family Law program.  Total running time is 1 hour, 28 minutes.

Family law practice can be hard. Lawyers must navigate the law, including legislative amendments and common law changes, changes to court procedure, clients with their own issues (not all of them legal ones), the challenges of carrying on a business/practice, and so on. On top of this, many family law clients deal with trauma and this can affect lawyers. These on-demand programs explore these “collateral issues” that family law practitioners face. The total running time for each presentation ranges between 1 hour, 20 minutes and 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Focusing on the kinds of topics that might come up among lawyers over a coffee break, this presentation explores developments in family property matters since the coming into force of the Family Property Act, disclosure, consent to property deals, exemptions, and more. This on-demand program was originally presented as an in-person conference from May 4–7, 2023 as part of LESA's Refresher 2023: Family Law. Total running time is 57 minutes.

Topics from LESA's Refresher 2023: Family Law include: Child Support Update Cross-Examination and Questioning Dealing with Experts in Family Law Developments since the Divorce Act Amendments Early Intervention Case Conferences, JDRs, Pre-Trial Conferences, and Appeal Conferences Family Property Matters Imputing Income: An Update Since Peters v Atchooay Mediation & Arbitration Considerations Spousal Support Update Starting with the End in Mind – Managing Family Law Matters Summary Trials and Oral Hearing Orders: Resolving Matters without a Full Trial Written Advocacy These on-demand programs were originally presented as an in-person conference from May 4–7, 2023 as part of LESA’s Refresher 2023: Family Law.

Topics include: ascertaining the main challenges and issues to be addressed in the arbitration, protecting the process, ensuring a good record, new evidence options, managing party expectations, addressing multiple forum issues, navigating situations with more than two parties, utilizing comprehensive arbitration agreements, amending the arbitration agreement, appeals and grounds of appeal, good faith mediation, limitation periods, and more. This paper is part of a collection presented at LESA’s Alberta Family Law Institute: Survive, Strive, Thrive program in Calgary on November 28–November 29, 2024.

This paper provides an overview of process options and design considerations to help practitioners and clients evaluate and select an alternative dispute resolution process that fits the needs of the issue at hand. It also includes three sample arbitration agreements. This paper is part of a collection presented at LESA’s 52^nd Annual Refresher: Family Law program in Lake Louise on May 5–7, 2019.  

This paper provides lawyers with tools to assist a client going through a marriage breakdown to “keep the peace and be of good behaviour”. It provides a range of tips and suggestions on various topics for lawyers to employ when working with a family law client in a high conflict situation. Topics addressed include dealing with high conflict personalities, communication strategies, decision making strategies, threat assessment tools, parental kidnapping prevention, suicide prevention, dealing with bullies, and setting boundaries. The paper also includes a number of appendices, such as “Top ten rules for keeping things calm”, “Top ten list for doing separation and divorce right”, lawyer/client expectations list, settlement skills list, and a family mission statement precedent, among others. This paper is part of a collection presented at LESA’s Intersection of Family and Criminal Law program held in Calgary on March 11, 2017 and in Edmonton on March 18, 2017.