To purchase this video please click “Add to Cart”.
Login to watch this video if you have a subscription. Learn more about subscriptions.This speaker is a respected bilingual family law lawyer and mediator. Her presentation will focus on the rights of litigants in family law to participate in litigation in their official language. A litigant is entitled to legal services in French. This is often misunderstood by Anglophone lawyers.
The professionalism topics to be discussed in this presentation include human rights, equality and inclusion considerations pursuant to Rules 4 and 6.
Justice Champagne is the former case management master of the Superior Court of Justice. She was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in Cornwall in May 2018. Prior to her appointment as a case management master, Justice Champagne enjoyed an 18-year career with Legal Aid Ontario, last serving as Director General for the Eastern District. In that capacity, she served a vulnerable client population, about which she is passionate. She has case-managed many criminal and family law matters and conducted mediations and settlement conferences in family and child protection files. She has also helped implement a number of local court-based projects, including the first Family Law Information Centre in Ontario, Drug Treatment Court, Pathways Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Coordinated Case Management, among others. Prior to joining Legal Aid Ontario, Justice Champagne practiced family law, criminal law, and civil litigation. She has served on a number of committees and boards, including the Board of Directors of Action Logement. Outside of law, Justice Champagne volunteers in her community and has served as a leader for the Girl Guides of Canada, as a Sunday school teacher, and as a director and teacher for a local non-profit children's drama club. She enjoys snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, paddling, painting, and writing.
The Honorable George Czutrin was appointed Senior Justice of the Family Court on December 7, 2013. He was first appointed on June 10, 1993 as a member of the only Unified Family Court in the Province in Hamilton. Soon after the first expansion of the UFC in 1995 he became the family local administrative judge in Hamilton and continued in that role until his transfer to Toronto where he became the family team leader from September 2009 until his appointment as Senior Judge of the family Court. He is a member of the Family Law Rules Committee, Council of Regional Seniors and several subcommittees of the council, including the modernization committee whose mandate includes advocacy for technology in the courts to assist parties, counsel and judges. He was President of the international Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (2002-2004) and a founding member of the Ontario Chapter of AFCC, He is Ontario Superior Court Hague Contact Judge; Member, Ontario Unified Family Court Steering Committee; Member of the Family Court Rules Committee; Member of the Canadian Judicial Council’s Judicial Committee on Inter-Jurisdictional Child Protection; was a Co-Chair, Ministry of the Attorney General Family Justice Roundtable. Presenter at countless family law educational programs including Canadian Bar Association, Law Society of Upper Canada, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), (Ontario and international), National Family Law Program (Federation of Law Societies), National Justice Institute, Osgoode Hall Law School Continuing Legal Education, Advocates Society, OAFM, FDRIO, CCLA. He is a graduate of Osgood Hall Law School (1976 ) and called to the bar in 1978 and started practice in Hamilton where he specialized in family law, family Bar Ad instructor, member of the Children’s Lawyer Child Representation panel and very active a variety of family law committees at the Law Society, Canadian Bar Association , CDLPA and represented CDLPA on committees leading to the first expansion of UFC, advocate for Unified Family Courts, family justice , family court innovation and access to family justice. Married for 45 years, two children and three grandchildren.
Master Marie T. Fortier was called to the bar in 1983 and appointed as case management master for the Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa in October 2016. Master Fortier has served in a variety of adjudicative and quasi-judicial roles. She has held the position of deputy judge of the Small Claims Court, associate chair of the Animal Care Review Board, and Regional Director of Education with the Law Society of Upper Canada. Master Fortier litigated civil matters at all levels of Ontario courts, in both French and English in her previous career as a litigator in private practice. Master Fortier has been active in her community, providing legal guidance and leadership for local environmental, education, and sports organizations. She has also volunteered her time with local youth softball and hockey teams.
Julie Guindon received her law degree at the University of Ottawa in 1991. She has been practicing in the area of family law and wills and estates in both French and English. Julie is also a mediator accredited by the OAFM and a mediator on the civil litigation roster. She is an arbitrator in family law, wills and estate matters and a bilingual parenting coordinator. Julie was an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa for 11 years where she taught Alternate Dispute Resolution and wills and estates. Most recently, in January 2018, she taught the “Justice Heidi Levenson Polowin Child Protection Law course” at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa. In addition, she is a panel member of the Office of the Children’s Lawyer. Julie also has extensive experience as a course instructor, a coach and seminar leader. She has been a speaker and a presenter at various conferences at The Law Society of Upper Canada, l ’Association des Juristes d ’Expression Française de l ’Ontario, Aboriginal conference, Seminars for Estate Planning organized by MCO Business Group Inc., various conferences at the University of Ottawa and at CFSA Hustle.
Sarah graduated from the University of Ottawa and was called to the Bar in 2009. After working in a contract position with the National Judicial Institute, she began employment with Legal Aid Ontario. She worked at the Family Law Office, representing legally aided clients in court as well as during the course of the mediation process. She is a member of the CCLA’s New Lawyers and Articling Students Committee, and is active in U of O’s mentoring program and in assisting with several of U of O’s law student competitions. This is Sarah’s first year on the conference planning committee.
*see individual programs and jurisidictional allowances for accredited hours/requirements for Canadian law societies.
See how easy it is to complete your legal and finance Continuing Professional Development online.
Call us at 1-888-295-4868 or send us an email.
*see individual programs and jurisidictional allowances for accredited hours/requirements for Canadian law societies.
