Family Law Basics for Legal Support Staff 2012


Course Date: March 30, 2012

Reliable and Repeatable SSAG Calculations

  • calculating time
  • determining net income
  • gathering other data
  • common pitfalls

John-Paul E. Boyd — Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger, Vancouver

Introduction to the Family Law Act

  • hello guardianship, goodbye custody
  • dividing property
  • new new rules
  • the questions you’re most likely to be asked

John-Paul E. Boyd — Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger, Vancouver

File and Document Management

  • gathering information
    • from your client
    • from the other party
  • how to run a file
  • checklists and systems
  • understanding your role on a family law file
  • what to do with various documents

Tania Conforti — Paralegal, MacMinn & Company, Victoria
David C. Halkett — McQuarrie Hunter LLP, Surrey

Ethical Issues

  • dealing with unrepresented litigants
  • dealing with other lawyers
  • undertakings
  • the significance of your statements and your signature

Edna M. Ritchie — Lawyers Insurance Fund, Law Society of BC, Vancouver

Networking Lunch

Chambers Practice

  • how to prepare successful materials
  • what masters sitting in chambers look for in forms and materials

Master Peter J. Keighley — Supreme Court of BC, New Westminster

Provincial Court Practice

  • filings, applications, and orders
  • how upcoming changes will affect court proceedings

The Honourable Judge J.G. Cohen — Provincial Court of BC, Surrey

View From the Registry

  • timelines and requirements
  • what registry staff look for in applications
  • using the Courts website

Emily Baxter — Field Educator, Court Services, Fraser Valley Region
Todd Rosie — Field Educator, Court Services, Vancouver Coastal Region, Vancouver

Drafting Pleadings

  • starting an action
  • beyond the basics

David C. Halkett — McQuarrie Hunter LLP, Surrey