CLE Online

Day 1: Thursday, July 9, 2015

Opening Comments

The Honourable Chief Justice Christopher E. Hinkson — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver

Welcome and Introduction

James A.W. Schuman, QC — Schuman Daltrop Basran & Robin, Vancouver
Jeffrey A. Rose, QC — Mortimer & Rose, Vancouver
Stephanie L. Fabbro — Hamilton Fabbro, Vancouver

Negotiate, Litigate, Mediate, or Arbitrate: Exploring Options with and for the Family Law Client

• options available for clients
• secrets of success in dispute resolution
• tips, strategies, and innovative ideas to reach settlement

Lonny L. Balbi, QC — Balbi & Company Legal Centre, Calgary
Philip M. Epstein, QC — Epstein Cole LLP, Toronto

Networking Break

Judicially Assisted Resolution in Supreme and Provincial Courts: Case Conferences (JCCs, FCCs) and Settlement Conferences

• an overview of the Rules of Court
• what is not covered by the Rules and how that shapes participation
• treating the opportunity to settle as an important moment in litigation
• working without knowing the obstacles you might face at the hearing
  • what to do when facing an indifferent response
  • what to do when a litigant is self-represented
  • what to prepare for settlement discussions
  • what to avoid in settlement discussions

The Honourable Mr. Justice Peter D. Leask — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
The Honourable Madam Justice Linda A. Loo — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver 
The Honourable Judge Patricia Bond — Provincial Court of BC, Surrey
Phyllis M. Kenney — Family Lawyer, Vancouver

Networking Lunch

Parental Alienation Claims in Court

• parental alienation past and present
• prevalence of parental alienation claims and conclusion in Canadian courts
• assessing claims of parental alienation: is it or isn’t it?
• legal responses to conclusions of parental alienation
• view from the bench: the challenges of parental alienation cases

The Honourable Mr. Justice Peter D. Leask — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
The Honourable Madam Justice Linda A. Loo — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
John-Paul E. Boyd — Executive Director, Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family, Calgary

Networking Break

WESA, Trusts, and Family Law

• intersection points between family law and estate and trust law
• meaning of “beneficial interest in property”
• treatment of trust interest under the FLA, including discretionary trust interests
• valuing a beneficial interest in a trust
• enforcing claims against trust assets

Carmen S. Thériault, QC — Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP, Vancouver

Day 2: Friday, July 10, 2015

Welcome and Introduction

James A.W. Schuman, QC — Schuman Daltrop Basran & Robin, Vancouver
Jeffrey A. Rose, QC — Mortimer & Rose, Vancouver
Stephanie L. Fabbro — Hamilton Fabbro, Vancouver

Practical, Principled, Proportional Chambers Practice

Master Douglas Baker — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver

A New User's Guide to the SSAG

• new user’s guide
• overview of leading trial and appeal decisions
• basic issues: entitlement, imputing income, location in the range, exceptions
• hard issues: duration and self-sufficiency, shared custody, high incomes, post-separation income increases

Professor Carol Rogerson — Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, Toronto
Professor Rollie Thompson, QC — Schulich School, of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax

Networking Break

Determining Income for Child and Spousal Support: Challenging Scenarios

• how to assess a fluctuating pattern of income
• inclusion of pre-tax corporate income
• the use of expert reports for income determination

Dinyar Marzban, QC — Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP, Vancouver

Networking Lunch

Conducting a Family Law Trial

• getting ready for trial: the TMC, document briefs, and agreed facts
• presenting your case—getting the evidence you need before the court
• dealing with self-represented litigants
• effective closing submissions, legal briefs, Scott Schedules, and forensics

The Honourable Mr. Justice Bruce Butler — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
The Honourable Mr. Justice John Harvey — Supreme Court of BC, New Westminster

Family Law Appeals: For Better or Worse

• jurisdiction/standard of review
• preparation
• the factum
• the oral hearing

The Honourable Madam Justice Pamela Kirkpatrick — Court of Appeal for BC, Vancouver
The Honourable Madam Justice Daphne Smith — Court of Appeal for BC, Vancouver

Networking Break

FLA Property Law Update

• gifts between spouses, tracing, and the loss of excluded property
• dealing with property in more than one jurisdiction—conflict of law rules in Part 5 of the FLA
• update on reapportionment/valuation
• dealing with trust interests on separation
• an FLA “Scott Schedule”

Scott L. Booth — Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP, Vancouver
Paul M. Daykin, QC — Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger LLP, Vancouver