Law Times

BY PATRICIA CANCILL A Law Times SHOULD gowns be abandoned when it comes to their use in court? That's a question that Doug- las Judson is asking, sparking a lively debate on Twitter recently. Judson, a candidate for the Law Society of Ontario's bench- er election, garnered several responses to his tweet, ranging from those who adamantly dis- agree with getting rid of robes because they offer a sense of de- corum to those who agree and say the gowns should go. Here are some of the com- ments. Follow other commen- tary at #BencherElection2019 and read what candidates and voters are saying. BY ANITA BAL AKRISHNAN Law Times THE Law Society of Ontario is in the midst of a major overhaul of the role of paralegals in family law — and a proposal on the is- sue could become an imminent issue for the regulator's newly elected benchers. The LSO's April 30 election will be the first to elect lawyers and paralegals at the same time, as the number of paralegals in the province has nearly quad- rupled since they were first regulated. The election comes as the regulatory body consid- ers allowing paralegals to do more tasks traditionally done by family lawyers. Cathy Corsetti, founder and president of Corsetti Paralegal PC & Associates in Mississauga, Ont., says that enacting the ex- panded scope of practice for paralegals in family law could be one of the Law Society of On- tario's most important accom- plishments. Corsetti noted that, accord- ing to the LSO, more than 57 per cent of Ontarians did not have legal representation in family court in the period from 2014 to 2015. "I've been a bencher for nine years and I've been hearing about family law being a crisis PM #40762529 BY ANITA BAL AKRISHNAN Law Times THE Court of Appeal for On- tario dismissed an appeal from a foundation that wanted to inves- tigate how its donation had been used by the Centre for Addic- tion and Mental Health and the CAMH Foundation. The March 11 decision, Faas v. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation, 2019, upheld last year's Superior Court of Justice decision that there was no mismanagement of the funds by CAMH. Justices Kathryn Feldman, Lois Roberts and Gary Trotter found that the Superior Court judge, Justice Edward Morgan, was entitled to accept CAMH's evidence that the funds were properly spent. Morgan's decision raised a question of whether a donor is "like an investor in a business" and can require consultation and reports on how funds are used. The decision is one of only a few in the case law on s. 6 of the Charities Accounting Act, says Toronto lawyer Ronald Lach- CAMH, donor square off at court Ronald Lachmansingh says there is not much case law dealing with s. 6 of the Charities Accounting Act. Paralegals push for family law reform in election Should lawyers' gowns be retired? See Access, page 2 See Split, page 4 See More, page 2 Ongoing controversy SNC-Lavalin scandal continues page 6 Progress needed Gender issues raised page 5 COVERING ONTARIO'S LEGAL SCENE | MARCH 18, 2019 | WWW.LAWTIMESNEWS.COM | VOL. 30, NO. 10 | $5.00 Voyeurism decision Onus is on parliament page 7 Focus on Cannabis Law page 8 Cathy Corsetti says enacting the expanded scope of practice for paralegals in family law could be one of the Law Society of Ontario's most important accomplishments. Photo: Laura Pedersen The Bencher Election is April 30th Visit our new micro-site devoted to the upcoming LSO Bencher Election with news coverage, candidate profiles and advertising opportunities for bencher candidates. Connect with all facets of the bencher election and make an informed decision by visiting BencherElection.ca today. Untitled-1 1 2019-03-05 1:51 PM & $#&!&jmmm$cYa[bbWh$Yec ntitled-4 1 12-03-20 10:44 AM www.twitter.com/lawtimes Follow

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