Law Times

Law Times • February 26, 2018 Page 13 www.lawtimesnews.com Marianne Cuhaci, a non- lawyer parenting co-ordinator with more than a decade of ex- perience and a master's degree in social work, warns her colleagues not to underestimate the legal knowledge required for the job. "I don't think one back- ground is better than the other, but you can't go in thinking 'I have a lot of mental health ex- perience, therefore, I can do it,'" she says. "Ideally, you'll have a multi- disciplinary approach, and there are situations where lawyers and mental health professionals work together." The FDRIO course de- votes 30 hours of its content to training on family law issues, although lawyers seeking the designation are exempted from that portion of the program. No matter which route they take to the profession, Hyde says, par- enting co-ordinators need to have built up a foundation of experience dealing with high- conf lict family cases. "I tell people they need at least five years before even thinking about parenting co-ordination. That takes people by surprise, because they think it looks easier than mediation," she says. "But this is not regular me- diation." Although many of the dis- putes that come before parenting co-ordinators appear minor to outside observers, Hyde says the stakes frequently could not feel higher to the parties involved, who have often been fighting consistently for years. "These are literally the most challenging situations in terms of the level of conf lict," she says. According to Cuhaci, the emotional nature of the subject matter exposes parenting co- ordinators to an elevated level of professional and personal risk from angry parties on the wrong end of a ruling. "The number of complaints to law societies and other regu- latory bodies is becoming a big problem because of the way it in- terferes with our ability to work," says Cuhaci. She would like Ontario follow the lead of some U.S. jurisdic- tions, where legislation grants parenting co-ordinators some measure of immunity from ac- tions relating to their decisions. "We're making decisions in a quasi-judicial role, but we don't have any protection," she adds. Linton says she's also cam- paigning for further recognition of the role of parenting co-ordi- nators in Ontario law. "There's a lot more that could be done in Ontario at the legis- lative level to support parenting co-ordinators and improve the standard for family arbitration as well," she says, adding that Prince Edward Island and Brit- ish Columbia are setting an ex- ample to other Canadian juris- dictions. "Both have not only estab- lished standards but also over- sight of some kind from govern- ment or regulatory bodies on those standards." Jonathan Richardson, a part- ner at Augustine Bater Binks LLP in Ottawa, says parenting co-ordination can be "a godsend in a high-conf lict file." "One of the primary prob- lems is the lack of available par- enting co-ordinators or the delay when they are needed," he says. "An increase in specialized parenting co-ordinators can only be a good thing and will hope- fully help remove some of the high-conf lict family cases which remain in the court system." Richardson encourages fam- ily lawyers to contemplate using parenting co-ordination at an early stage in a case. "Most files [that] will be high conf lict with respect to custody and access issues will be appar- ent early in the proceeding," he says. "It would be preferable to get those cases into a system where the parties can get the assistance and adjudication they need quickly before their resources are exhausted and co-ordination is a last alternative or no longer an alternative as funds which could have been spent on co-or- dination have instead been spent on lawyers in court." LT — with files from Gabrielle Giroday Continued from page 12 Technique used to address disagreements FOCUS 3 JUDICIAL VACANCIES ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE BILINGUAL POSITIONS The Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee advises the Attorney General of Ontario on the appointment of Judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, and invites applications for bilingual judicial positions in the following locations: BRAMPTON (1) – bilingual – criminal GUELPH (1) – bilingual – criminal TORONTO (1) – bilingual – family These appointments also involve travel within the regional boundaries as assigned by the Regional Senior Justice and/or the Chief Justice. The minimum requirement to apply to be a Judge in the Ontario Court of Justice is ten years completed membership as a barrister and solicitor at the Bar of one of the Provinces or Territories of Canada. All candidates must apply either by submitting 14 copies of the current (July 2017) completed Judicial Candidate Information Form in the first instance or by a short letter (14 copies) if the form has been submitted within the previous 12 months. Should you wish to change any information in your application, you must send in 14 copies of a fully revised Judicial Candidate Information Form. If you wish to apply and need a current Judicial Candidate Information Form, or if you would like further information, please contact: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee Tel: (416) 326-4060 Fax: (416) 212-7316 Website: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jaac/ All applications, either sent by courier, mail or hand delivery, must be sent to: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee c/o Ministry of Government Services Mail Delivery 77 Wellesley Street West, Room M2B-88 Macdonald Block, Queen's Park Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1N3 Applications must be on the current prescribed form and must be TYPEWRITTEN or COMPUTER GENERATED and RECEIVED BY 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2018. CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE 14 COPIES OF THEIR APPLICATION FORM OR LETTER*. A Fax copy will be accepted only if 14 copies of the application or letter are sent concurrently by overnight courier. Applications received after this date WILL NOT be considered. *NOTE: Candidates MUST provide 14 copies of their application form or letter for EACH vacancy LOCATION for which they wish to be considered. The Judiciary of the Ontario Court of Justice should reasonably reflect the diversity of the population it serves. Applications from members of equality- seeking groups are encouraged. 3 POSTES À POURVOIR AU SEIN DE LA MAGISTRATURE COUR DE JUSTICE DE L'ONTARIO POSTES BILINGUES Le Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature conseille le Procureur général de l'Ontario sur les nominations de juges à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario et invite les personnes intéressées à postuler pour des postes judiciaires bilingues aux endroits suivants : BRAMPTON (1) – bilingue – affaires criminelles GUELPH (1) – bilingue – affaires criminelles TORONTO (1) – bilingue – affaires familiales Ces nominations nécessitent également des déplacements à l'intérieur des limites régionales, selon les assignations du juge principal régional ou du juge en chef. Pour pouvoir poser sa candidature à un poste de juge à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario, il faut, comme condition minimale, avoir été inscrit comme avocat-plaidant et procureur au barreau de l'une des provinces ou de l'un des territoires du Canada pendant au moins dix ans . Tous les candidats et candidates doivent poser leur candidature soit, dans le premier cas, en présentant le Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant (juillet 2017), soit en envoyant une courte lettre (en 14 exemplaires) si le formulaire a été présenté au cours des 12 mois précédents. En cas de changements à apporter à un formulaire déjà envoyé, le candidat ou la candidate doit envoyer à nouveau 14 exemplaires du formulaire de renseignements corrigé. Si vous voulez poser votre candidature et que vous avez besoin d'un Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant, ou encore si vous souhaitez obtenir de plus amples renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature Téléphone : (416) 326-4060 Télécopieur : (416) 212-7316 Site Web : www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/fr/jaac/ Toutes les demandes envoyées par service de messagerie, par la poste ou en main propre doivent être soumises à l'adresse suivante : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature a/s Ministère des Services gouvernementaux - Services de distribution du courrier 77, rue Wellesley Ouest, salle M2B-88 Édifice Macdonald, Queen's Park Toronto (Ontario) M7A 1N3 Les demandes de candidature doivent être déposées par l'entremise du formulaire prescrit courant et DACTYLOGRAPHIÉES ou CRÉÉES PAR ORDINATEUR et reçues au plus tard à 16 h 30 le vendredi 23 mars 2018. LES CANDIDATS ET CANDIDATES DOIVENT FOURNIR 14 EXEMPLAIRES DE LEUR FORMULAIRE OU DE LEUR LETTRE DE CANDIDATURE*. Une télécopie ne sera acceptée que si 14 exemplaires du formulaire ou de la lettre de candidature sont également envoyés par service de messagerie de 24 heures. On n'accordera AUCUNE considération aux candidatures reçues après cette date. *NOTA : Les candidats DOVIENT remettre 14 copies de leur formulaire ou lettre de candidature pour CHAQUE ENDROIT où un poste est annoncé qui les intéresse. La magistrature provinciale doit refléter raisonnablement la diversité de la population qu'elle sert. Nous encourageons les membres de groupes de promotion de l'égalité à présenter une demande. Untitled-1 1 2018-02-20 9:30 AM Hilary Linton says disputes between par- ents about matters such as school choices, vacation plans and after-school activities can drag on for years. An increase in specialized parenting co-ordinators can only be a good thing and will hopefully help remove some of the high-conflict family cases which remain in the court system. Jonathan Richardson LawTimesNews.com Fresh Ontario legal news and analysis available on any device. Get More Online

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