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Login to watch this video if you have a subscription. Learn more about subscriptions.A discussion of the Family Legal Services Provider licence outlines the training, limited scope, and practical role of licensed providers in areas such as process navigation, simple divorces, and other narrow family law services, while also showing where lawyer involvement remains necessary.
An update on Ottawa Family Court addresses active case management, shorter trial scheduling, compliance with court directions, wrongful removal matters, and the limited use of police enforcement clauses, with a clear focus on efficiency and trial readiness.
A review of family court operations across the region covers judicial resources, staffing pressures, technology changes, and the professionalism required from both the bench and the bar to keep the family justice system functioning effectively.
Overall, the video focuses on access to family law services, current court process, and the practical realities of family justice administration.
Prior to her appointment to the Bench in 2017, Justice Julie Audet practiced family law as a lawyer, mediator and collaborative practitioner in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario regions. Justice Audet has taught Family Law at the University of Ottawa, led the Family Law component of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Law Practice Program (in French) and co-authored a textbook, “L’essentiel du droit de la famille dans le provinces et territoires de common law au Canada”. She was appointed to the United Family Court of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, in Ottawa, in 2017, and is currently the Local Administrative Judge for that court.
Avant sa nomination à la magistrature, la juge Julie Audet pratiquait le droit familial à Ottawa et dans la région de l’est de l’Ontario, incluant à titre de médiatrice et de praticienne collaborative. Elle a enseigné le droit familial à l’Université d’Ottawa, dirigé la composante de droit familial du programme de pratique du droit du Barreau du Haut-Canada (en français), et co-écrit L’essentiel du droit de la famille dans les provinces et territoires de common law au Canada. Elle a été nommée juge de la Cour supérieure de l’Ontario, Cour unifiée de la famille, à Ottawa, en 2017, et elle agit présentement à titre de juge administrative locale pour cette cour.
RSJ Calum MacLeod was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Sudbury, Ontario. He attended Queen’s University, where he obtained his B.A. and LL.B. (Law ’80) and was called to the bar in 1983 after articling with the Office of the Ombudsman. After 16 years of practicing as a lawyer, mediator and arbitrator, he was appointed as a Case Management Master in 1988, serving in that role first in Toronto and then in Ottawa. He was appointed a judge in July of 2016 and Regional Senior Justice for the East Region in March of 2020. RSJ MacLeod has authored many important decisions relating to civil procedure, ADR and summary judgment. During his career, he has been involved in various court reform and legal education initiatives including regular consultation with judges and courts in other jurisdictions. Justice Macleod is a regular contributor to “Trembello” and other legal education conferences.
Jennifer brings over 35 years of litigation experience to the Vice & Hunter team, assisting clients in personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful dismissal, real property disputes, and family law matters. Licensed in 2008 as one of Ontario’s first paralegals, she now focuses on Small Claims Court, Statutory Accident Benefits, and Provincial Offences Court. In 2025, she became a Family Legal Services Provider (FLSP). Her honours include the McDonald & Partners Family Law Award (2002), the LSO’s William J. Simpson Distinguished Paralegal Award (2019), and the CCLA Paralegal Award (2022). Jennifer serves as the Paralegal Trustee on the CCLA Board, chairs its Paralegal Committee, and sits on the Family Bench and Bar Committee.