All Posts by Leanne Townsend

Everyone deserves access to justice, whether they have the means to hire a lawyer or not. It's an increasingly important issue in family law, where the growing number of self-represented litigants (SRLs) is a clear indicator that the legal system is not working as it should.

In this column, I'll unpack the reasons behind the surge of people opting to represent themselves and offer some tips and guidance on how to be successful if you choose that route.

If you think a vaccine for COVID-19 will alleviate all the problems the virus is causing, think again.

As I recently discussed, many parents are having disagreements about whether it is safe to send their kids back to school. As the number of cases in schools continues to climb , there were 342 cases in Ontario schools on the day I wrote this column ,the possibility of a second lockdown keeps growing.

But a vaccine will fix everything, right? Sadly no.

I have a confession: I'm a sucker for trashy reality television.

After a long day of lawyering, I sometimes need to escape the busyness of the day with some brain candy. 90 Day Fiance, Check. Married at First Sight, Yep. Real Housewives, Sign me up!

Ontario has laid out its education plan for the upcoming school year, confirming that schools will reopen in September for both elementary and high-school students.

But many parents are still unsure if it's safe to send their children back to class in the middle of a pandemic.

Divorce is one of the most stressful events a person will ever experience. It impacts the most critical aspect of life: your children, where you live, your financial health and your sense of security in the world.

It's been widely reported that the stress associated with a marital breakup can have a negative impact on your physical health and mental well-being. A new study from the University of British Columbia, suggests that divorce also poses an increased risk of death.

It seems ambitious but the Ministry of the Attorney General plans to reopen a limited number of courthouses on July 6.

I'm not sure if that will happen since I can't even see a hairdresser in Toronto right now. Still, I realize everyone wants to see our judicial system operating again, so let's have faith that things will work out.

Everyone is feeling stress and anxiety during this COVID-19 pandemic, and that strain is heightened for many former couples arguing over parenting time with children and support payments.

As tough as this situation is, ex-spouses must do everything they can to resolve their disputes before escalating matters through the courts.

While experts agree divorce rates will rise sharply as Canadians come out of the COVID-19 lockdown, couples who are homeowners face the double whammy of seeing their property value fall at the same time as their relationship is disintegrating. Here's some advice for those in that situation.

Many separated and divorced couples are dealing with a compounded level of stress due to the lockdown imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With countless businesses closed or forced to curtail activity, people across the country are facing reduced hours, job loss, and struggling to meet their financial obligations, including child support payments. In the past month, nearly six million Canadians have applied for COVID-19 emergency benefits, and that number is expected to increase in the weeks ahead.

Parents who believe the COVID-19 lockdown provides a legitimate reason to deny an ex-partner visitation rights should think again, as two recent rulings show that parenting schedules in court orders or separation agreements must be honoured unless there is proof children would otherwise be endangered.