Trust in Justice

Opening Lecture

The opening lecture of the Trust in Justice series was presented by Madam Justice Rosalie Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada on January 11, 2007, at the McNally Theatre Auditorium at Saint Mary's University. Part Two - Trust in Criminal Justice took place at the Dalhousie Law School February 8th.

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Trust in Family Justice
March 8, 7:30-9:00 PM
Dalhousie Law School Room 105

Questions to be Explored:

This session will explore several issues concerning the extent to which there has been loss of trust in our Family Justice system:

• Should the public trust the family justice system?
• When families are in crisis, can current family law processes meet their needs?
• Can the public trust the system to deal fairly with children in crisis, custody and access issues, and financial support following the dissolution of a marriage?
• Is there trust that the system will work for those who need it?

The Panel:
The Moderator is Elizabeth Jollimore Q.C., is a family lawyer, practicing in the Halifax office of Stewart McKelvey. Jollimore authored family law materials for the Nova Scotia Bar Admission Course and is also a member of Editorial Advisory Board of CCH Family Law Guide and Family Law Matters. She is a member of the International Society of Family Law, Family Mediation Canada and the Association of Collaborative Family Law Lawyers of Nova Scotia.

Panelists:

• The Honourable Mr. Justice George Czutrin: Justice of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario. A certified specialist in Family Law, Czutrin is a member of the Family Court, and the Local Administrative Justice at Hamilton Family Court. He is a member of the Family Rules Committee, the past President of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts as well as a member of the Children's Lawyer's Child Representation Panel.
• Lynn Reierson Q.C. Admitted to the bar in 1987, Reierson was made a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2005 and appointed Queen's Counsel that same year. She has chaired the Canadian Bar Association's national family law section and has served as a member of the Canadian Federal child support guidelines advisory committee. Reierson has presented papers to the National Family Law Program and studied at the Harvard Negotiation Project.

General Format:
Frank Schwartz, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Public Affairs will open the session with a brief welcome/introduction.

Time:

Moderator's Overview and Ground rules	10
Each panelist responds to the Question	20
Each panelist responds to the other panelists	10
Q and A from the floor	40
Moderator's Summary and Closing	10

Closing Remarks: Phillip Saunders, Dean of the Dalhousie Law School.

Other: The session will be recorded by Eastlink Cable's Podium TV.