Ontario Family Law Podcast

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The award-winning Ontario Family Law Podcast is hosted by Certified Specialist in Family Law, Ontario family lawyer, mediator, arbitrator and collaborative lawyer, John Schuman. John is also the author of the Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available from Amazon as a paperback or a Kindle eBook and from iTunes for your iphone/ipad.

In an easy-to-understand manner, the podcast discusses all family law matters, from marriage, to separation and divorce, and child welfare issues. John discusses many, and the most important, family law issues in depth and provides pointers to keep people out of trouble.

John has also devoted episodes to the podcast to discussing children rights issues and provides advice to parents about how to protect their children, especially vulnerable children at school or when dealing with Children’s Aid Societies.

A complete list of all the podcasts topics is at the left (or below for mobile users).

Some of the topics covered include:

marriage contracts and cohabitation agreement
what does "divorce” mean
how do you get child custody? How does a judge decide which parent gets custody?
what say to children get in family court?
how is child support calculated?
what are special and extraordinary expenses? Who pays? How much?
how is property divided after separation (and how that is different for married and common-law couples)
what is family mediation, family arbitration and collaborative practice?
how to keep assets away from your inlays
the Ontario Family Court process, step-by-step, from how to start court proceedings, through all the steps leading up to trial, and even how to change a final order or agreement
domestic violence and what to do
special family law issues for Emergency First Responders (Police, Paramedics, Firefighters, etc.)
special topics on children’s issues and children’s rights, especially with regard to the rights children have in pubic schools, and what to expect from private schools.
common law relationships

This podcast It is essential listening for anyone experiencing major life events. Just listening can make sure you do not fall into any family law pitfalls. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or by using RSS.

Starting with Podcast Episode 36, the podcasts are also available in video format both on this site and on YouTube.

Many thanks to Little Jackie Wright for providing the theme music for the Ontario Family Law Podcast. We appreciate their ongoing permission to use their original material

In addition to the Ontario Family Law Podcast, listen to John Schuman on the following radio programs:

CBC Toronto’s Here and Now, particularly with regard to the St. Mike’s Scandal. John has been Jill Dempsey’s guest several times and has also been a guest on Metro Morning.
The Ward & Al Show discussing child support
Difficult Custody Cases and Child Abduction on CBC Radio in Winnipeg
CBC Radio 1 discussing Grandparents Being Sued for Child Support
CBC Ontario Morning discussion “Divorce Month”
CBC Hear and Now Discussing the University Cheating Scandal in the United States

To contact John Schuman, use the email address or telephone number at the top of this page.

Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law - 4th edition cover

Paperback Available on:

Please share this podcast, using there buttons at the bottom of every episode’s page, to give more people access to this important information. Comment on each episode from the page for each episode.

The companion book to this podcast, The Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law is available by clicking on the book to the right. The e-book is $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone. The e-books are available for immediate download so people cab start getting informant and advice in minutes! The book is also possible to order it from Amazon as a paperback.If you have found this podcast useful, please feel free to share it on your social network by using the buttons to the left or at the bottom of the page. Hundreds of people download episodes of the podcast every month because of the valuable information it provides on family law and family court issues.

If you would like to contact John Schuman, pick any episode and fill out the contact form at the bottom of the page.

This podcast is provided for general information only. It does not constitute legal advice with regard to any specific situation.

46 - Do Parenting Plans and Family Court Orders Continue During COVID-19?

Does COVID-19 mean that separated parents should not let the children see the other parent? Does the corona virus crisis justify breaching court orders? This special edition of the Ontario Family Law Podcast explains the law and provides tips for difficult situations.

46 - Do Parenting Plans and Family Court Orders Continue During COVID-19?

The corona virus crisis is having a profound impact on every aspect of our society. With all the significant changes in the way that everyone is living every aspect of everyday life, and all the new public health requirements, separated parents are having questions about whether they should continue to follow the current parenting scheduled as set out in a Parenting Order or to an agreement with their ex. All that is happening at a time when the Ontario court system is shut down and dealing with only the most desperate situations. As a result, there are no court decisions providing guidance about exactly what parents should do about their parenting schedules in the midst of this crisis. However, there are some established principles under our family laws that do provide some guidance. This podcast goes over those laws to give some assistance to separated parents.

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes:

Paperback available from:

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores. Anyone who has to deal with issues that may go to Family Court, such as child custody, child access or parenting after separation, should rely on both of the Ontario Family Law Podcast and the Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law for give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns. The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders. To get your copy of the book, click on the picture of the book above and to the left.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues. Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below. The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto. If you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5847, email us, or fill out form below and click “send.”

You can comment on this podcast using the comments section below. Share your experiences with losing money - or coming out ahead, in your separation or divorce to supplement what people learn from this important podcast.

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Mar 21, 2020 at 8:28 PM

45 - Resolving Family Law Disputes While the Family Courts Are Closed Due to COVID-19

The closure of the Ontario Family Courts due to COVID-19 does NOT mean that separated spouses and parents have to wait to have their matters resolved. Since separation and divorce is an uncomfortable period of transition for both adults, but especially children, waiting a few months for the courts to reopen could be painful and add additional stress and anxiety at an already difficult time. In this edition of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist, John P. Schuman, explains the procedures available to get your Family Law Matter resolved, even while the Courts are closed. Everyone who has unresolved Family Law matters should listed so they do not have to suffer waiting to have these difficult matters resolved.

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes:

Paperback available from:

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Mar 17, 2020 at 11:25 PM

44 - Can You Be Better Off Financially If You Divorce?

44- Can You Be Better Off Financially If You Divorce?

People assume that they will be financially ruined by their separation and divorce. In this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist, John Schuman, explains why that is not always the case. This episode explains important Family Law financial issues, such as child support, spousal support/alimony, property division and the impact of shared parenting situations. It goes over the often misunderstood financial impact that they can have on separation. Those misunderstandings often lead people to assume that a divorce will ruin them financially. This episode explains why that is not necessarily the case and in what situations a separated spouse an actually be better off financially. This episode also has legal tips to help make the best decisions for starting a new life. To avoid common Family Law mistakes, it is important to make informed decisions to protect yourself and your kids. This episode provides a wealth of information to help with those decisions.

If you found this episode helpful or interesting, check out the following episodes:

Paperback available from:

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores. Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns. The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders. To get your copy of the book, click on the picture of the book above and to the left.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues. Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below. The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto. If you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5869, email us, or fill out form below and click “send.”

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Comments and Social Networking:

Feb 25, 2020 at 2:43 PM

43 - The Rights of Students During Ontario Teacher Strikes

43- The Rights of Students During Ontario Teacher's Strikes

Difficulties between the Ontario Government and the teacher’s unions have led to public school classes being cancelled for some students, teachers not providing comments on report cards, and teachers stopping various other administrative tasks and other services. Many parents with children in the public education system have been asking about their children’s rights to an education during a teacher’s strike.

This Episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast answers the questions about what Ontario Law guarantees to students and how it protects them. It reveals what the minimum educational education standards are in the province and sets. It also discusses what rights that students with special needs, and students who are victims of bullying, can continue to expect even during labour disruptions affecting their school.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on all aspects of children’s law, education law, children’s rights, family law, divorce and separation issues. Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below. The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto. If you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5869, email us, or fill out form below and click “send.”

You can comment on this podcast using the comments section below. Share your experiences with child custody matters to supplement what people learn from this important podcast.

Contact Us:

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Jan 17, 2020 at 8:38 PM

42- How to Get a “Legal Separation” in Ontario

42 - How to Get a Legal Separation in Ontario

One of the most common family law questions is “how to register a separation.” People have just separated, people who are thinking about separating and people who think they may be separated wonder what they have to do to “make it official”. The first things to do after separation is the topic in this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast.

In this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, explains how a “separation” becomes legal in Ontario - for both married and common law couples. He also explains the significance of the date of separation for support and property division, as well as some of the implications for employment benefits programs and income tax. John also explains the steps you need to start to address, and resolve, all the issues arising from separation. This podcast can help people who are separating avoid making big family law mistakes.

Paperback available from:

Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores. Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns. The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders. To get your copy of the book, click on the picture of the book above and to the left.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues. Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below. The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto. If you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5869, email us, or fill out form below and click “send.”

Contact Us:

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Comments and Social Networking:

Jan 14, 2020 at 12:00 PM

Criminal Sentencing of Bullies in the St. Michael’s College Scandal

CBC Here and Now on Sentencing in St. Michael’s Case

Three boys who committed violent physical and sexual assaults as part of hazing rituals at St. Michael’s College School and then shared a video of the assaults on social media have been sentenced pursuant to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Justice Weagant sentences the three boys to two years of probation each. All three boys had already been expelled from the elite private boys' school. One of the victims alleges he also had to leave the school because of ongoing bullying centred around his victimization. Education Lawyer, John Schuman, has been involved in many legal cases about students being bullied at school. He discussed the the sentencing of the boys in the St. Michael’s case, the ramifications of that and the civil court case against the school in this segment from CBC Toronto’s Here and Now with Gill Deacon (Find the player at left or below on some mobile devices)

More information about Ontario Education Law is available on this page. For additional information about education law, or to get legal help or protection for your child, contact Education Lawyer, John Schuman, by calling 416-446-6569 or use the contact form below. You can also comment on this story, or share it on your social network using the buttons below. Sharing is one of the best ways to make sure people who need this information get it.

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Dec 19, 2019 at 10:34 PM

41 - How to Prepare for Family Mediation

Many people choose family mediation to resolve the issues in separation and divorce, including parenting, child support, spousal support, and property division. Often they chose family mediation to save money or get everything resolved more quickly or to avoid the difficult arguments and fights. Mediation is more important, even required in some cases in the changes to the Divorce Act in 2020. But to really save money, to get through the mediation more quickly, and to avoid unnecessary arguments, it is really helpful to do some preparations before going to family mediation.

In this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, goes over what every separated spouse or parent should do to prepare for family mediation. That preparation includes taking important steps to get ready to discuss parenting matters (formerly custody and access) and financial matters. It also involves getting emotionally prepared to resolved matters at mediation. This podcast explains it all and provides valuable Family Law Tips to not only allow mediation to go more smoothly, but to help it proceed much more quickly, and at a lower cost, while making it more likely that the mediation will be successful in reaching a resolution. This podcast can even help a separated parent or spouse use the mediation to get a result that he or she will like better.

Anyone going through a separation should consider mediation and other forms of ADR to resolve all the related matters. That makes this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast essentially listening or viewing.

The goal of any mediation is to reach a lasting separation. Consequently, it is also worth checking out Episode 24 of the Ontario Family Law Podcast on how to get a Valid and Enforceable Separation Agreement.

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores. Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns. The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders. To get your copy of the book, click on the picture of the book above and to the left.

Paperback available from:

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues. Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below. The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto. if you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5869, email us, or fill out form below and click “send.”

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Dec 7, 2019 at 5:15 PM

40 - How to Keep Your Money in Separation and Divorce

Separation and divorce can be very expensive - often more expensive than necessary. When separating spouses or parents are not careful, or make big family law mistakes, they give away or spend more money than they have to - leaving less money for themselves, their children and possibly their new families.

In this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, gives many valuable family law tips to separating spouses and parents about how they can keep more of their money. Drawing from more than twenty years of experience as a family lawyer, trial lawyer, mediator, arbitrator and collaborative lawyer, John Schuman explains how preserve wealth through:

using a marriage contact or cohabitation agreement to provide financial predictability and sensibility in separation
avoiding bad Family Court decisions
resolving matters using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) such as negotiation, mediation, arbitration and collaborative practice
avoiding the financial horrors that can be associated with matrimonial homes
saving on lawyer’s fees and using unbundled services
calculating child support and spousal support appropriately
considering measures to reduce income for support purposes
taking steps to have your ex pay your lawyer’s fees

This podcast is an invaluable resource for people considering separation or divorce. People should listen to this podcast before living together, getting married or separating to make sure they do not give money away needlessly.

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores. Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns. The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders. To get your copy of the book, click on the picture of the book above and to the left.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues. Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below. The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto. if you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5869, email us, or fill out form below and click “send.”

Name:
Email:
Phone #:
Message:

Jul 6, 2019 at 4:25 PM

39 - What Ontario Public Schools Must Do About Bullying

In this edition in the Children's Right's series of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Education Lawyer, John Schuman, explains what children have a right to expect that their public school will do to prevent bullying and what the school must do when bullying happens. He explains the obligations that the school has to the victims of bullying, including how the school must support all victims of bullying. He also explains what the school must do with the bullies. Finally, this podcast explains where parents, and students, can get help after being bullied and what legal remedies are available against schools that do not do enough about bullying.

It is essential that students know that their school has to protect them agains bullying and what rights they have in the school system when they are victimized by bullies Parents equally must know what they can do to protect their children, including what steps they can demand the school take to protect their children from being bullied, and to help them if they are bullied.

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May 25, 2019 at 11:05 PM

38 - Ontario Private Schools, Standards and Education Law

38 - Ontario Private Schools, Standards, and Education Law

Many children attend Ontario Private Schools. They do so in the belief that those schools provide a superior education to publicly funded schools, including superior academics, better sports, smaller class sizes and more attention to children’s needs. But, does Ontario Law require private schools to meet those expectations or meet any standards at all? Recent private school scandals have pointed out just how little Ontario Education Law protects students at private schools. Parents should know what they are getting into before enrolling their child.

In this edition of the podcast, Toronto Education Lawyer, John Schuman explains how Ontario Education applies, and does not apply to Ontario Private Schools. He lets parents how to know what standards apply to any Ontario Private School that they are considering and what to do if the school falls below those standards. This is information that every parent needs to know before sending their child to private school.

You can comment on this podcast using the comments section below. Share your experiences with child custody matters to supplement what people learn from this important podcast.

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May 11, 2019 at 2:53 PM

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