Luke’s Place Contributes to New Publication on Family Violence and Family Law  

We’re excited to announce the release of Understanding Family Violence in Family Court Proceedings: Providing Effective Responses for Victims, Children, and Perpetrators, a vital new resource published by the University of Toronto Press.  

This book addresses the growing recognition in Canadian legislation and case law that the family law legal system needs to do more to protect survivors of intimate partner violence as they navigate family court after separation. 

The book includes critical information to help inform and build the capacity of legal system professionals to provide more effective support to survivors in family court and create a process that is more trauma and violence informed.  

Luke’s Place co-authored Chapter 3: Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Accessing Justice, which provides information to help identify and address systemic barriers that prevent women from accessing justice and offers practical solutions to improve their experiences and outcomes in family court.  

Other chapters and contributors are as follows: 

• Chapter 1: Recognizing the Impact of Family Violence Cases on Parents and Children: Translating Legal Reforms into Practice 
  Peter G. Bala, Nicholas Bala, Katreena L. Scott, Archana Medhekar, and Casey Oliver 

• Chapter 2: Coercive Control and Family Court in an Intersectional Context 
  Katreena L. Scott, Archana Medhekar, Pamela Cross, and Deepa Mattoo 

• Chapter 3: Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Accessing Justice 
  Emily Murray, Amanda Pierce, Marion Overholt, Brittney Taylor, Phebe Quaye, and Shelly Gilbert 

• Chapter 4: Lessons from the Trenches: Representing Survivor Clients 
  Leighann Burns 

• Chapter 5: Understanding Family Violence in Family Court Proceedings: Providing Effective Responses for Victims, Children, and Perpetrators 
  Rachel Birnbaum and Nicholas Bala 

• Chapter 6: Toronto’s Integrated Domestic Violence Court: An Innovative Process to Get Family Violence Cases Out of Silos 
  Rachel Birnbaum and Nicholas Bala 

• Chapter 7: Children’s Rights and Voices: Critical Issues for Family Court Proceedings 
  Caterina Tempesta, Ellen Murray, and Mary Birdsell 

• Chapter 8: Getting Scientific Knowledge about Family Violence into the Family Court Process: Judicial Education, Judicial Notice, and Expert Evidence 
  Nicholas Bala, Rui Alves, and Brittany Chaput 

• Chapter 9: Money and Family Violence 
  Joanna Radbord 

• Chapter 10: Monetary Awards for Family Violence 
  Mary-Jo Maur 

• Chapter 11: Representation without Escalation: A Conceptional Framework for the Client in a Family Law Matter Who Has Used Family Violence 
  Brian J. Burke and Nicholas Bala 

• Chapter 12: Future Directions 
  Nicholas Bala, Peter Jaffe, Katreena Scott, and Lisa Heslop 

The Book is a valuable tool for service providers, lawyers, and other legal system professionals working within the family law system in Canada. Luke’s Place is honoured to be a part of this important work. 

Get your copy today!