After more than a dozen years of paralegals fighting for the right to practice Family Law and the Law Society refusing, this is an amazing opportunity to celebrate. As many people know more than half of Family Law participants are self-represented. Most neighbourhood Legal Clinics do not help with Family Law especially if there is a history of abuse. This leaves many vulnerable people vulnerable. Thankfully after many promises, postponements and debates. Paralegals are now allowed to take the Family Legal Service Provider.
“Completion of the Family Legal Services Provider (FLSP) program allows specially trained paralegals to provide certain legal services in family law matters, helping to support improved access to legal services for Ontarians.
FLSPs are able to assist clients with process navigation in family court, completing applications for joint and uncontested divorces, and preparing and arguing motions to change child support, based on the payor’s “line 15000/T4 slip” income and excluding special and extraordinary expenses. FLSPs will also be able to respond to support enforcement proceedings, file domestic contracts and prepare change of name applications.
Family Legal Services Provider program
The Law Society has partnered with Fanshawe College to deliver the Family Legal Services Provider program. Registration begins August 19, 2024 for the winter session of the program commencing January 2025.
The FLSP program is competency-based, building skills and knowledge through theoretical and experiential learning. It combines instructional and experiential learning methods to provide program participants with the foundational understanding of legal concepts and procedures, as well as the practical skills required in family law practice.
Offered in English and French, the FLSP program is a four-month online program that includes family law coursework, a 40-hour in-person field placement and an in-person competency-based final assessment. The program will run from early January until the end of April and again from September to December each year, with both a full-time and part-time option.
For more details about the FLSP program, please visit the Fanshawe College website.”
https://lso.ca/paralegals/about-your-licence/family-legal-services-provider