Family Matters TV With Justice Harvey Brownstone

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Family Matters with Justice Harvey Brownstone is the only TV show ever hosted by an actual sitting judge. Justice Brownstone is the author of the bestseller: Tug of War: a Judge's Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles, and the Bitter Realities of Family Court. He is considered the 'face and voice of the Canadian justice system;' and is likely the most recognizable judge in the country. Family Matters focuses on the relationship between modern family issues and the justice system, covering topics such as Internet dating, spousal and child support, addictions, parenting, social media, bullying, domestic violence, same-sex marriage/parenting, adoption, child protection, and infidelity. Justice Brownstone interviews social workers, lawyers, mediators, judges, psychologists, and everyday people to inform and entertain viewers on topics usually not discussed in a sophisticated, intelligent manner on TV. Family Matters' online legal Q&A is tied closely with the show, providing free legal answers from lawyers and other legal professionals. Justice Brownstone has answered over 800 questions himself on the Q&A, believing that the more information people have, the better their decisions will be when faced with a family or legal crisis. In 2009, Justice Brownstone released his bestselling book, Tug of War: a Judge's Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles, and the Bitter Realities of Family Court (now in third printing). "This was the first book by a sitting family court judge that speaks directly to the public." Justice Brownstone "wanted parents to get the best possible information, directly from a judge, about the realities of family court and the alternatives available to litigation, so that parents could make informed decisions about how to resolve parenting disputes in a way that meets the best interests of their children. The public and media response to Tug of War was overwhelming!" Tug of War spent 12 weeks on the national best seller list, and catapulted Justice Brownstone into the media spotlight. He has appeared on every major radio and TV talk show in Canada and has been one of the most sought after speakers on the lecture circuit. He has been credited as single-handedly changing the public perception of the justice system and the judiciary, by enhancing access to justice through his public education efforts. Because he is one of the very few judges willing to appear in the media and make public appearances, he has become the face and voice of the Canadian justice system and is indisputably the most famous judge in Canada. Find out what to do when child protection services come knocking on your door. Our host interviews two lawyers - one that represents families against child protection agencies, and the other that represents the agencies in disputes. Justice Brownstone speaks with two lawyers from the Ontario Office of the Children's Lawyer about when children need their own lawyer; and what it is like to represent children. Elder abuse happens unfortunately. Justice Brownstone interviews the author of 'Granny Snatching,' lawyer from Victoria, BC, and an elders' rights advocate. Justice Brownstone interviews a lawyer mediator and a non-lawyer mediator from Victoria, BC to give an introduction to mediation as an alternative to court. Justice Brownstone interviews two lawyers from Victoria, BC to find out whether it's worth getting a prenuptial agreement before marriage. What do family law lawyers do? What should you do to get the most out of your lawyer? How much do they charge? Justice Brownstone interviews two interesting family law lawyers from Saskatchewan on this topic. Filmed in Victoria, BC. Justice Brownstone dispels myths surrounding child support calculation; and explains the exceptions to the general rules. Justice Brownstone interviews two of Canada's most prominent collaborative law lawyers, Trudi Brown and Robert Klassen, in a perfect introduction to the collaborative law process as an alternative to court. In recent years a new buzz word has evolved in the family law world: "parental alienation". This is a term which refers to the very concerning practice among many separated parents of doing everything within their power to turn their children against the other parent. The family law world is seeing an avalanche of short term relationships that fizzle out quickly - but they last long enough to produce children. There is a new-found emphasis on the rights and responsibilities of grandparents, particularly when people become parents at an early age. A growing number of separated and divorced parents have opted to resolve their disputes privately, without going to court, by relying on the assistance and expertise of specially trained social workers and mental health professionals who serve as parenting coordinators. What is happening with marriage in North America today? Both as an institution and as an evolving construct for relationships and partnerships? In this episode, we explore all aspects of family and marriage. The guest is Pamela Haag, author of Marriage Confidential. Learn how to minimize conflict and enter into child-focused decision-making, reinvent yourself from an "ex-partner" to a "co-parent" and surround yourself with the people you need to maximize your opportunities for success in dealing with an ex-partner. Conversation with Debrah Moskovitch, author of The Smart Divorce. This episode provides the rare privilege of hearing from an outspoken retired family court judge who spent 22 years resolving all kinds of parental disputes. In a frank and candid discussion he will tell us why he left the court to pursue what he believes is a much healthier and effective way to help parents resolve their conflicts. Given the advent of the Internet with its seemingly limitless availability of sexually explicit content, it should come as no surprise that this can be a serious challenge for many people suffering from potentially addictive personalities. Parenting dynamics in many families have changed, as more moms have entered the workforce, requiring more dads to share the parenting duties. In fact, it's no longer that uncommon to find some families with stay-at-home dads, with moms who are the breadwinners. Any pet owner will agree that pets are family too! What happens to pets when family breakdown occurs? What is the best way to keep children and their pets emotionally bonded even if they can't live together? Although only infrequently receives public attention, it is a sad reality of North American life that many homes are fraught with domestic violence. Apart from the trauma that this imposes upon victims, when children witness their parents fighting, this is a form of child abuse. What are the potential obstacles to achieving a lasting happiness the second or third time around? What are the pitfalls you should be aware of in creating a blended family? It looked so easy on the Brady Bunch, but our guests are here to tell us that real life can be very different. One of the most contentious issues that can arise for separated parents in conflict is the question of how to divide a child's time between parents. Regardless of who has custody, and even in cases of joint or shared custody, the fact remains that a child cannot be in two places at once. In today's world everyone, even children, have daily multiple Internet connectivity (social networking, banking, shopping). And the experts tell us this is just the beginning of the huge potential that the Internet has to impact the way we live our lives and conduct our businesses. Have you ever heard of "the divorce from hell"? Probably every marriage breakdown has hellish aspects to it, but everything is relative, even high conflict divorces. Meet author Karen Stewart, who emerged from "divorce hell" with a mission: to ensure that no one ever makes the same mistakes that she and her ex-husband made. In recent years, members of the legal and mental health community have been exploring new ways to assist parents in conflict to resolve disputes in a non-adversarial, cooperative and cost-effective way. With the advent of casinos in most major centres, and the relatively recent phenomenon of online gambling, a quietly insidious poison is edging its way into the psyches of an increasing number of families: problem gambling. Family courts are seeing more and more cases where a spouse's gambling addiction has led to the financial and emotional ruin of the family unit. Why do some people develop addictive personalities? How do gambling addictions develop, and what can be done to prevent and treat them? We've all heard the expression, "where there's a will, there's a way". But ask any lawyer to describe the most bitter, high-conflict case of his/her career and chances are, you will hear about family members in a vicious dispute over a deceased relative's estate. Sometimes entire estates are depleted by endless litigation between rivalling factions of the deceased's family, often comprised of spouses and children from the deceased's different relationships. It is a little-known fact that in most child abduction cases, the abductor is actually the child's parent. Some parents are so angry and spiteful, and so determined to deprive the other parent of their children, that they will defy court orders, abduct their children and disappear. What can be done to protect your child from being abducted? What help is available for parents who find themselves in this horrendous situation? Although almost 50% of marriages end in divorce, experts tell us that only 5% of separated couples ever end up litigating against each other in a courtroom. For some divorced couples, the acrimony and hostility are so bitter that their court cases only come to an end when their children reach adulthood. In the family law world, these are called "high conflict cases", and they are unquestionably the most toxic and bitter disputes in the entire justice system. Hardly a week goes by that we aren't hearing tragic news of the consequences of yet another bullying incident. For thousands of young people, the prospect of going to school every day and facing their peers makes them terror-stricken. Thanks to the internet and social networking websites, it has even become possible to victimize others online. Why has bullying become such a serious problem? Who is to blame for it? What role do parents, schools, the community and the media have to play? In Justice Brownstone's best-selling book Tug of War, he says that except for a limited category of situations, going to family court should be a last resort. Everyone knows that family court litigation is time-consuming, expensive, complicated, highly stressful and often unpredictable. In this much-anticipated episode of Family Matters, Justice Brownstone and his guests will elaborate on the alternatives to family court: mediation, collaborative law, and other innovative modalities that can help parents in dispute make peace, not war.