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  • Book Recommendations for Self Represented Litigant

    I read so many times where a self-represented litigant has difficulty navigating the legal system, as well as having difficulty completing court documents.

    For those that are going it alone and are willing to invest some money which will ultimately save many headaches, time in completing documents, and understanding court procedures, I want to recommend the following:

    Legal Office Procedures, by Tina Kamakaris, Owl Publishing, which can be purchased here:

    Legal Office Procedures Owl Publishing - Legal Education Materials

    Only part of the binder relates to family law, but many others are relevant (how law offices operate, legal letters, preparing and serving documents to name a few).

    In addition to the above, the author has compiled Legal Office Simulations which is a compilation of case examples that include actual examples of completed documention as well as guidance in walking through a court case step by step. This book can be purchased here:

    Legal Office Procedures Workbook Owl Publishing - Legal Education Materials

    And finally, for those navigating family law, a practice and procedure volume, written by JoAnn Kurtz, and utilized by most colleges that offer the law clerk diploma in Ontario is available here:

    Family Law: Practice and Procedure, 3rd Edition

    This is a two volume set in which the laws relevant to family law are described in everyday language in volume one and the second volume is a compilation of all statutes that pertain to family law in Ontario.

    I am well aware that the self-represented litigant generally has limited funds but this compilation of books would equate to an hours worth of legal advice by many lawyers out there.

    Hope this helps some people!

  • #2
    Thanks so much for posting this, mom2three. These type of resources are critical to so many of us on this forum. Anyone else have anything similar?

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    • #3
      I don't know that these books are available at ie: Chapters. I have a friend taking a 2 year legal assistant course and these look like the books that are offered for sale to students enrolled in legal studies. They are *excellent* reference books. Owl Publishing perhaps sells them online?

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      • #4
        As for a book that is easily found: "Surviving Your Divorce" 5th Edition by Michael G. Cochrane, LLP. $30. You can't go wrong and it's available at most book stores.

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        • #5
          Hadenough:

          The links provided are to the place where the purchase can be made, not Chapters, which is why I put the links.

          Yes, as mentioned, these books are designed for law specific diplomas. However, they are available to the public for purchase.

          These books are not about 'How to survive divorce", rather they are extremely valuable resource material for the self-represented litigant who struggles with how to fill in forms, what is relevant/not relevant, court steps etc. In fact the ones by Kamakaris are used by a lawyer friend of mine and she describes them as her law offices' bibles and she herself refers to them quite frequently because even she can't remember everything and forms etc. can be complex and cumbersome. The ones by Kamakaris would only be useful to the self-represented litigant and completely useless to one who has a lawyer.

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          • #6
            I've "seen" the books and I know what they are for and how they are used. Even with representation, they are helpful. I borrowed one of them for quite some time, and referenced it often.

            I asked about 'other ways' of purchasing the books for myself, and for others who may read your thread.

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            • #7
              To this I would add the following books:

              Ontario Annual Practice "Table of Cases - Forms", Canada Law Book, published by Thomson Reuters (The most current recent edition you can get.)

              Ontario annual Practice, Canada Law Book, published by Thomson Reuters.

              Canada Law Book

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              • #8
                Originally posted by hadenough View Post
                As for a book that is easily found: "Surviving Your Divorce" 5th Edition by Michael G. Cochrane, LLP. $30. You can't go wrong and it's available at most book stores.
                Hadenough you beat me to it...I was just about to post the same book, same edition. Good thing I read all the posts before replying.

                Like Hadenough with her documents, I have enough books to fill a small flat bed truck. In this book (5th edition) the author devotes an entire chapter on self-rep and is easily read. Mr. Cochrane is sympathetic and very clear in his writing..in my opinion probably the best book out there regarding Canadian separation and divorce and all the ramifications.

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