The Lawyers Weekly - June 4, 2010

Three-quarters of divorce cases no more than two years old

Divorce
Continued From Page 3

issue was reported. Custody was an issue in at least 39 per cent of cases, while access was identified in at least one-third of divorce cases with an issue.

At least one-quarter of all divorce cases with issues dealt with the three issues of access, custody and support. At least 19 per cent dealt with property in addition to these three issues.

Statistics Canada said few divorce cases go to trial. In Nova Scotia and B.C., for example, two per cent of cases had a trial in 2008/2009.

In 2008/2009, one-half of active divorce cases were new cases started that year. Another 26 per cent were initiated the year before and continued into 2008/2009. Eleven per cent of all active cases were more than four years old.

However, the length of
divorce cases does vary by juris-
diction. In Ontario, for example,
almost 60 per cent of the active
divorce cases in 2008/2009
were initiated that year, with
just four per cent older than four
years In Alberta and Yukon 24
per cent of cases were more than
four years old.

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Bryant
Continued From Page 2
expert reports were disclosed.

Bryant retained Toronto criminal lawyer Marie Henein, whose work he lauded, as well as Navigant Consulting, a leading crisis management firm. At the same time, he resigned his post as president of Invest Toronto, thus losing his income even as he was spending thousands to establish his innocence. On the advice of counsel, he did not reveal details of the incident, even to friends and colleagues.

Speaking publicly for the first
time at a news conference after
the charges were dropped, a
grim-faced Bryant expressed his
condolences to the family of
Sheppard. “I have grieved that
loss and I always will,” said
Bryant of the “unnecessary tra-
gedy.” Bryant also thanked
Henein, Ogilvy Renault, his
wife, family, friends and stran-
gers for their assistance and
support. “You find out who your
friends are when tragedy strikes
and it was a good find for me,”
he remarked.

“The system worked with
excruciating independence and…
the investigation was thorough,”
he said. “Nobody is above the
law, to be sure, but no one is
below the law either, so the police
and prosecution did their job as
independently and meticulously
as possible.”
West said he personally
believes “the system has demon-
strated an ability to deal in a
very fair and even-handed way
with prominent persons.”
While some may question
whether Bryant got “special
treatment” that would not have
been afforded to a person of
ordinary reputation and means,
West suggested the opposite
may be true. “I think the police
understandably felt that they
had no alternative but to lay
charges, [but] it’s possible that
had he not been attorney gen-
eral, there might have been a
different outcome at the begin-
ning, that they might not have
charged him.” ;

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