LAWYER SEARCH

Year of Call 2001 Education Queens University
University of Windsor
Location Toronto

Featured Areas of Practice Family Law Areas of Practice Education Law Family Law Whitby Family Law
Associations Law Society of Ontario
Ontario Association of Family Mediators
ADR Institute of Ontario
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
Collaborative Practice Toronto
Ontario Paramedic Association
York Collaborative Practice

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FAMILY LAWYER IN TORONTO


John is a certified specialist in family law and is an experienced and respected family lawyer in Toronto, an education lawyer and children’s rights lawyer. John is the head of the family law group at Devry Smith Frank LLP and he has earned the respect of his clients, judges, mediators and arbitrators for his sensible approach to resolving family law issues, his concern for children, and his understanding of complex financial matters.

John received his Honours B.A. from Queens University in 1994. He obtained his EMCA (paramedic designation) in 1995. John attended Law School at the University of Windsor, graduating in 1998. He then went on to complete his LL.M. in child and family law in 1999. John’s thesis on questioning child witnesses was published that same year and remains a frequently cited authority on the proper way to obtain the evidence of children.

John has always practised in the areas of family law and children’s rights. He articled at a prominent Toronto litigation firm. After John was called to the bar in 2001, he practised at a firm known for its work in children’s legal issues and family law. He was also counsel for a children’s aid society before joining a prominent Toronto family law litigation boutique. He joined Devry Smith & Frank in 2009, where he practices mostly in the area of family law.

John has litigated before every level of court in Ontario, several tribunals and the Supreme Court of Canada. Several of John’s cases have been reported in law reports. John’s cases involving children’s rights have been reported in the national media. John has earned the respect of the judges, mediators and arbitrators before whom he appears. In a recent court decision, Justice Sherr wrote “Mr. Schuman’s conduct, in this case, is an example of what lawyers are supposed to do in difficult cases.”

John Schuman has published articles in referred legal journals on the questioning of child witnesses, allegations of abuse when parents have separated, the role children should place in the court process and the rights of children to direct their own medical treatment. John is also the editor of the “Child in the Courtroom” chapter of Wilson on Children and the Law. He is co-author of the Child Protection Proceedings Chapter in Evidence in Family Law. John’s book “Guide to the Basics of Family Law” is available on Amazon – click here or here.

John is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Association of Family Mediators, the ADR Institute of Ontario, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Collaborative Practice Toronto, the Ontario Paramedic Association and he is on the board of directors of York Collaborative Practice.

John regularly contributes to the DSF Blog, you can see his entries here. He is also very often a guest speaker at various events, commercials and shows. You can access these videos by visiting our Family Law Videos.

From Child Support Woes to Spousal Support: DSF’s Family Law Seminar

John has authored the following papers:

John has acted as counsel for the following reported decisions:

Apart from being an excellent family lawyer in Toronto, he is an avid swimmer, paddler and cyclist and retains an interest in pre-hospital emergency care.