Working with Self-Represented Litigants: Duties, Realities, and Practical Strategies

For more than 135 years, the Toronto Lawyers' Association, located within the Courthouse Library, has represented the interests of lawyers practising in the City of Toronto. The association was founded to support its members in three key areas: Knowledge, Advocacy, and Community. To uphold these pillars, the association offers a year-round mix of online and in-person education programs for lawyers, hosts both free and paid events to foster in-person networking, and submits advocacy pieces on behalf of its members to the Ontario bench and bar, all levels of government, and the broader public.

Called to the Bar in 1981, Justice Sherr primarily practised family law. He was a partner at Ulrich and Sherr until he was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2005. For more than 40 years, Justice Sherr has worked to advance access to justice for children and families. His career has been marked by outstanding achievements in family law and, most importantly, a steadfast respect for the rights of the most vulnerable. Since his appointment, he has written over 600 decisions. His precedent-setting decisions are child-focused, accessible and frequently cited by lawyers and judges throughout the province, as well as other Canadian jurisdictions. Justice Sherr has made significant contributions to legal education and reform. He has been a mentor to countless young lawyers and judges, fostering a culture of excellence and ethical practise within the legal community. His lectures and writings on family law and child protection have been instrumental in shaping family law in the province of Ontario. Since 2010, together with Lorne Glass, he has co-chaired the Intensive Child Protection Training Program, a multi-day course for lawyers – the only program of its kind for child protection lawyers in Ontario. He has demonstrated extraordinary achievement and leadership in the advancement of family and child protection law in Ontario. In 2018, Justice Sherr was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Association of Ontario Judges of the Ontario Court of Justice and in 2020 Justice Sherr was the recipient of the Ontario Bar Association award for Excellence in Family Law in memory of James G. McLeod.

Katie Di Tomaso is a knowledgeable and trusted civil litigator at Stieber Berlach LLP with over 22 years of practical experience acting for insurers, businesses, governments, public entities such as children's aid societies, and individuals in defending complex tort litigation matters including: personal injury, occupiers' liability, motor vehicle litigation, municipal liability, professional negligence, product liability, directors' and officers' liability, property loss, disability claims, health matters, subrogation matters, human rights complaints, employment practices, workplace investigations, bankruptcy and insolvency, commercial litigation, defending insurance coverage claims, and providing insurance coverage opinions. In 2024, Katie was awarded the prestigious Ontario Bar Association's Joel Kuchar Award for Professionalism and Civility for consistently demonstrating an exemplary commitment to the ideals of professionalism and civility in the practice of law. Katie has appeared as lead counsel at the Ontario Court of Appeal, Superior Court of Justice, Federal Court of Canada, Small Claims Court, Human Rights Tribunal, and various Tribunals governing self-regulated health care professionals, both in person as well as virtually.

Jennifer Leitch, JD, LLM, PhD is a researcher and law teacher, primarily in the area of legal ethics and professionalism, access to justice, and dispute processes. Her PhD dissertation at Osgoode included ethnographic research involving self-represented litigants' experiences participating in the civil justice system. She continues to research and publish in the fields of access to justice and legal ethics. She also practiced civil litigation at Goodmans LLP in Toronto. Jennifer has been an adjunct faculty member of Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law where she taught legal ethics and professionalism, legal process and legal research and writing as well as torts most recently. She is also the Associate Director and an instructor in the Ethics, Society and Law program at Trinity College, University of Toronto and a Senior Research Fellow with the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice. Jennifer lives in Toronto with her partner and twins.

A family lawyer with 11 years of experience focused on parenting disputes and financial matters arising from separation. She favors negotiated, practical solutions but prepares every case as though it may go to court, and is known for direct, honest advice delivered respectfully. Before law, she ran a hospitality business, which she credits for her calm, listening-focused approach and realistic sense of time and financial constraints. She holds a J.D. from Western University and an Hon. B.A. from Queen's University, and is active with the Toronto Lawyers Association (including its Education Committee) and the Hamilton Law Association.

Sophia is a lawyer at McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP, where she practises in all areas of family law. She has appeared before various courts and administrative tribunals in Ontario. Sophia became a family law lawyer almost ten years into her legal career. Raising two young children motivated her to practise family law, in part because it has given her a new appreciation for the complexity of navigating relationships and parenting in the modern economy. Sophia strives for excellence in her advocacy and representation of her clients. She has achieved successful results for clients in court and in mediation / arbitration.