A short self-paced course · $77 CAD
Writing Your Family Court Affidavit
How to tell what happened, clearly and in order, so a judge can follow it.
Sooner or later you'll be asked to put your evidence in writing and swear it's true. It has to be short, it has to be exact, and it's about the hardest years of your life. On a motion, it may be most of what the judge reads about your family. This course teaches you a method for writing it, step by step, with made-up examples you can follow.
Written for Ontario family court. The method works anywhere in Canada, with or without a lawyer.
You'll learn how to
- see your affidavit the way a busy judge reads it
- choose what goes in, and what to leave for later, without feeling you've left out what mattered
- turn your own account of what happened into a short, sworn affidavit (they're two different documents, and the course shows you how one feeds the other)
- write clear, dated paragraphs, one point each
- describe control by what happened, not by labels, so the judge can see the pattern for themselves
- write about the children carefully, and attach your records as exhibits
- swear, serve and file it, and reply when theirs arrives
- look after yourself while you write about the hardest things
I write reports for family courts, and I read a lot of affidavits. This is what makes the difference between one a judge can rely on and one that gets lost.
How it works
Seventeen short written lessons and a printable Toolkit. Read it in a weekend, or work through it as you write.
- Before you start — what an affidavit is for, and when you'll need one
- How a judge reads it — evidence, not a letter; what helps and what gets in the way
- From your account to your affidavit — choosing what goes in; what you know and what you were told
- Writing the paragraphs — structure, factual paragraphs, describing control without labels, the children, length and tone
- Exhibits — which records to attach, and how to label them
- Swearing, serving and filing — the commissioner, deadlines, replying, and writing it without reliving it
- Your Toolkit — affidavit planner, paragraph planner, exhibit list, final checklist, reply planner
Questions people ask
Will you write or check my affidavit?
No. The course teaches a method with made-up examples, and it isn't legal advice. What to ask the court for, and which rule applies to your step, are questions for duty counsel, a legal clinic or a lawyer. Many lawyers will review a draft you've written for a set fee, and a clear draft makes that quicker and cheaper.
How is this different from Your Account, In Order?
Your Account, In Order helps you get everything that happened onto paper, privately, in date order. This course is the next step: choosing from that account and writing the short, sworn version the court will read. You don't need to have done the first course, but if you have, most of the remembering is already done.
Who is it for?
Any parent who has to write an affidavit in a family court case, with a lawyer or without one, on either side. It's also useful for a friend or relative writing a supporting affidavit.
My deadline is soon. Is it too late?
No. Start with lessons 1.2, 2.2 and 3.2, then use the final checklist in the Toolkit before you swear it.
Is it private?
Everything prints, so you can work on paper. If you'd rather not get email about the course at your usual address, write to info@coercivecontrolcanada.com and tell me the safest way to reach you.
Haven't got it in date order yet?
An affidavit is much easier to write once what happened is on paper, in order. Your Account, In Order ($127) walks you through that step by step, and the free workbook Organising Your Own Account is a good place to start. If a case conference is coming first, see Your Case Conference ($57).
Who wrote it
Elizabeth Joy Dubois, MSW, RSW, is a Registered Social Worker who prepares independent expert reports on coercive control, for either side, and gives evidence on them as an expert witness. Over two decades across clinical, hospital and legal settings, and a specialised practice in coercive control.
General information, not legal advice. No testimonials or outcome claims appear on this site, by choice.
Say it clearly, once
$77 CAD, includes the printable Toolkit. Go at your own pace.