Trauma & Law Research Brief

End of Summer 2026 Edition

In this issue:

One year of MindSense Canada - a reflection from Matt
Four Canadian rulings shaping IPV and trauma-informed law
Summer highlights: SALA sponsorship and CPD training across the country
What's ahead this fall - masterclass, accreditation update, and more

Issue 2 - October 2026

A Note From Matt - One Year On

This past July marked one year since we officially launched MindSense Canada - and it's a milestone that feels worth pausing on.

When we started this work, our goal was simple: to bring genuinely trauma-informed assessments into a medico-legal system that hadn't quite caught up to what the science was telling us. A year in, I'm struck by how much movement there's been - in the courts, in how firms are approaching these cases, and in the appetite among clinicians and lawyers alike for practice that reduces harm and improves accuracy.

We've had the privilege of working alongside some remarkable people over the past 12 months. To our referring firms, our consultant panel, and everyone who has trusted us with these cases - thank you.

There's much more ahead.

- Matt Lau, Managing Director

Fang v Lu - The New IPV Tort in Practice

One of the first Ontario family law cases to apply the Supreme Court's new tort of intimate partner violence. The court awarded $40,000 in general damages after finding a sustained pattern of coercive, controlling, and physically abusive conduct - a meaningful early signal for how the Ahluwalia framework will operate in day-to-day family litigation.

Mitchell v Mitchell - When Does an IPV Claim Need Expert Evidence?

A significant Ontario decision demonstrating that an IPV claim can succeed with substantial damages even without formal expert psychiatric evidence - where the documentary record, participant experts, and lay witnesses are strong enough to carry the case. But it also raises a question: when does expert evidence add real value in an IPV claim?

K.A.S. v J.R.M. - The Cost of Missing Expert Evidence

A New Brunswick family law decision where allegations of PTSD and family violence were before the court, but the absence of expert psychiatric or psychological evidence led the judge to expressly decline drawing medical conclusions. A useful counterweight to Mitchell - and a clear illustration of where independent expert assessment can materially shift a court's findings.

BD v Germain - Alberta Recognizes the Tort of Intrusion Upon Seclusion

The Alberta courts have joined other provinces in recognizing intrusion upon seclusion as a distinct tort. In this case, a plaintiff who suffered PTSD after being secretly recorded in a workplace bathroom by a colleague - was able to pursue civil damages. A signal of how trauma-related harms are being recognized across a widening range of legal frameworks.

Trauma-Informed CPD Training Across Canada

Since June, MindSense has delivered 10 CPD-accredited trauma-informed training sessions to legal teams across the country - reaching well over 100 lawyers at both plaintiff and defence firms in Toronto, London, Vancouver, Halifax, Hamilton, and beyond. Sessions have covered both Part 1 (Building Trauma Awareness) and Part 2 (Trauma-Informed Professional Care).

With eight more sessions already confirmed for October and November, appetite for this training continues to grow - and we're delighted to see firms across the bar investing in it.

If your team is interested in booking a session, we'd love to hear from you.

MindSense On The Road

MindSense stayed active on the conference circuit through the summer. Matt joined the Gluckstein Lawyers Conference in person and tuned in remotely for the Osgoode Hall Conference on Family Law and Intimate Partner Violence while Stuart represented us at the ACTLA Conference in Alberta.

These events are how we stay close to the work you're doing - and we came away from each one with new perspectives, new connections, and real momentum.

From Our Resources

Supporting the legal community with useful, clinically grounded content is something we care about at MindSense - and it's a growing part of what we do. Our team is regularly publishing articles aimed at helping legal professionals better understand the trauma-informed side of the work they do every day.

Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date - and if there's a topic you'd find useful for us to cover, we'd love to hear it.

SALA Gold Sponsor

MindSense is proud to sponsor the 2026 SALA Annual Conference on October 16th in Toronto. The Sexual Abuse Lawyers Alliance brings together Canada's leading civil sexual abuse litigators, trauma-informed practitioners, and strategic advisors - the people building the path forward for Survivors seeking justice through the civil system. It's a community we're glad to stand with. If you're attending, come say hello.

Thank you for reading our end of summer edition

The work happening across legal, clinical, and community spaces gives us reason for genuine optimism - and we're proud to be part of it. We'll be back with more updates, research, and reflections as the year unfolds.

Did you miss our Spring Newsletter? Read it here.

Until next time,

The MindSense Canada Team

Contact Us

To discuss tailored education or access our events and webinars, reach out to us at: info@mindsensepsychiatry.ca

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