Mental Health Law

Mental health law is a challenging area as it strives to balance patient autonomy and the protection of vulnerable persons. On one hand it attempts to preserve the rights of individuals to make decisions about their own bodies relating to medical treatment or admission to psychiatric facilities; on the other hand, it attempts to protect people from themselves when they do not have the capacity to make certain decisions.

Not sure you need legal advice? We offer online courses for people who are looking to learn more.

I’m Lisa Feldstein.

I am a health lawyer in Ontario and an Adjunct Professor at York University (I teach Health Care Law). My practice has been focused on family caregivers since 2013. Before that, I was a lawyer for the health sector (primarily hospitals).
I do A LOT of public speaking and publishing. You can read more about that here. Want to hear me speak about consent and capacity law? Watch a video here.
Lisa has been widely published and interviewed in the media, including in the Canadian Journal of Family Law, CTV, and the National Post.The feedback Lisa most loves hearing from clients is that she made the process feel simple.

What Can A Lawyer Do For You?

Family members regularly interact with the health care system when their loved one has a mental illness. It shouldn't be so hard to access mental health services, yet it is.

Ontario's health care system often requires family caregivers to advocate for care and access to treatment. But it is hard to feel empowered when you don't know the law, when there is a power imbalance, or when your life is in crisis. That's where we come in.

We help families get their loved ones admitted to psychiatric facilities so they can be assessed, and potentially treated. We help families push back against hospitals trying to discharge their relatives when it is unsafe to do so. We help families understand and be heard at Consent and Capacity Board hearings.  We help families understand what it means when a loved one is "formed". We help families understand their options so that they are empowered to attend family meetings with psychiatrists on a more level playing field.

Learn more about Mental Health Law
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