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One of the defining moments in the paralegal profession in Ontario happened in the late 1990’s. Sandy Hutchens, the first person to receive the P.L.L. (Paralegal Litigator) designation from the Canadian Paralegal Association, became the first (and so far only) paralegal in the province of Ontario to be granted permission to appear before the Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal, representing tenants in landlord and tenant dispute matters. In a career spanning more than two decades, Sandy Hutchens has conducted 3000 landlord and tenant trials, representing both tenants and landlords; and thousands more before the Small Claims Court and Traffic Court.
He represented The Paralegal Association of Canada at the Cory Commission on licensing of paralegals in the Province of Ontario. (see http://www.lsuc.on.ca/media/analysiscorysreport.pdf). In addition, he has the distinction of having 631 reported decisions in the Ontario Court of Justice, including the Landlord and Tenant Board in the province of Ontario where he represented a party in these decisions.
With a particular passion for righting wrongs, Sandy Hutchens has helped hundreds of battered women gain custody of their children and obtain restraining orders against their abusive husbands. And as the president of Tenant’s Rights Company Inc., he served as a Commissioner of Oaths for the Province of Ontario for swearing affidavits.
An avid chess player, and a crisis counselor in his spare time, Sandy Hutchens enjoys hockey, basketball, soccer and reading. He resides in the Greater Toronto Area with his wife and children.