There is usually a world of separation between the esteemed members of the judicial bench and the rest of us mere mortals down below.
But Mr. Justice Harvey Brownstone is not your ordinary judge - and the maverick magistrate in north Toronto's family court is hellbent on tearing down the walls between the cloistered jurists and the public.
Think Dr. Phil, but without the southern drawl.
Brownstone is already the first sitting judge to author a book aimed at the general public - Tug of War (A Judge's Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles, and the Bitter Realities of Family Court) - with all proceeds going to the Children's Wish Foundation. And he's now the first to host his own talk show - broadcast online at www.familymatterstv.com, the judge is hoping it will eventually be picked up by a major broadcaster.
"This is a show that should be on Oprah's network," he says.
It's an hour before court begins and his black robe and red sash are waiting in his office closet as the charismatic judge sits at the edge of his chair, passionately describing a myriad of topics he hopes to tackle on his show.
"We need to educate the public," insists Brownstone, 53. "There is this huge hunger and need for easy to understand, plain language information about the law and the justice system. There's a huge need for this and I'm the right person to do it."
After 15 years as a judge in the busiest family court in Canada, the frustration of watching children suffer while their parents do battle convinced him to take the unusual judicial step of stepping out from behind the bench and speaking directly to the public.
To Brownstone's surprise, his book became a national best-seller. Broadcasting seemed the natural next step.
"If watching Judge Judy and Law and Order is where people are getting their education about the law, then that's where we should go to give it to them."
Taking to the airwaves - or the Internet - doesn't mean he can leave judicial decorum behind, especially when he's being watched carefully by his more reserved superiors. "I'm pushing the envelope," he concedes. "But I don't intend to be a Judge Judy wannabe. My mandate is to educate the public. I'm not a TV star. I can't be Ellen. I can't be Dr. Phil. I'm a judge. I have to be dignified.
"But I think people should see there is a human side to being a judge, that we do have a personality and we do care."
That's evident as Brownstone talks about his work in family court, where he and five other judges deal with 6,000 complex cases a year.
An astounding 70% of the people coming before him don't have a lawyer, and too often, he says, the acrimonious proceedings are more about vengeance than what's best for their child.
"It's a very sad place," he sighs. "We see people in such terrible distress. We do nothing happy here and so much of the pain could have been avoided."
So Brownstone wants to do shows on resources parents can use before it gets that heated - from parenting coaches to mediation.
He also wants to help parents avoid divorce court in the first place. There's an explosion, he says, of Internet matchups that go sour, and others dissolving because of addictions.
"We see various incarnations of Tiger Woods all the time. They're not as rich and they're not as famous, but sexual addictions are huge."
The first openly gay judge appointed to the bench in Canada, the married Brownstone has been with his partner for 25 years.
While not a parent himself, his obvious love for children is behind his unique drive to educate the public.
"The kids always ask me: 'Can you make my parents get back together' or 'Can you make my parents stop fighting?' It's so sad but those are two wishes I can never grant," he says, as he dons his judicial robes.
"When parents launch war, it's never good for the kids."
Read Mandel Wednesday through Saturday. email@example.com or 416-947-2231.