Family Law

We offer our family law clients strategic advice in order to achieve resolutions in the client’s best interest, and remain sensitive to the personal and emotional aspects of family and relationship issues. Our services offer a tailored approach that takes into account both the legal and financial circumstances of each client.

Our team assists in identifying your needs and concerns and provides options to resolve the matters surrounding separation or divorce. We offer guidance in determining an approach that would best suit your family, whether it is through the collaborative family law process, mediation, mediation-arbitration, arbitration, or litigation.

An early neutral consultation is a joint information session that provides an opportunity for the couple to learn about the process and the range of alternative dispute resolution options available that are specific to their family needs and goals. Both parties benefit from this session by hearing the same information together, providing them with an equal understanding of which process would best achieve their common goals in a mutually beneficial resolution. No legal advice, no negotiations, and no decisions are made at this session. The focus is information.

A divorce is an order issued by the court to dissolve a marriage. It provides closure to your relationship. An uncontested divorce order is pursued after a separation agreement is in place.

If you are unable to resolve your issues in a separation agreement and you have to go to court, the divorce is the final step after the issues are resolved by a judge.

A separation agreement details the agreement reached by all parties. If there is ever a dispute in the future, you are able to refer back to the separation agreement to settle the dispute. It is legally binding and provides concrete plans for (1) custody and access, (2) child support and spousal support, and (3) property and asset issues.

An improperly drafted separation agreement can lead to an unenforceable agreement that could leave you in a difficult situation.

A marriage contract (sometimes referred to as a pre-nuptial agreement) can protect your rights and assets at the time of marriage. It is recommended when substantial assets are brought into a marriage. A marriage contract may be entered into by both parties, either prior to a marriage or during the marriage. This agreement allows spouses to opt out of most of the Family Law Act provisions.

For couples who choose to remain unmarried, a cohabitation agreement can provide a legal protection in cases where one spouse dies without a will or in the event of a future breakdown in the relationship. In comparison to married couples, common law spouses do not have an automatic right to property sharing and are not included in intestate succession rights.

However, common-law spouses have spousal support obligations towards each other. If you decide to marry in the future, your cohabitation agreement automatically becomes a marriage contract (also sometimes referred to as a prenuptial agreement), unless you specifically state otherwise. We will help ensure that a cohabitation agreement is upheld by a court, should it ever be challenged, and advise on the number of steps which should always be taken.

Services Offered:

• Early Neutral Consultation
• Collaborative Family Law
• Divorce
• Separation Agreement
• Family Law Mediation
• Court Applications
• Child Custody and Access
• Child and Spousal Support
• Division of Property and Equalization
• Marriage Contracts (also referred to as prenuptial agreements)
• Cohabitation Agreements
• Motions to Change