You authorize your lawyer to obtain a divorce order by signing the Retainer Agreement. As you know, in Canada, there must be a one year wait from the date of separation to the date of the application to grant the court authority to grant a divorce order. The process to obtain the divorce order can
I’m not your messenger: Please talk directly to each other and don’t leave letters to each other in my knapsack. Your anger is hurting me: I understand that divorcing leaves parents emotionally exhausted. I need strong, patient, and caring parents. You are teaching me anger when you are fighting with each other in my presence.
“If I receive an inheritance before we marry, it’s not marital property to share.” Bottom line: Maybe true or false Ask: Was there a cohabitation agreement in place before the date of marriage? Has the inheritance been used to purchase a jointly held marital asset such as a vehicle or vacation property or used to
“If I own property in another country it’s clearly not marital property.” Bottom line: Depending on the circumstances, it may be true or false. Ask: In whose name and how was ownership taken? When was the property acquired? Was there a formal domestic agreement executed pursuant to the Ontario Family Law Act and is this
Litigation: In the Ontario family courts provide a stepped process that is neither cost nor time effective. Mediation programs offer litigating parents an attempt to find common ground before a judge determines the parenting arrangement for them. Some mediation programs are geared to income making them accessible to all parents. Other tools available to the
1. The darnedest habits get in the way Were the little idiosyncrasies the traits which attracted you in the first place? Can those now annoying and irritating peculiarities be handled in a non-confrontational way to refresh the relationship? 2. It’s a forest and trees problem: Friends and family may not be aware of what’s going
Sharing the setting of school routines: delegating incremental responsibility as your child grows by working together to set house rules and standards of acceptable behaviour. By enjoining each child, they learn about decision making, family values, and accountability to themselves and to each person in the family. Blended and stepfamilies may have different schools or
Making a house a new home by putting your personal stamp on it. You’re no longer negotiating the colour of the walls, style of the furnishings, or dishes you want. Keep the children involved so they know and feel they are an important part of this move. Keep the kids involved in seeing the new
Being a client in search of legal advice made for an interesting role reversal. Here’s what happened. How Many Form Emails? I completed and submitted an online request form for legal services. I completed a multipage from about my identity, the identity of the person with whom I had the legal problem, and outlined the
Understand the value to you and your family’s wellness to manage this conflict to a peaceful resolution Deescalate the tension by offering an invitation to talk in a private setting Keep interference from extended family and friends at bay to ensure privacy and focused communication between the co-parents Initiate the conversation to limit the negative
Build new personal relationships slowly. When I graduated from law school a few decades ago, it was ‘common knowledge’ that a person leaving a significant relationship will be ‘healed in about 6 months’. The new guideline is two years. It’s a more realistic fencepost and if you’re not feeling like yourself by that time, consult
Your choice: You have the right to select your own attorney, in most circumstances. If you are from a small town or using a community funded legal services program, it is likely that there will be a smaller circle of available qualified lawyers from which to make your selection. You may reject an attorney chosen
