Posted April 4, 2018 | by Lorisa Stein |in Child Support, Collaborative Approach, Collaborative Divorce & Toronto Family Law, Family Business, Separation Agreements

A Lawyer is Drafting Your Separation Agreement?

Online kits to help you complete your separation agreement with checkboxes may look like they solve all your problems: they are readily available, fully customizable, and easy to skip over language you don’t understand.  The old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ aptly applies.   You won’t recognize conflicting provisions or out of date

Posted February 7, 2018 | by Lorisa Stein |in Arbitration, Child Support, Cohabitation Agreements, Collaborative Approach, Collaborative Divorce & Toronto Family Law, Divorce, Family Business, Marriage Contracts, Mediation, Negotiation

Why Ask a Family Law Lawyer for Advice?

Transitions in our personal lives signal a new journey tumbling with emotion, stress, and at times overwhelming our daily lives. Families aren’t predictable. Alliances are dynamic and change over time. Emotional responses interrupt our brain’s natural ability to think clearly, analyze data, and make plans appropriate to the situation. Some of that emotional stress interrupts

Posted January 18, 2018 | by Lorisa Stein |in Cohabitation Agreements, Domestic Contracts, Family Business, Marriage Contracts, Prenups

Why Should I Get a Prenup?

If you recently celebrated your engagement over the holidays, the topic of finances may have quickly surfaced in discussions with your partner, from paying for the wedding to the price of real estate to whether a prenuptial agreement should be in place before the wedding day. The conversation about an orderly distribution of assets and

Posted February 2, 2017 | by Lorisa Stein |in Family Business

Respecting Family and Business Boundaries

Overhearing shop talk at the family picnic, the cousins and siblings who aren’t involved in the daily family business operations feel isolated and ostracized. Separating spouses may strain the lines of authority at work seeking allies and emotional support. How can entrepreneurial families strike the right chord on dissonant members and maintain secure and flourishing

Posted June 18, 2015 | by Lorisa Stein |in Child Support, Collaborative Divorce & Toronto Family Law, Custody & Access, Family Business, FAQ, Property Division for Married Couples

How Do I Figure Out a Checklist of What Matters to Me?

The first questions should focus on how you want to proceed. Here’s an example: Do you want to be heard about what matters to you? If this is an important issue for you, then consider staying away from choosing an approach like court where your ‘hired gun’ does all the talking. What does being heard

Posted May 12, 2015 | by Lorisa Stein |in Child Support, Collaborative Divorce & Toronto Family Law, Divorce, Family Business

Imputing Income: 3 Responses to 3 Risky Scenarios

Imputing Income: 3 Responses to 3 Risky Scenarios Canadian child support legislation reiterates society’s desire to hold children’s welfare as the first financial priority for families upon separation. A tenant of that principle is the consistent treatment objective of the Child Support Guidelines (CSG). Both spouses earning the same income yet applying different tax treatments

Posted April 27, 2015 | by Lorisa Stein |in Child Support, Collaborative Approach, Divorce, Domestic Contracts, Family Business, Marriage Contracts, Property Division for Married Couples, Property Sharing for Common Law Partners, Spousal Support

More Tips for Business Owners Contracting Into, During and Out of a Relationship

When entrepreneurs and small business owners are transitioning their personal relationships such as cohabiting or separating is to learn about their right to secure their wealth and prepare for an orderly distribution if that relationship doesn’t succeed. Another time of transition requiring a good look at securing wealth is upon the transfer of an inheritance.

Posted April 2, 2014 | by Lorisa Stein |in Family Business

WHO is managing your nest egg?

By Referral Resource Julie Brough, CFA, CFP  Strangely enough, few people know very much about the person they entrust with their financial security.  It continues to surprise me how little the financial services industry has done to educate their clients to the different skill sets and services available within the industry.  As a result, investors

Posted February 11, 2014 | by Lorisa Stein |in Family Business

Valuations in More Detail

Valuations are an important part of resolving property and support issues in a family law matter. Assets subject to being valued include the matrimonial homes, family businesses, hobby farms, and securities held in investment portfolios.  An income stream from investments, rental properties, and family business are also common sources from which support obligations are paid.

Posted November 19, 2013 | by Lorisa Stein |in Cohabitation Agreements, Collaborative Approach, Consultations, Divorce, Family Business, Independent Legal Advice, Marriage Contracts, Negotiation, Property Division for Married Couples, Property Sharing for Common Law Partners, Separation Agreements, Silver Separation - Grey Divorce

A CORPORATE RETREAT, OR MATRIMONIAL HOME?

When a new client arrived for our initial consultation he seemed sullen and distracted. I asked what he was thinking about. He sighed and explained how he always believed that what was held by his company belonged to the company and what were used by the family were family assets. He had a group of

Posted November 5, 2013 | by Lorisa Stein |in Child Support, Cohabitation Agreements, Collaborative Approach, Collaborative Divorce & Toronto Family Law, Consultations, Divorce, Family Business, Independent Legal Advice, Marriage Contracts, Negotiation, Property Sharing for Common Law Partners, Separation Agreements, Silver Separation - Grey Divorce

Two sides to Joint Ownership of the House with the Children

Parents who solely own a house or cottage think about changing the ownership of these assets to include their children. While there may be sentimental or economic reasons for doing so, care must be taken to understand the full consequences of such a decision. Loss of critical tax credits for both the parent and child

Posted October 29, 2013 | by Lorisa Stein |in Cohabitation Agreements, Consultations, Divorce, Family Business, Independent Legal Advice, Marriage Contracts, Mediation, Negotiation, Post Separation Changes, Property Division for Married Couples, Property Sharing for Common Law Partners, Separation Agreements, Silver Separation - Grey Divorce, Spousal Support

Family Business Valuations and Marriage Contracts

A business owner was discussing seeking legal advice with Sandra, his high school sweetheart, about the impact his flourishing import/export corporation may face once they married. Jacques and his business partner, Sam, started seven years ago what is today a successful international company. There are four divisions employing 38 people; each with a family of