Collaborative family law the Alt Divorce Way

When Ontario couples decide to end their marriages, most of them are determined to get their divorces over and done in the quickest and most painless possible way — also with a minimum of antagonism and stressful conflict. Is that even possible? The answer is yes — collaborative family law allows couples to navigate divorce settlement agreements and move forward with all the bitterness and contention left behind. However, if you choose this process, you must …

The current model of alternative dispute resolution — that is, reaching a mutually satisfying agreement peaceably, outside the courts — probably originated in the distant past when two warring factions decided to forgo the bloodbath and find common ground instead. Similarly, marriage is based on commonality, which doesn’t magically vanish when an Ontario couple decides to divorce. This is where collaborative family law can provide a potentially less forbidding path through the emotional and legal tangle entailed …

It can be heart wrenching when someone hears a spouse or partner say, “I don’t want to be with you anymore.” Sometimes, it’s put in writing or demonstrated by moving out of the bedroom or by any number of actions that signal the end of a union. The starting point for a legal separation agreement is a mutually recognized date of separation. In Ontario, collaborative family law recognizes that in the end lies the potential for …

Almost one in six couples in Canada will have infertility issues when trying to start a family. Fertility law is an emerging branch of family law. Family lawyers can assist clients with fertility law by drafting Sperm Donor Contracts and Surrogacy Agreements. In a Sperm Donor Contract a male agrees to provide another couple with semen to allow them to conceive a child. In a Surrogacy Agreement, a female agrees to bear and give birth …

It is always recommended that you NOT change the beneficiary of your life insurance policy (who is usually your ex-spouse) until you have resolved all financial matters arising from your separation or divorce by way of a separation agreement or court order. In almost all cases, one or both ex-spouses will have support obligations towards his/her ex-spouse or children after a separation occurs and when that is the case the final settlement inevitably includes an …

En Ontario, moins de 3% de toutes les actions intentées devant la cour de la famille aboutissent en un procès. Le fait que votre requête judiciaire n’ait pas besoin d’un procès ne veut pas dire que vous n’irez jamais en cour. Bien au contraire! Notre système judiciaire familial ainsi que les Règles de procédure qui s’appliquent à ce genre de causes favorisent les règlements amiables. Dans cet esprit, avant de se rendre à un procès, …

En tant que nouvelle avocate, je suis constamment en mode apprentissage. Bien que j’ai passé ce qui me semble être d’innombrables années à étudier pour finalement devenir avocate, j’ai vite réalisé que ma formation d’avocate n’était peut-être pas aussi complète que je le pensais. Cette réalisation est devenue évidente lorsque j’ai été invitée à participer à une rencontre de droit collaboratif et que la seule question que j’avais en tête était: « Le droit collaboratif, …