“I’m still married, but now I have a live-in girlfriend. We both have kids. What does this mean, legally speaking?” Whenever a married couple separates – especially if there are young children involved – it’s best to document any custody and parenting arrangements, even if they’re only to be used on an interim basis. […]
“I paid a contractor $35,000 to renovate the kitchen. It’s been 6 months, it’s only half-done, and I’m pretty sure he’s not going to finish it. What are my remedies in civil court?” Before we consider suing, we have to understand the reasons for the delay. The desire of the homeowner is to have the
Non-competes are increasingly common – but they have to be reasonable Employees may be required to sign an employment contract as a term of employment. Typical employment agreements include the employee’s start date, payment terms, details of future increases or changes in remuneration, duties, the term of employment and the terms of dismissal. As
As with most things in law, the answer is “It depends.” Mediation is one way of resolving a dispute. It’s not the only way. It can be a great way to solve differences in family disputes – but isn’t always the best approach. It’s complicated. Lawyers typically have very little to do with mediation, so
What are the rights and responsibilities of executors? “My cousin wants a car from the estate of our recently-deceased, not-wealthy uncle. One of the executors of our uncle’s will is willing to give him a pretty good price for the car, just to get rid of it, but the other executor says they should sell
Thanks to television and some of the more drama-filled divorces most of us see in the media from time to time, most people think they have a good idea about child support rules. The truth is that in Ontario, child support is largely dictated by the courts. Most of the time, it isn’t complicated
“My common-law partner just cheated on me, so we’re breaking up. Will he still get half the house, even though I’m the one who put up the down payment and paid most of the mortgage?” It depends. If the house was jointly owned – so both names are on the deed – the likelihood is
Preparing estate documents is one thing. Accessing them is another. Last Monday morning I got a call from an old friend in Vancouver. “My mother’s in the hospital and they don’t expect her to regain consciousness,” he said. “I need to find her Will and the Power of Attorney paperwork she did with her lawyer
Making a Will isn’t fun. Dying without one is worse. If ‘making a Will’ has been one of those things on your long-term to-do list but doesn’t seem to ever become a top priority, you’re not alone; studies show that as many as 74% of Canadians don’t have an up-to-date Will, and about half of Canadians don’t
Sure, ‘without prejudice’ seems like a real legal term. But what is it, exactly? The traditional meaning of ‘without prejudice’ it is to allow communications between parties without worrying that those communications, like letters or emails, will be used in court against the writer. However, it’s a term often misused by lawyers. It should be
