In another couple of months, many parents will be dropping off their kids at university for the first time. With this in mind, we’re bringing you one of our most popular articles – and one of the child-support questions we’re most often asked – on what happens to child support when the child goes to […]
Asking the right questions will help you find the right fit The truth is that sometimes in life, you need a family lawyer: To help with estates, Wills and powers of attorney; for property division and mortgage agreements; for marriage and co-habitation agreements; and, yes, for separation, divorce and child custody agreements. It’s a
Persistent litigants make everyone suffer Persistent family law litigants who bring applications or motions to vary without pursuing them by consistently delaying proceedings are abusing the justice system and responding parties – and they typically don’t face any consequences, says Ottawa family lawyer Timothy N. Sullivan. “There should be a rule of court to address parties who
A topic that many people just don’t consider A recent Ontario Court of Appeal (OCA) ruling that allows a second wife and child to claim support from a deceased common-law husband’s life insurance policy raises some important questions and issues. The ruling overturned a Divisional Court decision that found the second wife was not a “creditor”
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
Engaging legal counsel shouldn’t be intimidating. We provide smart, candid, appropriate and thoughtful legal advice.  Our approach is to help our client make informed decisions and find the best way to a resolution. As part of this approach, we’re part of the Collaborative Practice Ottawa network. What is collaborative law? “Collaborative Practice, also known
A twenty-year-old cohabitation agreement could be problematic (and risky) A guy has an acrimonious split from a former partner and wants to ensure he doesn’t have to go through it again. So when he and his girlfriend move in together, he has her sign a cohabitation agreement which says that neither party will seek spousal
Federal legislation that proposes “child-focused” language will likely do little to mitigate conflict between parties with children, Ottawa family lawyer and civil litigator Timothy N. Sullivan tells AdvocateDaily.com. The recently introduced Bill C-78 “aims to help families settle disputes outside court, emphasize the well-being of impacted children and better enforce child support,” Canadian Press reports. “Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould
Guidelines mean more litigation and conflict The Supreme Court of Canada’s (SCC) new guidelines for international child custody cases will prompt more litigation and conflict in Hague Convention matters, Ottawa family lawyer and civil litigator Timothy N. Sullivan tells AdvocateDaily.com. The case involved a family of four Canadians living in Germany. Although the father had custody of the two
Residency should be flexible in adoption of adult child Judicial discretion should be exercised if someone wants to adopt an adult child from another jurisdiction, says Ottawa family lawyer and civil litigator Timothy N. Sullivan. So when Justice Bruce E. Pugsley said he could not grant an adoption order of a step-daughter because the intended step-father, a 71-year-old
