Most of us think we know a lot about divorce from the media or watching others go through it, and often the focus is on the emotional strain, which is difficult for everyone. But even an amicable divorce involves legal ramifications, and there really is no substitute for professional counsel when it comes to that […]

On November 14th, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa announced that home buyers will now get a $4,000 rebate on their land-transfer tax (LTT) when purchasing their first home. The provision is expected to take effect on January 1, 2017.  It would double the existing tax break for first-time home buyers already in place. This larger

When it comes to adoption – and specifically open adoptions – it’s important to remember that ‘openness’ is not ‘access’, and the two should not be confused. Our own Timothy Sullivan was asked for his opinions on open adoptions in this month’s issue of the Law Times.

November 1, 2016 – OTTAWA   SullivanLaw is happy to announce the donation of $525.04 to the Cardiology Department at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO Foundation), raised at their recent SullivanLaw Coach-Pitch Tournament 2016 in Alta Vista in August. “When we realized that the Scott Tokessy Memorial Gold Glove Tournament couldn’t accept any more

Hardly anyone enjoys the prospect of preparing a will. But without one, you not only run the risk of having your estate distributed contrary to your wishes – you may be leaving your family and friends with a legal mess to clean up after you’re gone. Don’t think of a will as something ‘morbid’; think

  How to make it easier to organize and allocate household ‘stuff’ when a parent has died When people think about being an executor of a will, they often focus on the administrative part: Making sure they know where the will is, meeting with the lawyer, contacting beneficiaries, ensuring the paperwork is completed and filed

It’s September, which – for parents and most people under 18 – means ‘back to school’. For parents with older children, this time of year can also mean saying goodbye to children who are heading off to post-secondary education, sometimes far from home. What does that mean for child support? It’s often assumed that child

Last time, we talked about what Small Claims Court in Ontario is (and isn’t). But the question I hear more often is: If I’m going to Small Claims Court, do I need a lawyer? The answer – like so many questions of law – isn’t always ‘yes’ or always ‘no’. The Small Claims rules are

      Maybe, in the old days, making clients think that you – as the august and brilliant lawyer – were too busy to deliver high-touch customer service was a good strategy. But in 2016, with a marketplace over-full of lawyers in most specialties, being responsive to clients isn’t just ‘nice’ – it’s also

Everyone’s heard of Small Claims Court. But not everyone knows when to use it. The Ontario Small Claims Court is a lot of things. It’s a court of justice. It’s a statutory court. It’s a forum to litigate civil disputes and occasionally some minor family law cases.  It has minimal “equitable” jurisdiction.  As long as