Remember Eddie Murphy’s comedy video Raw diatribe on splitting assets in a divorce? To paraphrase: “she gets half!!Ӧ. For all his talent, the voice of ShrekŦ is not an Ontario lawyer. When a married couple separates, the Ontario Family Law Act (FLA) provides that they share the increase of the value of assets acquired and […]
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
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
by Timothy Sullivan, lawyer Custody battles can be costly. Family lawyers see this kind of situation all too often: A protracted custody and access battle between divorcing parents goes on far longer than it should, typically because one or both parties escalate situations restrict access or bring motions when a conversation should have sufficed. The
“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.
Even highly-educated professionals should see independent legal advice In some ways, getting a divorce is a pretty straightforward proposition: There’s well-established case law, mostly-clear standards, and generally accepted principles for dividing property and establishing spousal and child support. And there’s a fear that ‘bringing lawyers into it’ can turn what may otherwise be an
by Timothy Sullivan, lawyer “Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage…” When’s the last time you’ve seen a horse or been in a carriage? You meet, date, decide to share expenses and rent, maybe buy a house, have kids. Seems normal. And it is. Common law coupling is less about a decision
When fighting over furry friends, consider what it’s (really) worth by Timothy Sullivan, Lawyer We’re talking about pets more than usual this month because of our support for SafePet Ottawa and their gala event at the beginning of November, but the issue of ‘pet custody’ as it relates to separation and divorce has been increasingly
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
by Sarah G. Mizrahi, Associate How a child, and their parents, can keep gifted down-payments safe in a separation Let’s start by pointing out the obvious: New homebuyers are facing a very different kind of social and economic landscape when buying their home. The fact is, housing prices in many parts of Canada continue to
