Introduction As I reach my 30th year of practice, some of the hardest battles I have fought are the urban legends that people hear from friends, family, social media or just popular culture. Ideas like “if I have my kids 40% of the time, I don’t have to pay child support,” or “ married and [...]
Introduction As a teenager growing up in the early 1980s, one of my favourite bands was Spandau Ballet. A less popular song of theirs was entitled “Communication,” and in the refrain, I get the title to this blog: “Communication let me down, and I am left here.” The song was about the fracture in a [...]
IntroductionOne of the most challenging aspects of my job, even after almost 30 years of practice, is to manage the expectations of my clients. They are heavily influenced by their own set of friends, family and the media, believing that what they see about lawyers on American shows and movies should be the way it [...]
This blog is a bit of a “refresher” of my very first blog from early 2019 entitled “Do I Need a Family Law Lawyer.” With the events over the past 4-5 years that we all had to live through, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the changing economic realities (locally and globally), and the major developments in [...]
As we have let go of the nasty winter weather and transition into spring, many of us wonder what the next few months will be like, so we can plan ahead. In some ways, family law clients must do the same when they have come to a point where they must decide to hire a [...]
When I was finishing law school and starting to practice law in the early to mid-1990s, my favourite television show was “Seinfeld.” It satirically and cleverly poked fun at the simple quirks of human behaviour. One of my favourite episodes was when “George” refused to tell anyone his banking password, even if it meant saving [...]
IntroductionOver the past few years, I have written other blogs on “Won’t Someone Please Think of the Children” (Summer 2020) and “Won’t Someone Please Think of the Grandparents” (Late Fall 2022). I will complete my “trilogy” - as this month of February comes to a close, given that it is the shortest month, I will [...]
As we turn the page on another year, many people have decided to proceed with resolving a dispute within a current or former relationship. Some will do so with the advice and representation of a lawyer, and some will not. Those who have consulted and/or hired a lawyer, to advise and guide them, may not [...]
The cell phone rings, am I listening? On the line, a client is bristling. Their Christmas access has been denied, Without reason by the other side. Ugh… Practicing Family Law at Christmas Time. Gone away, is all common sense. Here to stay, is an unbillable expense. To make matters worse, He won’t stop uttering a [...]
Over the years, I have heard many people say that the challenges and struggles of being a parent are finally rewarded when they become a grandparent. Being able to spoil your grandchild with love and affection, not to mention lots of food and other goodies, is part and parcel of the role of the grandparent. [...]
