I was recently discussing a file with a colleague, a young lawyer. He is having trouble letting a prospective client know that there is no chance he will be successful in what he is seeking in his family law case. But even though the client has sought multiple opinions, the client does not care [...]
In years gone by, if a parent in a child protection case lost at trial, then unless there were a chance of success at an appeal, this would spell the end of the parent-child relationship. The kids would be adopted out or be placed in the care of society indefinitely. But that is no [...]
Upon the end of a marriage or a common-law relationship, the separating parties generally do not like each other any longer. They wish to end their connection to one another. I say “generally” as sometimes, one party wishes to reconcile, but the other party has already “moved on” - whether mentally or physically –from [...]
Family law matters are fraught with so much emotional turmoil. First, the end of any relationship brings pain, sadness, and anger; then you have family and friends who take sides, followed by the practical uncertainties for the children, who are caught in the middle of the dispute. To make it worse, there are serious [...]
Recent Amendments to the Divorce Act and Children’s Law Reform Act As we anxiously awaited for the calendar to turn over from February to March this year, hoping for the end of the Covid-19 restrictions and for better weather to come, the federal and provincial governments successfully made significant changes to two important laws [...]
When I was a young boy, my friends and I loved playing the board game “Monopoly.” We would play for hours on end. We developed our own strategies to beat our opponents, to try and make money, acquire property and to win the game. Sometimes we had a lucky roll of the dice, and [...]
As we approach the holiday season of giving, many of us are tasked with a list of what presents we need to get for our loved ones, friends, neighbours, and perhaps colleagues at work. In family law litigation, it may seem like it is Christmas all year long because their clients always ask family [...]
As the autumn leaves have mostly fallen off the tree, and most of us have struggled to burn off all the calories we gained over the Thanksgiving weekend, October will soon give way to November. That means one thing for many of us in the legal profession: It is “Make a Will” month? Last [...]
They say that in life, only two things are certain – death and taxes. After 27 years of practicing law, I would add a third certainty to that mix – the growing unaffordability of family law litigation. When I started my practice in 1994, only 1 in 5 clients in family court was without [...]
You would think that life cannot get worse than when the local child welfare agency (sometimes called the Children’s Aid Society, or CAS) comes to your home and apprehends your children. Sadly, it can get worse, and often does. Not only can they take your children and limit any access you have to them, [...]
