IntroductionAs May turns to June in the year 2022, the “wedding season” is upon us, and with this year being the first year where Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted to allow for general attendance as in pre-Covid years, the invitations are starting to trickle in. In the past, when I would go to weddings, people [...]
As we shed the winter blanket and invite spring back into our lives, people tend to go out, socialize more, relax and have fun. With the better weather upon us, sadly, in family law, we generally see an uptick in work at this time of the year. Conflicts in relationships arise at all times of [...]
After more than three years of writing blogs, you will note that I am not a big fan of taking matters to trial in family law or child protection cases. So are most lawyers practicing in these areas of law. Only about 3 to 5 % of cases ever reach the trial stage. [...]
Introduction As the world watches the terror unfold in the Ukraine, our hearts ache for those brave citizens who remain in the homeland to fight against the tyranny of evil of the Russian invasion. It is a sad but realistic expectation that some of them will not survive the conflict. This is all too [...]
As the clock struck midnight on a new year, I reflected on that year that was and the hope that a new year always seems to bring. It sparked an idea for a blog, but given the moment, I waited until now to expand on that sparkling thought – I’m sure my wife would [...]
Hi everyone. I normally write a blog each month to provide some information for the public on a pressing aspect of family law, child protection law or wills/powers of attorney. With the end of 2021 nearly upon us, I have decided to keep things a little light, and write a “tongue-in-cheek” poem, using a [...]
With apologies in advance to the 1980’s band OMD, I decided to borrow the opening line from the soundtrack to the hit movie from 1986 “Pretty in Pink” to introduce the topic to this month’s blog - Relocation. It is quite common in today’s society that, following the end of a relationship, one or [...]
In all my years of doing family law, there is no single form that draws the ire of clients as much as the financial statement. It is a dull and painstakingly clumsy form. When I was a staff lawyer at the Hamilton Family Courthouse (about 15-20 years ago), I initially gave clients the blank [...]
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 [...]
