When I first started practicing law in 1994, family law matters were dealt very differently than today. The court forms were simple and open-ended, but lawyers would fill them with very long, predictable, and inflammatory statements. Generally speaking, the successful party was the one who filed the court papers first. When we got to court, [...]
As we have reached the end of April, we would typically turn our minds to tax filings. But since the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has given us a bit of a reprieve from filing our tax returns by April 30 this year (given that it has been a different year, indeed), I thought it would [...]
In the early days of this COVID 19 Pandemic, some people in the legal profession thought that minor differences between former spouses and partners involved in family law disputes would go by the wayside, and people would focus on the bigger issues facing all of us in society, like our economic and personal survival. [...]
In my travels as a family law lawyer, I have seen the many challenges that both support recipients and support payors go through in dealing with the government agency known as the Family Responsibility Office, the FRO. It is a much-maligned agency, having started as “Support and Custody Order Enforcement” (SCOE) and then the [...]
As we enter a new year and a new decade, there are some who will enter a new relationship. For those who have been in family relationships before and they have not worked out, ending in divorce or separation, it is quite common to learn from the mistakes of the past. One of those [...]
As we approach the end of 2019 and start a new year, some people will resolve to separate from their current partner. Along with the usual issues of custody, access, support, and property division to consider, you also need to turn your mind to some urgent yet practical concerns. As we live in a [...]
As the calendar turns to December, many of us start thinking of the upcoming holidays. Even though the season is originally based on religious themes, many of the celebrations are secular and enjoyed by many in our diverse Canadian culture. One recurring theme that family law lawyers see in the courts at this time [...]
In one of my recent blogs, I wrote about why you should have a will, and why a lawyer should prepare one for you. With the start of November upon us, and with it being "Make a Will" month, I recommend you re-read my blog on the topic. But when you consider doing your [...]
I recently met with an older couple (older than me, that is) who wanted to do their wills. They had never done them before, so they felt that doing a will right now was a prudent thing to do, or in their own words, “it’s the grown-up thing to do.” I agree with this [...]
Just about every family law client I have ever spoken to has had something to say about the Family Responsibility Office (FRO), and it is usually isn’t good. Too slow, too busy, too aloof, too aggressive, not aggressive enough, etc., are just some of the common complaints. There are thousands upon thousands of support [...]
