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. [...]
Over my nearly 30 years of practicing law, I have seen tens of thousands of clients, and I have heard all of their stories, their sorrows, their hopes/dreams, and their lived experiences. It can be exceedingly difficult to hear, but my role is to listen, to advise and to represent them. As challenging as it [...]
Introduction As the summer of 2022 comes to an end, the courts are slowly but surely returning to some sense of normalcy that existed pre-pandemic. One of the indicators of this return to normalcy is the return of, and the recent expansion of, the Dispute Resolution Officer (DRO) Program. Although it is not yet available [...]
There is a famous quote from Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, which says “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” How profound. But I would bet that he did not have to deal with former/ex-partners or spouses who were reticent or conflictual in allowing him to go on a journey [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
