Can Prior Drug Convictions Affect Child Custody? A Divorce Lawyer Explains
As divorce lawyers, we’re often asked about criminal records and child custody. People are worried their past mistake(s) will cost them access to their child. Or they’re worried their ex-spouse is dangerous, and want the family courts to consider all past convictions for drugs, violence, or other charges. Everyone makes mistakes, but some errors can have a long-lasting effect. This...
What All Divorcees Can Learn From a Couple That Spent 500K on a Child Custody Battle
While some may cringe at the term “conscious uncoupling” used by star divorce couple Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, the idea of collaboration during a divorce can be valuable to a couple that’s ready to battle in court. Divorce is rarely a pleasant experience for either side of the marriage, but the damage that a broken relationship causes may be minimized for all family members involved....
Filing A Restraining Order In Ontario: A Beginner’s Guide
Are you afraid that your partner or former partner will hurt you or your children? If so, you can request the court to make a restraining order. A restraining order is a document issued by the court which instructs an individual to stay away from another person. The Family Law Act allows you to get a restraining order against a person you are or were married to, or against a partner you are or...
What the New Canada Child Benefits Will Mean for Divorced Parents
Canadian families who have dealt with divorce often experience additional complications with shared custody. In addition to scheduling visits and distributing parental duties, divorced couples have to determine the numbers in terms of child benefits and child support. New programs implemented for families by the government usually results in some sort of change to the way funds are...
Are You Worried Divorce Means You’ll Never See Your Child Again? Know Your Rights!
You can’t bear to lose your kid. They are the best thing to come out of your former partnership. But you don’t know how to fight to keep them in your life. Luckily, while the risk that you might not get custody is real, Ontario custody law doesn’t allow your ex-spouse to simply take away your child. Your Child’s Rights and Your Rights to Your Child As the Law Society...
How is Family Law Equalization Calculated in Ontario?
In Ontario, one of the most complex parts of a divorce involves the division of property. Equalization payments are designed to allow spouses to keep their personal property and split joint financial assets evenly. While this may seem like a simple fifty-fifty proposition, family law equalization calculations, when not performed properly and legally, can leave one spouse at a significant...
Start Your New Life with a Post-Divorce Bucket List
There’s no arguing that the majority of divorces are unhappy events. Rare is the divorce that’s completely mutual and pain-free. Due to the traumatic nature of the dissolution of marriage, it’s always advisable to try to salvage your relationship if you’re not experiencing emotional or physical abuse from your partner. However, when divorce is the option that makes the most sense, it’s...
The Difference Between Canadian and US Divorce Laws
Divorce law in Canada and the United States is similar in terms of the dissolution of marriage and the division of wealth and child custody. How the law is enforced, however, differs greatly. Canada has a federal divorce act while the United States leaves the specifics up to each individual state. Canadian provinces can make only small changes in family law to suit jurisdictional...
Are You Avoiding Divorce Because Your Family “Stays Together?”
Staying together for the sake of the kids is a noble idea. Divorce is never a pleasant situation, and your kids will have to deal with the dissolution of your marriage in spite of your best efforts to shield them from it. Depending on the circumstances, it may indeed be a good idea to remain married. Unfortunately, if the relationship can’t be healed, then staying together for the kids could...