Your personal legal matters are important. Our family law team is devoted to helping you navigate and resolve issues associated with divorce and family law, whether you are building a family or need to navigate the separation and divorce experience.
Getting early and accurate legal advice is important. Decisions made during separation and divorce can affect your family for years to come. Collectively, our family law team has over two centuries of family law experience. Our job is to educate and empower you so that you can confidently make decisions to build your family’s future, whatever your situation. We take pride in being skilled litigators, negotiators, arbitrators, mediators, and advocates. We’ll help you understand the benefits and drawbacks of each of the processes available to resolve disputes.
There are a number of issues you may need to consider when building your family or reorganizing your family after a separation. Some of these include:
- Parenting: Separation and divorce is a stressful time for all family members, including your children. We provide a thoughtful approach to designing parenting arrangements best suited to your family.
- Child support: Child support addresses how parents financially support their children. Child support is not fixed, but varies from year to year based on factors such as changes in income, changes in the parenting arrangement, and whether the children are still dependents.
- Spousal support: Spousal support involves the concept of sharing family income, and involves the payment of money from one spouse to the other, usually monthly. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to spousal support. Each situation is different and unique. It’s prudent to get advice about whether there is an entitlement to spousal support and, if so, the amount of spousal support that could be payable, and for how long.
- Division of family property and responsibility for debts: Whether married or common law, dealing with assets and debts is an issue that arises upon separation. In Saskatchewan, there is a presumption of equal sharing of assets and debts accumulated during the relationship, subject to specific exemptions and exceptions, which must be proven.
- Common law relationships: Complexities in these types of cases relate to whether a particular relationship is a “common law relationship”. Often people have different perceptions of the relationship, and whether there should be legal rights and obligations. Additional complexities can include determining the division of assets and debts, spousal support, and child support.
- Same sex relationships: In Canada, the Civil Marriage Act legalized the right of same sex couples to marry. Our team has the experience and practical knowledge necessary to address all issues associated with same sex relationships in a safe and inclusive environment.
- Separation, pre-nuptial and cohabitation agreements: At times, a couple may decide that the legislated rights and obligations are not a good fit for their relationship, both when building the relationship and upon conclusion of the relationship. Properly executed agreements can oust the ability of the Court to change the previously agreed upon division of assets and debts.
- Adoption / Guardianship / Surrogacy / and Fertility Law: Thankfully, there are many different ways to make a family. Our lawyers are familiar with all aspects of adoption, guardianship, surrogacy and fertility law.
- Moving with children: We live in an increasing mobile society. Whether you are the parent who wishes to move with your child, or the parent who does not agree that the move with the child should happen, there are a number of a legal considerations to be aware of before making any decisions.
- International divorces and jurisdictional matters: Often times, spouses who reside in different jurisdictions face complicated legal questions about what laws apply to their situation. The interpretation and application of agreements signed in a foreign jurisdiction is also a common issue that requires the advice of a lawyer.
- International Child Abduction: The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is the main international agreement that covers international parental child abduction. It provides a process through which a parent can seek to have their child returned to their home country.
