Our experienced family lawyers have the skills to negotiate matters both inside and outside the courtroom. We will fiercely advocate on your behalf with regards to the following:
Separation Agreements
Separation agreements are the most cost-effective way of finalizing a family law matter. A separation agreement can include how the property acquired during a marriage is divided, parenting time, child custody, child support, spousal support, and more.
Negotiating a separation agreement is always our priority and first course of action when attempting to complete a family law matter for our clients.
Marriage Contracts & Cohabitation Agreements
If you are considering purchasing a property with your partner that you will both reside in, and you are not married, it is extremely important to have a cohabitation agreement drafted on your behalf.
Having a cohabitation agreement can be the difference between keeping or losing your assets, in the event that your union breaks down in the future.
Court Litigation
If your ex-partner has decided that they will not negotiate your family law matter outside of court, and you are served with a court application, it is of the utmost importance that you retain legal counsel immediately. You will be provided with a 30 day window in which to reply with your answer.
A court application will usually include claims for child support, spousal support, section 7 expenses if children are involved, as well as the division of property. Our experienced lawyers have the necessary skills to be able to advocate on your behalf.
Divorce
If you have been separated for one year or more and are looking to get divorced, our team can take care of all of the necessary paperwork for you. You will meet with us initially at the consultation and provide your certificate of marriage, and we will take care of the rest.
The signing of your documents is all done virtually. Once they have been signed and the application has been served and filed with the court, we wait for an order from a judge to be made and send it over to you via email. It’s as simple as that.
Mediation
Family mediation is a process that uses a neutral facilitator to organize discussion and settlement of a family law situation. The parties would meet with an accredited family mediator in a general information session that would overview the mediation process and the mutual needs of both individuals.
This discussion is confidential and will cover practical aspects like mediation rates, disclosure requirements, and scheduling information.
This type of meeting will expose any contrary indications to family mediation through a confidential process.
Advantages of Mediation:
- Mediation focuses on a solution that is best for the family.
- Mediation helps establish patterns of cooperative parenting that ensure the children’s needs will be met.
- Mediation allows both parties to exercise responsibility in arriving at a decision.
- Mediation maintains the right of each party to be an equal participant in the decision-making process.
- Mediation encourages cooperation and agreement.
- Mediation tends to result in a wise and enduring settlement.
- Successful mediation is usually less expensive than most other methods of dispute resolution.
- With nearly 30 years of experience, Brian Simpson is a certified mediator and arbitrator and is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure both parties come to a successful resolution of their matter.
Foreign Divorce Opinion Letter
It is quite common that our law firm receives clients that wish to get married in Ontario but were previously divorced outside of Canada.
If you were divorced outside of Canada, the Ontario government requires certain documents that you must produce to prove that you are no longer married; a legal opinion letter is one of those documents.
This opinion letter must be drafted by a lawyer and addressed to both parties who are planning on marrying in Ontario. In this letter, reasons must be provided as to why the divorce should be recognized in Ontario.
Our firm offers drafting of this letter at a flat rate and provides a fast turnaround for this service, typically supplying the letter within 48 hours.
Independent Legal Advice (“ILA”)
When two parties wish to enter into a contract or agreement, each party must be advised by separate lawyers.
A single lawyer should never represent both parties in an agreement.
To ensure your legal rights are protected within your agreement, contact our skilled lawyers to review your document and provide you with a certificate of independent legal advice. We offer a flat rate for this service.