By Rod Grierson, lawyer at Galbraith Family Law 1986, oh what a year. Oprah was just starting her decades-long reign as the queen of television, Tom Cruise thrilled audiences with his plane maneuvers in Top Gun, people thought parachute pants were fashionable, and the government of Canada passed a progressive piece of legislation named the Divorce Act. Like parachute pants, and unlike Oprah and Tom Cruise, the Divorce Act has not aged well.…

Having full financial disclosure is the baseline for negotiation of most domestic contracts. Financial issues that could pertain to support, property and succession are contained within them. All too often, a client provides counsel with a draft separation agreement, provided by the opposing side, that lacks full financial disclosure, expecting that turnaround can be achieved quickly. Before opposing sides can begin negotiation, a lawyer must advise their client to seek out full financial disclosure from their…

If you have been hit by your spouse you can ask the court to order that your spouse pay you damages out of the equalization of matrimonial property or that it be paid on a monthly basis and enforced by FRO.…

 1) If my child(ren) live 50/50 with each parent, there is no obligation to pay support This may be true but is likely not. If child(ren) spend more than 40% of their time at each parent’s home, this is referred to as shared parenting. In these circumstances child support can be different than the child support guidelines. The first step in determining child support obligations in a shared parenting arrangement is to determine each parent’s…

We all know about lawyers being involved in the divorce process, but what about other professionals? Family professionals are often used in the collaborative practice process and may assist parties through their separation, both inside and outside of Court.…

Interview with Sue Cook, Owner of Family Therapy and Life Coaching Group We all know about lawyers being involved in the divorce process, but what about other professionals? Family professionals are often used in the collaborative practice process and may assist parties through their separation, both inside and outside of Court. Livia Jozsa, lawyer with Galbraith Family Law in Barrie sits down with Sue Cook to ask her about her work as a family professional/family…