Family Law Blog

It is very clear that people love their pets. There are now pet spas and salons and pets can even get acupuncture. When divorce happens the issue of who gets Fluffy often arises and some people also want to know if they can claim support for pets like they would for children.

Mediation is always best… or is it? Many lawyers will propose mediation automatically as the default starting point in a family law dispute. While mediation is often the best place to start, sometimes starting with mediation can lead to wasted time and resources.

After a separation, many people wish to restart their lives in a new city, and more often than not, a place where there is new opportunity. Our clients often say to us, “I want to move with my child (or children), how do I do that?” Moving with your child or children in British Columbia requires several steps before you can relocate.

Court Appearances are a very stressful part of relationship breakdowns. Most often, parties can work together to avoid going to Court, but occasionally the only way to overcome an impasse is to bring the matter before the Court. Once you decide to bring a matter before the Court the next step is filing the appropriate materials, often including Affidavits. An Affidavit is a written statement of the relevant facts, which you swear to be true.

An important aspect to consider with any family court application is that of court costs. For example, if you are successful, you could have legal costs awarded in your favor payable by your ex-spouse, or if you are not successful, you may be ordered to pay legal costs to your ex-spouse. It is important to understand how costs are determined, so there are no surprises if/when or you do go to court. 

Many people think that they need to make an application to the Court or have some sort of document formalized in order for their separation to be recognized.  Many are surprised to learn that the act of separating does not require a formal process.

Many people assume that child support ends when a child reaches the age of majority. This is not always the case.  The lawyers at Crossroads Law regularly work on child support cases in both British Columbia and Alberta involving children both under and over the age of majority. The age of majority in BC is 19 and in Alberta it is 18.

Sometimes neither spouse can keep the family home because they cannot qualify for the mortgage on their own and they may not be able to find a cosigner. Also, one spouse may need to pay the other out if they keep the home because keeping the family home means that they will have more of the total family assets and property.  When spouses separate, all assets and debts needs to be identified and valued to determine who will get what. 

The Calgary and Vancouver family lawyers at Crossroads Law pride themselves on being up to date on all the latest developments in the law in both Alberta and British Columbia respectively. We offer a wide variety of legal services in every area of family and divorce law matters. For more information on family law and if you are interested in a consultation to learn more click here.