The family lawyers from Crossroads Law located in Vancouver BC and Calgary AB have a client centred approach to help you successfully navigate the family law system. Our experienced family and divorce lawyers author these blogs to provide you insight and to help you through this challenging time.
Is there a difference in the legal rights afforded to marriages and common law relationship for LGBTQ couples? I am often asked about legal rights for a gay or lesbian marriage or common law relationship. Vancouver LGBTQ communities have had a strong history of activism and have been integral in the fight for equal marriage rights, but many are still confused as to what the law is now especially for common law couples.
In family law, capital gains can arise when dividing family property. They are often overlooked by family lawyers in the division of family property and therefore can be a hidden liability that only becomes known after a separation agreement has been signed.
Your first meeting with a family lawyer is very important and we know that it can be a very stressful first step in resolving your legal matter.
As predicted by many, we have now seen a significant increase in new divorce consultations as a result of COVID 19.
Parenting issues are often the most highly disputed, emotionally charged, and stressful areas of family law for parents to navigate.
Parents know that determining when and how to develop self-sufficiency in children can be a challenge. Family lawyers often get questions about this topic and parents often ask “At what age is it appropriate to leave my child at home alone?” or “How old should my child be to allow them to take public transit without supervision?.”
When dealing with a parenting dispute in a divorce or separation, the parents will inevitably hear the term “status quo” when negotiating the parenting schedule.
After going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, a couple may have leftover embryos that are cryopreserved (frozen and stored) which can be used for further IVF treatments.
Child support is the regular payment that is made by one parent to another to support a child after separation or divorce.
It is now clear that incidences of domestic violence seem to be increasing during COVID 19. Unfortunately, escaping from an abusive partner is more difficult when there are restrictions on travel and physical contact between people.
While most of us are learning to cope with the uncertainty brought by COVID-19, a subset of our population is intimately familiar with this feeling.
Once you’ve decided it is best to separate from your spouse or partner you also need to decide the best process to resolve all outstanding issues. Especially during COVID-19 and this time of financial uncertainty, you want to make sure to spend your resources wisely.
Physical distancing and isolation measures may force family court system to change for the better.
It is nearing two months since life changed drastically for all Albertans in response to the spread of COVID-19. The courts and the legal profession have made swift and major changes to their day-to-day operations, including the ongoing restriction of court sittings in Alberta including in family law.
The Alberta Maintenance Enforcement Program (“MEP”) is a provincial government program that is responsible for collecting court ordered child support and spousal support.
These unprecedented times have many parents wondering about their ongoing child support obligations or entitlements in light of mass layoffs, decreased earnings, and lost childcare options.
As the coronavirus, COVID-19, spreads across Canada, and we see a rise in reported cases and fatalities, we also hear of the great work being performed by healthcare professionals as well as scientists trying to develop a vaccine for this deadly virus.
The economy in Alberta has taken a huge hit due to COVID 19 and the price of oil hitting record lows. As a result, many more couples are receiving loans or gifts of cash from their families to help them get by. Normally, this is not a problem. However, when couples separate or divorce it inevitably creates an issue.
We are often asked about how to obtain an annulment for a short-term marriage, however, there seems to be a common misconception that the duration of the marriage is what allows a person to obtain an annulment.
With the rapidly evolving developments surrounding COVID-19, many people are worried about the impact the pandemic will have on their separation and divorce.