Family Law Service Areas

Karina has a wealth of knowledge from practicing family law for some 20 years and will advise you about your rights and responsibilities in your situation, what options are available, and what direction to take to move towards resolution, in our one-hour consultations, which are offered at a discounted rate.  We are happy to meet in-person, or conduct a virtual meeting or telephone consultation, whatever works for you. If you retain our office for a flat fee service, the consultation fee will be credited towards your flat fee service.

Sometimes, there may be a more complicated area of family law or set of facts that requires a more in-depth analysis, requiring research and/or review of documents. An example is when one party has received a court decision that they are not happy with, and would like to know whether or not to appeal that decision. We are happy to discuss preparing an in-depth verbal or written opinion on complicated matters to assist you in making decisions that will work best for you. A flat fee will be quoted to you after discussion of the issue(s).

A lawyer can only give advice to one of the people involved in an agreement and you and your spouse cannot speak to the same lawyer for advice, but each need an independent lawyer.

Should you come to an agreement, either between the two of you, or with a mediator, you should each seek independent legal advice (“ILA”) from a lawyer before signing the agreement. If your spouse has had their lawyer write up an agreement, which they would like you to sign, it is even more important to get advice on that agreement, and your rights and responsibilities, prior to signing the agreement.

Agreements can be long and contain ‘legalese’ that is difficult to understand. They cover issues that seriously impact your life, such as parenting time, support payable or receivable, property division and even who will pay for a divorce. It is important that you understand the agreement and have advice on every area, so that you know what you are entitled to, and what you are responsible for, before signing. ILA is offered on a flat rate basis, and includes a review of the agreement prior to your appointment, and any follow up necessary with the other lawyer/party.

Having independent legal advice and having a lawyer certify that you have received such, means that your agreement will be legally binding and less likely to be overturned by a Court in the future.  

Negotiations are discussions aimed at reaching an agreement, and can range from taking place between you and your spouse at the ‘kitchen table’ to participating in a four-way meeting, both parties with their respective lawyers meeting face-to-face. Generally, in between those two ends, lawyers and/or a lawyer and a self-represented party, will engage in negotiations via phone calls, emails, and correspondence. 

It is of benefit to have a skilled and experienced negotiator in order to ensure success at coming to a fair agreement, and ensuring your rights are protected. Successful negotiations will result in an agreement, which will need to be put into writing, and each party will sign after receiving independent legal advice. 

Written agreements need to be carefully drafted to ensure that all aspects of the agreement are covered, and delineated in a clear manner leaving nothing open to future conflict. Flat fee rates can be offered for drafting of agreements that need no, or minimal, negotiation, and include independent legal advice for one party.

When parties cannot come to an agreement, even with the assistance of a mediator or lawyers negotiating on their behalf, the only recourse may be to proceed through litigation, in court. Or you may have been served with court documents, and need assistance in responding. There are a variety of remedies offered by the Court that can assist families, but it can be a very complicated route for people unfamiliar with the judicial system. 

We can help lead you through processes, conducting negotiations, handling correspondence, drafting the documents necessary, and appearing in court on your behalf, to advocate your position and argue for the best result. Litigation files are necessarily run on an hourly rate, and usually require a financial retainer up front. We value discussion and transparency when it comes to fees, and do not hesitate to ask for estimates regarding how much any particular step in the process may cost.

Mediation is a formal dispute resolution process to resolve family law issues after separation, where a trained family mediator will assist you and your ex-partner in coming to resolutions of your issues in a less adversarial fashion.  Click below for a full description of our Mediation Services.

After your consultation, you may decide you would like to represent yourself in your matter, to keep legal costs down.  We are happy to offer legal coaching services, where you represent yourself, but with our advice and guidance ‘behind the scenes’.  This advice can encompass everything from the processes you should take, and documents to complete, to substantive advice on your position and helping to craft successful arguments for court, to courtroom protocol.  You decide what help you want, and when you want it, thereby deciding what is worth spending money on, and what you are confident doing without assistance.  The option of legal coaching is not only cost-effective, but can be very empowering, allowing you to maintain control of your matter in your own hands.  Legal Coaching is offered at a reduced hourly rate and requires either a small financial retainer up front, or can be billed at/after each session, which can take place in-person, virtually, or by phone.  

Limited scope services offer the best of both worlds in terms of full litigation versus legal coaching.  Sometimes you may want assistance with a particular part or process of your matter, in order to relieve yourself of the stress, the time it takes or if you are just feeling in over your head.  You can retain our services to draft a complicated document, appear in court, or attend a four-way meeting with you, but you will remain responsible for the rest of your matter.  Generally, we should be able to offer a flat fee for a specific action you would like us to take on your file, but may need to bill on an hourly basis, depending on what you are asking us to do. 

We offer competitive rates for doing a straight divorce, whether it is your only legal work needing to be done, or after we have assisted you in resolving your family law issues.  Your divorce can also be finalized even without having your other issues resolved. 

We love to assist people with adoptions, whether it is a stepparent adoption, a family adoption of a non-biological child, or giving independent legal advice to someone seeking to give their child up for adoption.  Most adoption legal work can be offered at a flat rate.