Our most valuable service. The first meeting with a Jennings Family Law attorney provides you with an initial assessment and recommendations. This is an opportunity to understand the laws surrounding your circumstances, what options are available to move you forward, and a first idea of your legal entitlements.
A divorce is a court order that terminates a marriage. Specific legal requirements must be addressed to ensure a successful divorce application, especially if there are minor children of the marriage. A divorce is a change to your legal status that affects your legal rights and entitlements. Consult a JFL lawyer to understand how a divorce will affect you and your future.
We have been mediating since 2005. We will help you reach a settlement, avoid conflict, keeps the family resources in the family, and satisfy legal requirements. Our clients are prepared for mediation and effectively negotiate their settlement. Mediation is a preferred method of dispute resolution for the lawyers at JFL, as it is typically faster, less expensive, and more creative than a standard court process.
An individual third party is given authority to decide issues in dispute. Arbitration can be combined with mediation. Unlike court, arbitration processes can be modeled to meet the needs of the participants and fit the family’s resources. More formal than mediation, arbitration is a process that will end with a final result that is binding on the participants.
A separation agreement is a legal contract. It formalizes an agreement reached by the clients on the division of their property, spousal support, child support and parenting schedule for their children. If done properly, a separation agreement provides financial clarity and certainty. We will help you avoid the common pitfalls that make separation agreements unenforceable.
These agreements are for couples contemplating marriage, or who are already married. They substitute the law with agreed upon rules. Prenuptial and marriage agreements are sophisticated legal documents that should be formalized with the assistance of your lawyer.
The impact of separation on children can be minimized by informed parents, reasonable decisions, and compromises based on what is best for the children. We prioritize keeping the focus on where it belongs – your children – by promoting processes that minimize conflict and create solutions tailored for each family. We help you with public and private resources that encourage collaborative parenting.
Child support is determined by the incomes of the parents and the living arrangements of the children. There are two components to child support. A monthly payment that is calculated by Child Support Guidelines. Special and extraordinary expenses, aka Section 7 expenses, are additional costs for children that are not covered by the monthly payments and are shared proportionately to the parent’s incomes. Determining income for child support can be more complicated than it first appears and should only be agreed to after the proper exchange of financial information. We help you obtain the information you need to calculate the correct amount of child support.
Often called alimony, this payment is to compensate one spouse for a sacrifice made during the relationship or to assist the spouse in meeting his or her needs. Spousal support is not a simple mathematical formula. There is a trend to oversimplify this issue by over-reliance on the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines without understanding how these guidelines work or the legal framework for the payments. We help you understand the purpose of spousal support, the legal basis for an entitlement or obligation, and the various options available to all separating couples to resolve his issue.
Each province treats common-law spouses differently. Cohabitation agreements substitute these laws for rules that are agreed upon by a couple. These agreements largely focus on how property acquired during the period of cohabitation is shared if the relationship ends. Cohabitation agreements are for people who want to control their own finances, are considering entering a relationship later in life, and who have obligations to children from a previous relationship.
Estate documents are important for everyone. You should update your will and other estate documents if you separate from your spouse, or anytime there is a change to your circumstances. Check your will annually – when you file your taxes, for example – to make sure that it continues to meet your needs.
The end of a relationship requires the division of assets and liabilities. In general, family property is shared equally, but there are exceptions. Complicated and sophisticated assets, such as privately held corporations and family trusts, require careful analysis to properly assess their value and the effect of the proposed division. We help identify family property, assess its value, and determine the best way to divide it considering tax, liquidity and other circumstances specific to you.
Includes filing fees. With children: Add $500
With children: Add $500
Complicated or sophisticated income or property division quoted on an individual basis.
For corporate income, trust income, or complicated income: Add $500
For spousal support calculation: Add $150
To be quoted after meeting with the client
To be quoted after meeting with the client
Each lawyer has an hourly rate for work that does not fit a flat fee project
Not everyone wants a lawyer to represent them. But everyone needs independent legal advice for their family law matters. Jennings Family Law lawyers work with people who represent themselves, or who only want the benefit of legal advice without representation – as legal consultants.
