Family Lawyer Toronto

A marriage can be ended through annulment or divorce. In annulment, the marriage is completely erased or canceled by declaring that it never existed or was never valid. A divorce, on the other hand, is where a valid marriage is ended allowing the man or woman to go back to single status and remarry. There are unique laws that must be followed in both annulment and divorce cases. A man or woman can initiate an annulment if they clearly state the grounds, and prove that they have met the requirements to do so. If the annulment can be proven to be valid then the court can consider the marriage to be null and void. There are several grounds for annulment such as bigamy (if the person was already married to another person), forced consent, fraud, mental illness, and mental incapacity.

The law entitles a child’s natural parents to have full custody. However, there are certain circumstances where the welfare of the child is at stake and the government intervenes. The government assumes the important role of a parent either temporarily or permanently, and takes measures to protect the child. Child protection may be required in different circumstances, such as if the child has suffered or is likely to suffer physical harm by the caregiver, the child is sexually abused, requires medical treatment which the parent, or the caregiver has refused to consent or is suffering serious emotional harm, has been abandoned, or if the parent is unable to take care of the child.

Variation orders come in handy after separation when you feel that the court order or agreement no longer meets your needs. You may also seek a variation if your ex no longer follows the order, or had asked for the variation. For your spousal support variation to be accepted, the judge must evaluate your case and find that there is a material change in circumstances. Examples of circumstances where changes to spousal support orders may be approved include: when there is an increase in the payor’s income, a remarriage, or new child in the family.

If support payments are not made on time, families may strain financially. Approaching a family lawyer who can assist with support arrears and enforcement proceedings should be your next step. Several steps can be taken to ensure the support payments are paid such as suspending the person’s driver’s license, revoking passports and collecting any payments that have not been made. When you work with an experienced family lawyer, you’ll be informed of your rights and take steps to ensure that you receive the money that a court directed be paid to you. We can help you navigate the system and get justice.

During separation, it’s common for one parent to turn the child against the other. This is an unfortunate situation that is common in a contested divorce. The alienated parent and child can experience serious emotional struggle. It is important for children to have a positive relationship with both of their parents, which is what we strive to achieve for our clients. We’ve handled many cases that involve child brainwashing and parental hostility. We can help you understand your legal options and re-establish a positive relationship with your kids after separation.

After working long and hard to build a successful business, a divorce can result in huge financial losses. As lawyers, we have represented business owners going through the process of divorce by making sure their investment is safeguarded during a divorce settlement. We can help you preserve your business by working closely with you to review all of the relevant documents and make sure the company’s value is determined fairly. We’ll negotiate to ensure you get a proper settlement that will keep your business intact, even after the separation is complete. We know when to put up a fight, and when it’s time to compromise.

Has your child been abducted or wrongfully removed and retained in a different country? Sound legal advice is crucial if you want to get your child back. International child abduction cases are complex, and you need to speak to an experienced family lawyer to help you understand your legal options and ensure that your child is safe and comes back to you. If your child is abducted locally, the first course of action is to contact your local law enforcement. As the parent, you are required to keep all the written documents, such as your separation agreement, easily accessible. These documents will help you confirm that you have been awarded custody of the child.

When a relationship ends, there could be assets, property or debt that was acquired by both parties, which can lead to a serious conflict in the separation process. There are different rules that govern property division, depending on whether the parties involved were in a marriage or common law relationship. For married couples, the property may be required to be shared equally (a process known as equalization) even though there are certain exceptions. It’s important to get legal advice from an experienced and knowledgeable family lawyer with a deep understanding of how property division works. A good lawyer should help to protect your financial future during this emotional time.

Adoption is a viable alternative in different circumstances, such as if one or both birth parents are facing significant hardships and are unable to take care of their child. The aim of adoption is to ensure that the child will be embraced in a loving home where he/she can be taken care of properly. There are different ways in which a child can be adopted, such as by an immediate family member or stepparent, through a child society, through an adoption agency or licensed individual, or licensed international adoption agency. As lawyers, we help individuals to facilitate the adoption process.

Many fathers go through emotional turmoil as they fight to get equal parenting rights. As lawyers, we understand the struggles that fathers in Canada in the family law system may face. Our goal is to help safeguard men’s rights, and protect the interests of children. Both mothers and fathers should have equal parenting rights. We have seen cases where parents turn their child against each other. These unfortunate events affect fathers more than anything, and could lead to emotional issues. If you are a single dad who is seeking custody and access, speak to our family lawyers today for help.

This is a case that occurs when the mother knows, or has good reason to believe, that the father of her child is truly not the birth parent. However, some parents make this claim in order to mislead the named father and ensure that they don’t have a chance to be in the child’s life. If this is the case and then the father could suspect paternity fraud and seek legal counsel to address his concerns. Our lawyers can take on the case and conduct DNA testing. If the father suspects that he is not the biological father and wants to cancel an existing support order, we can help.