MEDIATION

Mediation is a way to help you and your spouse to have a focused and productive conversation with the goal of settling issues. A mediator is a neutral facilitator who acts as a guide through difficult conversations. We offer mediation for couples who are separating, as well as for couples who need guidance with relationship planning.

The focus in family law mediation is on exploring what is important to each of you (and your children, if you have children), and coming up with options for settlement that address your hopes and concerns as you move through this life transition.

We address all the issues that need to be covered in the separation agreement, including guardianship, parenting time, asset and debt division, and child and spousal support. At the end of the mediation process, the goal is to have a signed separation agreement that works for your family.

As mediators who are also trained as lawyers, we provide the added benefit of our legal knowledge and experience with asset and debt division, and child and spousal support, as well as the legal framework around guardianship and parenting responsibilities. We can provide helpful legal information to both of you in the mediation sessions.

COOPERATIVE NEGOTIATION

If your spouse has already retained a lawyer who is not trained in the Collaborative Law process, it is still possible to sit down and negotiate with the parties and their lawyers if everyone is willing to look at settlement options. Our focus is settling matters outside of the courtroom in a way that reduces conflict while keeping the important issues at the centre. We use our expertise to assist our clients to negotiate better and more durable agreements.

INDEPENDENT LEGAL ADVICE

Why is Independent Legal Advice (ILA) important? Signing a family law agreement – whether it’s a Separation Agreement, a Cohabitation Agreement or Prenuptial Agreement – is a big deal. It’s really important to get it right. In our experience, it is a wise investment to make sure the wording reflects what you really intend rather than later having to dispute or re-negotiate at great expense the agreement you signed. A little money up front is better than a lot of money to fix it later!

DIVORCE APPLICATIONS

Once you have a Separation Agreement in place, you may wish to obtain a court order for divorce on an uncontested basis. We charge flat rates for this service. We make sure that you have everything you need to obtain a divorce, draft all of the court documents, take your affidavits and file them for you at the court registry.

COLLABORATIVE FAMILY LAW

Collaborative Law is a process used to resolve matters between you and your spouse in a supported manner, without having to resort litigation, and in a way that allows the two of you to maintain control over the process and over the outcome.

The Collaborative process provides tools to strengthen your family as you transition through separation. The process uses collaboratively-trained lawyers, coaches, child specialists and financial specialists on an as-needed basis. With these tools and support, families and couples learn to deal with conflict in a healthy way so that they are not constantly needing the courts to resolve conflict years after a divorce. The clients and the professionals involved all sign a contract in which they agree to resolve issues in a respectful and safe environment, without the threat of litigation.

One of the benefits of Collaborative Law is that it provides a safe space in which to address matters with the support and advice of your respective lawyers in the room. The lawyers are trained to work as a team, not as adversaries, so that you find a resolution that is going to work for both of you and meets each of your needs. Collaborative Process can provide support in even the most tense and conflicted environments.

OUR FAMILY IN TWO HOMES PACKAGE

We have been working with an innovative lawyer who has developed Our Family in Two Homes workbook and we are excited to share this wonderful resource with clients who have children and are separating. The resource package allows you to work on the pieces that you can on your own time with a guided resource, while also having guidance from Catherine Brink as your lawyer or mediator to help you with the places where you get stuck. We are always looking for better ways of helping clients and their families move through this tough transition in a way that suits their needs and provides durable, long-lasting agreements. The resource package will help you save money and get insight as well as valuable information.

Click here for more information and our flat fee resource package pricing.

Relationship planning

So, you are moving in together or getting married. Congratulations! In the excitement leading up to this next step in your relationship, it can be easy to avoid dealing with your financial planning.

What does this mean for each of you financially?
How do you want to plan for your future together?
Do you have assets that you want to protect from division?
Do you have children from an earlier relationship that you want to provide for financially?

Sitting down to work out the basics of how your financial future looks together is valuable time spent so that you can start marriage off on the right foot. We find that using mediation is an effective and conflict-reducing process that uses one neutral facilitator rather than each hiring a lawyer to negotiate the terms of any agreement.

If you have already had those important discussions and are clear on what you want, we can be retained as your lawyer to draft an agreement. Give us a call and we can give you some resources to help you start planning.