Ask the Experts

The following Ask the Experts legal advice articles are intended to be read by audiences in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, and the legal principles examined are reflective of the laws in these provinces. Audiences outside of these provinces should beware of relying on the information contained in these articles.

  • Child Support   Support Issues about financial support for children after separation and divorce
  • Collaborative Family Law   The collaborative family law process is a relatively new way of dealing with family disputes. Each person appoints their own lawyer and all parties commit to scheduling 4-way meetings to work things out face to face. Your collaboratively-trained lawyer provides support and legal advice as you go. Collaborative lawyers sign an agreement with you that disqualifies them from representing you in court if the collaborative process breaks down. That means they are absolutely committed to helping you find the best solutions by agreement, rather than through conflict. Sometimes only a couple of meetings are needed, on other occasions four or five. These meetings follow agendas set by you and your former partner. Once an agreement is reached, your lawyers will put it into effect. Your collaborative lawyers can finalize your divorce in the end.
  • Custody   Answers on how parents make decisions about their children and arrange parenting schedules after divorce
  • Division of Property   What needs to be divided on separation and divorce, and what are the rules around such division?
  • Divorce   Things you should think about once you have decided to divorce
  • Family Law   All issues involving families in conflict
  • General   Non-family related topics
  • Mediation   Mediation is a way of resolving disputes and difficult issues between separating couples. Mediators can help with all the issues faced by separating couples, or you can choose to use mediation to resolve specific issues such as arrangements for your children. Mediators are trained to help people resolve disputes. A mediator will meet with you and your partner together and will identify those issues you can’t agree on and help you to try and reach agreement. Mediators are neutral and will not take sides. They are not advisors and will not give advice to either of you and will recommend that you obtain legal advice alongside the mediation process. Mediators can provide broadly based legal information to both of you within the mediation if this is appropriate. Once you have proposals you both find acceptable the mediator will prepare a summary of them together with a summary of the financial information which will be sent to each of you to discuss with your lawyers. After you have both received legal advice and if you are both still happy with the proposals, the lawyers will convert the summary into a legally binding document and carry out any necessary implementation.
  • Separation   Issues to be resolved on deciding to separate from your spouse
  • spousal support  
  • Wills   A couple of articles on estate considerations upon separation and divorce