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 FAMILY LAW
Ms. Gauthier prides herself in attempting to resolve the family law issues a person may be facing in the least stressful and costly fashion. Ms. Gauthier does not litigate in court.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN FAMILY LAW?
Family law relates to family matters such as relations between spouses, or children and their parents, and it deals with other aspects related to marriage and divorce, such as custody and access, child and spousal support, property rights and division, separation, divorce and independent legal advice.

Custody and access
“Custody” means the living arrangements for the children of separated or divorced parents while “access” is the amount of time those parents will spend with the children. Access is sometimes called visitation rights. Courts are becoming reluctant to use custody and access when dealing with children. They prefer to use “parenting plans”. However, the terms custody and access will be used in this website to reflect existing legislations.

Generally, it is always better for the children when the parents can work out the arrangements on their own, through a written agreement that explains the specific terms related to custody and access. Court orders should be the last resort. Following are the different types of custody.

Sole custody
This type of custody is probably the most traditional. When a parent has sole custody, the children live most of the time with that parent, and he or she makes all the daily decisions related to the children. The other parent is usually defined as the “access parent” and has the right to visit with the children at specified times. This parent also has the right to receive information related to the childrens’ health, education and welfare.

Except under special circumstances, courts are becoming reluctant to award “sole custody” orders to one person. Most orders are for joint custody.

Joint custody
This type of custodial arrangement has become the preferred arrangement by the courts. “Joint custody” means that both parents equally share the responsibility of making important decisions on health, education and welfare relating to their children. The children can reside primarily with one parent and have “access” to, or visit with, the other parent. With this type of custody, parents have to get along well since they will be discussing regularly what is best for their children.

Joint shared custody
If the parents have decided that the children will be residing with each parent on an equal time-sharing basis, they are agreeing on a “joint shared custody” regime. In this case, the children reside with each parent for an equal amount of time, on an alternating schedule, whether weekly (the most popular choice), bi-weekly or as otherwise specified in their agreement. As with joint custody, the parents who choose this type of custody must be able to get along well.

Child support
Child support is the amount of money that a parent must pay to the other parent who has custody of the children. A parent who has the children for more than 40% of the time is the parent who will be receiving the child support. The main purpose is to help the custodial parent, or primary residence parent, pay the costs associated to food, shelter and clothing for the children.

As a general rule, the amount of child support is determined in the guidelines established by the government. It is based on the gross income of the parent who pays support and the number of children in the family. For example, if a father paying child support earns a gross annual income of $45,000 and has two children, he will have to pay $664 monthly in child support.

For more information on the guidelines, please visit http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fl-df/child-enfant/look-rech.asp.

To find out how much you have to pay or how much you could receive in child and/or spousal support, please visit http://www.mysupportcalculator.ca.

In addition to child support, there are other expenses related to children that need to be paid. They are called “extraordinary expenses” and may include daycare, medical and dental expenses that not covered by employer plans, educational costs and extracurricular activities.

Extraordinary expenses are usually paid according to each parent’s gross annual income. The lawyer will help determine the amount that each parent needs to pay for such expenses.

The payment of child support and extraordinary expenses is a legal requirement. No one can refuse to pay. Courts have been stern when dealing with parents who refuse to pay, who refuse to provide income information to the other parent or even with parents who leave their employment to avoid payment.

Spousal support
The spousal support is money that one spouse pays to the other as support once the relationship ends. It helps deal with the economic consequences following the break-up. It is not mandatory for a spouse to request spousal support even if it is a legal entitlement.

Although there are no official guidelines for spousal support, courts are attempting to quantify this type of claim by using each party’s current income and analyzing what each spouse has at his or her disposal.

A person asking for spousal support must nevertheless attempt to become self-sufficient and cannot simply stay at home and expect to receive this type of payment. Similarly, a person who is asked to pay spousal support cannot refuse. What usually needs to be defined for both is the amount to be paid and how long the spouse will have to pay.

Spousal support is for some the most controversial of family law related issues. The information provided above is only a simplified version of what is considered a complex issue. You are asked to consult your lawyer before agreeing or negotiating on this issue.

Property
Property can be many things, for example, RRSPs, bank accounts, pension plans, real estate holdings and vehicles. As a general rule, the property that each spouse owned before entering into the relationship remains his or hers. However, the property that they acquired together up to the date of separation must be divided or shared, whether the property acquired is an asset or has become a debt. Debts may include, for example, credit card liabilities, mortgages and loans.

If one spouse owns more property than the other, a payment or transfer must be made to the other in order to ensure that both spouses leave with an equal value. This process is called “equalization”.

Note: Property is a very complex area of family law; the above information is given strictly for general reference. Also, current legislations do not apply in the same way for common law relationships. For example, the provisions may vary when dealing with a family home and equalization.

Separation
When two people living together in a relationship decide to end the relationship, they separate. One spouse does not need to physically leave the home in order to separate. In fact, although not as common, some couples may decide to separate but remain in the same home. Generally, this means that they no longer share in the usual aspects of a relationship but decide to remain in the same property until they can resolve their issues, whether these issues relate to property or the children.

It is important to determine a correct date of separation. In family law, this date is called the “valuation date”; it is the date that will be used to calculate the value of all assets owned and debts owed as of that date. It is also the date that will be used by a judge in order to grant a divorce.

Divorce
The judicial system currently in place in Canada for divorces is a no-fault system. Generally, a judge will not be interested in knowing why you are requesting a divorce and will not be influenced if you oppose your spouse’s request for a divorce for moral, religious or other personal reason.

A divorce will be granted based on one of the following reasons:
• if the spouses have been separated for at least one year;
• if one spouse claims that the other has committed adultery; or
• if one spouse claims that the other has committed cruelty.

The issue of the divorce can be severed (separated) from the other issues you may have with your spouse. Those other issues, known as “corollary issues”, may be dealt with at a later date and separately.

As a general rule, judges prefer to grant a divorce judgment only after the issues related to custody and support of the children have been settled in a written agreement or following a court order.

Independent legal advice
If you have decided not to obtain the services of a lawyer to help you with your particular family law related issues, you may nevertheless be required to obtain independent legal advice at some point in any of the above-mentioned processes.

Ms. Gauthier gives Independent Legal Advice on such issues as Separation Agreements, Cohabitation Agreements and Marriage Contracts. Her fees vary.

HOW CAN I PROTECT MY RIGHTS OR RESOLVE MY PROBLEMS IN A FAMILY DISPUTE?

You can protect your rights by entering into a Cohabitation Agreement or Marriage Contract and you can resolve your family law problems by signing a Separation Agreement.

Cohabitation agreement and/or marriage contract
In general terms, two people enter into a cohabitation agreement and/or a marriage contract for the purpose of protecting what each person owns or possesses before moving in together or getting married and defining what happens to the property they purchase independently or together.

These types of agreements are also legally binding on both parties and usually do not require any future changes to the terms they contain.

To enter into this type of agreement, both parties have to agree on the terms and it is highly recommended that they both exchange all financial information.

Separation agreement
Ms. Gauthier first and foremost encourages a settlement between the parties. This can be attained through discussions between her and your spouses’ lawyer, through meetings with all parties involved or as a result of the spouses’ consultation with an independent negotiator or mediator.

A person cannot force another person to enter into negotiations through their lawyer or mediator. If one of the parties does not wish to negotiate, then the only option is to take the matter to court where a judge will decide on important family law related matters, based on the information he or she will receive from each lawyer.

Most often, the parties will enter into a “separation agreement”, which will contain the terms that both spouses have agreed to. A separation agreement has the same legal effect as a court order given by a judge.

The separation agreement is binding on both spouses, whether there is a need to obtain a divorce or not. Notwithstanding this binding aspect, it does not mean that it cannot be changed at a later time. Generally, only the issues relating to the children and support may vary or be changed. Property issues are usually resolved on a final basis.

There are many circumstances where both spouses or former spouses need to agree to change the terms related to custody and/or child support, or spousal support. For example, a child may have become independent or may wish to reside with the other parent. As well, the amount of income a person earns could have changed (it increased or decreased), thus resulting in the revision of the amount of child support or spousal support that this person is paying. As a general rule, if a support payer’s income changes, then the amount of support that is being paid must also change.

Court
A person may ask a court of law to determine, or to decide on, matters related to family law.

The Ottawa judiciary encourages all parties to negotiate between them and their lawyers, and attempt a settlement satisfactory to both of them. Their lawyers will give them advice on what they are entitled to ask of the courts and the process involved should they need to go to court.

FEES: Her fees vary

Divorce
A flat fee of $3,000 is charged to obtain a divorce judgment. This means that all other issues are dealt with separately. The fees include the court filing costs payable to the Ontario government.

To obtain a divorce, the original marriage certificate and other specific information is needed in order to ensure that all forms are properly completed for filing, in accordance with the procedures established by the court system.

People may also file for divorce on their own. For some time now, the forms used to request a divorce have been available on the Internet or at the Family Law Information Centre located at the Ottawa Court House, 161 Elgin Street. These forms have been generated and formulated for the general public and are free. You can also obtain the forms at the following address: http://ontariocourtforms.on.ca/en/family-law-rules-forms/.

Independent legal advice
Fees vary. These include meeting with the person who needs legal advice, reviewing any agreement involved, making suggestions for changes if needed, answering any questions the person may have with respect to his or her rights and witnessing the person’s signature on the agreement. Ms. Gauthier will also provide the person with correspondence outlining the terms of the agreement that were discussed and the advice given.

Separation Agreement/Cohabitation Agreement/Marriage Contract
Fees vary. These include drafting or reviewing the agreement, drafting or reviewing a financial statement and all correspondence exchanged between the client and the other person or lawyer, meetings with the client and the final execution (signing) of the separation agreement.

Court
Ms. Gauthier does not litigate in court.


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Ottawa – Orléans
1175 Medoc Ct, Ottawa Ontario K1C 2S6
Telephone: 613-590-7991

Email: rlgauthier@on.aibn.com

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