The separation agreement checklist: what has to be settled before you sign
A complete agreement generally deals with all of the following.
Family law
Mediation vs. litigation: what the difference really costs
In litigation, a judge who will meet your family for an hour decides what happens to your children and your money, on a timeline that is frequently measured in years, on a public court file, using onl
In litigation, a judge who will meet your family for an hour decides what happens to your children and your money, on a timeline that is frequently measured in years, on a public court file, using only the remedies a court has the power to order.
In mediation, the two of you decide, privately, usually inside a few months, and you can agree to arrangements no judge could impose — a phased sale of the house, a schedule built around shift work, a support structure that flexes with a seasonal income.
Mediation is not a way to avoid getting advice. The standard practice is that the mediated terms are written up as a memorandum, each party takes it to their own lawyer for independent legal advice, and only then is it signed as a binding separation agreement. That step is what makes it stick.
Related
Married vs. common-law in Ontario: the property gap nobody warns you about
Married spouses in Ontario are entitled to equalization of net family property under the Family Law Act, and both have possessory rights in the matrimonial home regardless of whose name is on title.
Adoption in Ontario: the general shape of the process
Adoptions in Ontario broadly fall into a few streams: public adoption through a Children's Aid Society, private adoption through a licensee, international adoption, and step-parent or relative adoptio
Next step
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Call the office or send a note through the form. You'll get a straight answer about which process fits your situation, what it involves, and what happens next.