Best Child Custody Lawyers in Vaughan, ON

If the parties wish to come to an agreement on all issues arising out of the breakdown of a marriage or common law relationship, they can negotiate a settlement directly with each other or with the assistance of their lawyers. Mediation and the collaborative practice model can be used to effectively facilitate negotiation as alternatives to court. This is usually less expensive than court and allows for a settlement more tailored to the specific needs and goals of the family. These alternatives to court also help reduce conflict and are therefore much healthier for any children involved. Bortolussi Family Law offers consultation, coaching, mediation, and collaborative family law services that can be used to effectively facilitate negotiation. We also regularly represent clients in binding arbitration, for situations where a decision-maker is necessary, but the parties still wish to avoid court. These alternatives to court also help reduce conflict and are therefore much healthier for any children involved. Contact us today to discuss your options for avoiding court.

Sole child custody means one parent has the decision-making authority over major issues like residence, health, education, and religion. Joint child custody is where those decisions are made by both parents in consultation with each other. The lawyers at Bortolussi Family Law can give you information about your custody rights based on your unique circumstances. We work with families to achieve the best possible outcome for all parties, and most importantly, for the children involved. Contact our lawyers to discuss the various custody arrangements that maybe available to you.

You may want to consider notifying your bank that you have separated to ensure that joint account overdraft, lines of credit, or credit cards are not misused. After separation, joint assets and debts are considered in the equalization calculation and must be accounted for if spent by one of the spouses after separation.

Under the appropriate circumstances, some property acquired during the marriage does not have to be included in the calculation to equalize net family property. For example, gifts or inheritances received from third parties during the marriage, damages received as a result of personal injuries, and proceeds of a life insurance policy are excluded from the calculation. A deduction reduces the net family property of a spouse and therefore reduces the equalization payment that may be owed to the other spouse. A deduction is permitted for the value of assets already owned on the date of marriage if the existence of the assets and their value can be proven. However, if the matrimonial home was owned by one spouse on the date of marriage, the deduction for its value is lost because a matrimonial home cannot be deducted from their net family property. It is important that your assets are classified correctly so that you do not end up paying more than the law requires.

If your spouse refuses to pay support under an existing separation agreement, you may need to go to court to get a support order. A court order is always filed with the Family Responsibility Office for enforcement. If you have a separation agreement requiring your spouse to pay support and he or she stops paying, you can opt to register your agreement with the court and then file it with the Family Responsibility Office (often referred to as FRO) for enforcement. Alternatively, you can proceed to take steps privately to enforce the support obligation. Consideration of cost is one factor which may determine your best path forward. Our lawyers can help you decide whether to file with the Family Responsibility Office or take other action to ensure that you are receiving the spousal and/or child support payments to which you are entitled.