Family Law

At E&T Legal, we understand that representation for most family law matters, including child and spousal support, child custody and access matters, matrimonial and family property division, and separation and divorce requires attention to detail, custom care and customized support and guidance tailored to provide you with family law services that fit your unique needs. If you are filing for a divorce or separation, or are facing legal issues within a common law relationship or domestic partnership, you need to hire a legal team that will work to understand your interests and represent you accurately.

We believe in providing compassionate legal service to all our clients.
Please see the list of family law services available at E&T Legal below:

Legal Support for Various Family Matters

There are countless reasons why parents, guardians spouses and grandparents may choose to seek help from a family lawyer:

Divorce

In Canada, Divorce matters are governed by the Divorce Act which allows for a divorce order to be granted following a marriage broken down which commonly involves the parties living separate and apart for 1 year amongst other things such as;

When either party has committed adultery
When there has been incidents of physical or mental abuse.

Guardianship, Custody and Access, Parenting

Access and custody sometimes referred to as parenting is a tricky and sensitive subject. As parents or guardians as the case may be you may have to make the important decisions of where the child(ren) may live, activities they may participate in, who and how long anyone may have access or interact with the child(ren). If you and your former partner are having difficulty coming to terms with these matters, it is important to know that the paramount consideration is the best interests of the child(ren). Having a family attorney is crucial if you do not believe that your child’s parent is financially or otherwise fit to care for your children’s well-being.

Child Support

Support for the child(ren) is a fundamental right of the child(ren) and parents have an obligation to support their children. Child support often stays in effect till the children reach the age of maturity, and often times would stay in place as long as the child(ren) are in attendance at a post-secondary institution or are considered to be Adult-dependents as a result of any illness or disability.

Property Division

The Family Property Act of Alberta allows parties to settle the division of property any way they see fit, provided that their agreement is in writing and that each party has independent legal advice.

The law says that all of the assets and debts that are accumulated during the time the spouses were married should be divided 50-50. This includes, but is not limited to, homes, businesses, bank accounts (whether joint or separate) including any investments and pensions. There are however some exceptions to this rule. Assets that were inherited, gifts from third parties, and money received by one spouse in a settlement during the relationship may be exempt from the 50-50 rule.

Parties may also enter into written agreements regarding the division of their assets when entering or terminating a common law or non-marital relationship.
This allows parties to arrive at agreements regarding the division of their property at the end of their relationship(separation agreement), or to set the rules for how their property would be divided, should the relationship end (i.e. a prenuptial or cohabitation agreement).

The court always maintains the jurisdiction to change such agreements, if there is a material change in circumstances not contemplated in the agreement or when full financial disclosures were not exchanged, and parties did not receive independent Legal Advice.

Spousal Support

Spousal support, or alimony as it is often refereed to, is money paid from one former/separating spouse to the other during or after a divorce or separation. The amount of spousal support is typically dependant on multiple factors which include:

The financial means, needs and circumstances of either spouses
The length of the marriage or relationship
The roles of each spouse during their marriage
Any arrangement made regarding spousal support
Any ongoing support or financial obligations

E & T Legal

Edmonton Full Service Law Firm

Contact info

info@realestatelawyersedmonton.ca

(780) 790 – 0092

Suite 3400, 10180 101 St NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. T5J 3S4

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