LawOnline Guides

Family Law

Family law deals with the legal side of relationships and how they change. That includes separation and divorce, parenting time and child support, spousal support, and dividing property and the family home. These guides explain how the process works across Canada, what it tends to cost, and how to find the right lawyer for your situation.

Winnipeg, Manitoba panorama at twilight. Family Law How to Hire a Family Lawyer in Winnipeg Manitoba's family law is built to keep you out of court, and the law says so. What that means in Winnipeg, and how to hire a lawyer for a resolution-first system. A distraught couple argues on a sofa while seated in a family lawyer's office. Family Law How to Hire a Family Lawyer in Vancouver In Vancouver you don't need a wedding, or even a house, to have a property fight. BC's 2-year common-law rule, which court to use, and how to hire a lawyer. An unhappy couple faces away from each other on a couch in a professional office setting. Family Law How to Get a Divorce in BC A plain-language walkthrough of divorce in BC: the one-year rule, the Supreme Court process, BC's 2-year common-law property rule, the forms and fees, and the timeline. Kiweki Point park in Ottawa, Ontario showcases families descending steps amidst vibrant foliage and beautiful scenery Family Law How to Hire a Family Lawyer in Ottawa An Ottawa family case has three local twists: one unified court, the federal pension question, and the right to proceed in French. How to hire for each. View of Bramalea Bus Terminal in Brampton, Ontario. The Peel Region Municipal Offices building dominates the background. Family Law How to Hire a Family Lawyer in Brampton In Brampton the family home is often shared with parents or in-laws, and the right lawyer may need to work in your language. How to hire for a Brampton case. Downtown Edmonton skyline featuring the Walterdale Bridge spanning across the Saskatchewan River. Family Law How to Hire a Family Lawyer in Edmonton In Edmonton the biggest thing to divide in a separation is often a pension, not the house. Why that shapes who you hire, and how to choose a family lawyer here. Downtown Calgary skyline as viewed from directly underneath a vibrant red pedestrian bridge. Family Law How to Hire a Family Lawyer in Calgary Two things shape a Calgary divorce: which court you're in, since only King's Bench grants one, and how you prove an energy-sector income. How to hire for both. Divorce paperwork sits on a wooden desk beside a laptop, pen, file folders, and two separated wedding rings, with a softly blurred mountain view through the window in the background. Family Law How to Get a Divorce in Alberta A plain-language walkthrough of getting a divorce in Alberta: the one-year rule, the Court of King's Bench desk divorce, the real forms and fees, and the timeline. Two empty Muskoka chairs sit on a cottage deck overlooking a serene lake through a cluster of tall pine trees. Family Law Dividing a Lake Simcoe Cottage in a Divorce The family cottage on Lake Simcoe can count as a second matrimonial home, its full value shared even if one of you owned it first. How Ontario law treats it. A serious couple sits at a dining table in a bright home, reviewing divorce paperwork and a laptop, with a wedding ring on the table and a snowy Toronto skyline through the window. Family Law How to Get a Divorce in Ontario A plain-language walkthrough of getting a divorce in Ontario: the one-year rule, the forms, filing online, what the court fees really are, and how long it takes. Silhouettes of family watching Toronto Downtown Skyline at nighT Family Law How to Hire a Family Lawyer in Toronto In Toronto, the first question isn't which lawyer, it's which court. How the split family-court system shapes your case, and how to choose the right lawyer. Rear view of a military family walking down a snowy road at a Canadian base, with one adult in Canadian camouflage carrying a duffel bag, another adult in a dark winter coat, and a child in a knit hat holding a stuffed bunny beneath a Canadian flag. Family Law Military Divorce Near CFB Borden: Pensions, Postings, and Kids A separation for a CFB Borden family brings issues a civilian divorce doesn't: dividing the Forces pension, and postings and deployments that move the kids. Lake Simcoe shore view with Heritage Park on the right in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Family Law Hiring a Divorce Lawyer in Barrie: The House and the Commute In Barrie, a separation is usually a fight about one house and one highway. What that means for your divorce, and how to choose a family lawyer who fits.