Why have I started a blog?
It's a question I'm getting regularly.
There are two primary reasons:
First, I continue to be amazed at the amount of misinformation out there when it comes to family law. Some of it no doubt comes from t.v. dramas (or comedies), some from other provinces or countries, some of it just seems to come out of nowhere.
For example, there is no six month rule. Nowhere in Manitoba is there a law indicating that after a couple live together for six months, they are equivalent to married.
It's a question I'm getting regularly.
There are two primary reasons:
First, I continue to be amazed at the amount of misinformation out there when it comes to family law. Some of it no doubt comes from t.v. dramas (or comedies), some from other provinces or countries, some of it just seems to come out of nowhere.
For example, there is no six month rule. Nowhere in Manitoba is there a law indicating that after a couple live together for six months, they are equivalent to married.
Also, adultery is rarely relevant to a divorce case. We have a no fault system in Manitoba.
Yes, you can be legally separated without filing papers in court. "Abandonment" is not a ground for divorce. A spouse can get a divorce even if the other spouse refuses to sign divorce papers. Child support can continue after the child turns eighteen. Moms don't always get custody.
There is so much bad information being spread by word of mouth, and people make bad decisions as a result. At Patersons LLP we have tried to try to get good legal information out there and help people understand the law a little better.
There is so much bad information being spread by word of mouth, and people make bad decisions as a result. At Patersons LLP we have tried to try to get good legal information out there and help people understand the law a little better.
This blog should also give some day-to-day perspective on the practice of family law.
Second, after so many years
of practicing family law I am continuing to work on alternatives to sending families into the court system. When a couple bring their family issues to court, they are embarking on an expensive, slow and usually imperfect way to resolve their conflicts. They hire lawyers to help them navigate the system, and leave decisions about their children, their money and their assets to a Judge, who is a total stranger to them.
Alternatives to the court system are becoming increasingly popular in other provinces and countries. Certainly the cost and wait times are factors, but there are far more benefits. Alternatives like collaborative family law, arbitration, mediation and family counselling offer couples privacy, dignity, flexibility and a degree of healing and closure. Most importantly, the alternatives offer children of separated parents protection from the emotional damage of parental conflict, damage that can have life-long effects.
Those are the types of topics I hope to share in this blog.
Second, after so many years
of practicing family law I am continuing to work on alternatives to sending families into the court system. When a couple bring their family issues to court, they are embarking on an expensive, slow and usually imperfect way to resolve their conflicts. They hire lawyers to help them navigate the system, and leave decisions about their children, their money and their assets to a Judge, who is a total stranger to them.
Alternatives to the court system are becoming increasingly popular in other provinces and countries. Certainly the cost and wait times are factors, but there are far more benefits. Alternatives like collaborative family law, arbitration, mediation and family counselling offer couples privacy, dignity, flexibility and a degree of healing and closure. Most importantly, the alternatives offer children of separated parents protection from the emotional damage of parental conflict, damage that can have life-long effects.
Those are the types of topics I hope to share in this blog.
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