“Never marry someone you wouldn’t want to be divorced from.” – Nora Ephron Charting your matrimonial journey should be as rational as it is aspirational. A thoughtful approach will reduce your personal and financial anxiety, and ironically, removing those stressors may also improve your marriage’s chance of success. The exercise …
In Alberta, the owner of all real property (i.e. real estate) must be registered with the Land Titles Office. The property can be owned as either joint tenants or tenants in common. Joint tenancy is most commonly seen for residential homeowners. Joint tenants are equal owners of the property. If …
Finally, fifteen years after the death of “The Godfather of Soul”, James Brown, his estate has been settled. As with other celebrities such as Aretha Franklin and Prince, who died without a coherent estate plan or a will, expensive and time-consuming litigation has been a hall-mark of the James Brown …
Separated parents in Alberta may be entitled to receive support from the other, despite not having been married. Adult Interdependent Partner support, or support for a common law partner, can be a highly contentious issue as the payor typically feels that since they did not get married, they should not …
The concept of murder for profit is a consistent theme in real life and fictional pop culture. But can someone who has caused another person’s death also take a benefit from that person’s estate? According to the Slayer Rule, the answer in most instances is no, but there is a …
The problem of a predatory marriage in which a person with reduced mental capacity marries someone who is motivated to take advantage of property transfers, family property legislation or changes to estate plans, is an increasing feature of the greying demographic. And while the term “predatory marriage” has a certain …
In Alberta, the Matrimonial Property Act has been amended and renamed the Family Property Act. The primary purpose of the amendments is to include property acquired by spouses in a non-married relationship (adult interdependent partners) as subject to the (rebuttable) presumption of equal division upon termination of the relationship. What …
Navigating a separation from a spouse or a partner is often stressful, painful and confusing. There is often no end to the worries, including financial stress, concerns for children, and the desire to end the conflict without a war. An important conclusion reached by many family law professionals, including lawyers, …
Spousal support in Alberta can be a highly complex issue, as there are multiple steps and considerations to determining appropriate support, one of which is the ‘Rule of 65’. The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines offer direction for courts in Alberta when deciding whether a party is entitled to spousal support …
The Fault Line. The Earthquake. The Fall Out Using a natural disaster analogy to describe divorce may seem needlessly theatrical. The most fortunate couples who end their relationship will do so amicably, collaboratively and with minimal trauma. However, many spouses indeed experience the ending of a relationship as an unmitigated …
