Family Law Terminology Canada

Family Law Rules: The Family Law Rules are a set of rules that govern the practice of family law in Ontario. All cases in Ontario are expected to follow the rules of family law. In England and Wales, it is a child who has been treated by a married couple as a child of the family. Stepchildren can be children of the family. Dispute Resolution Officers (DROs) are experienced family law lawyers who are trained to help people resolve their problems. Some locations of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court Division of the Family Court have DRAs. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or Family Dispute Resolution procedures are various means or processes that try to get people to agree on their legal issues without going to court. Some of these processes are collaborative family law, mediation and arbitration. “The best interests of the child” is a legal criterion used to decide many things about children. The test is different for various family law issues. Child Support Guidelines (Ontario): Child Support Guidelines are used to calculate child support. The amount of support depends on the payer`s income and the number of children in the family. Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution or family dispute resolution procedure in which partners meet with a neutral person, called an arbitrator, to resolve their issues without going to court.

An arbitrator is usually a lawyer. A non-lawyer can also be an arbitrator if they have special training in family law. If you and your partner can`t agree, the arbitrator will make a decision to resolve your differences. Your decision is called a family arbitration award. A document that explains how you and your spouse agreed to deal with issues such as parenting, support and property after your separation (provincial family law simply calls this an agreement). There is no formal form for developing a separation agreement. Filing a form: Once a party has completed a form, it must be submitted to family court. To submit a form, you must go to family court and give it to the court clerk. Rule 5 of the Family Law System tells you where to start your family law case. In most cases, you will need to start your case in the community where you live or where the children live if you make parenting claims. Any violent or threatening behaviour towards another family member. This includes physical, sexual, psychological or financial exploitation; harassment and harassment; Childbirth; or damage (or threat of damage) to animals or property.

It is also family violence when a child sees or hears that their parents are hurt or anxious. Family Law Act: The Family Law Act is a provincial law that deals with family property, the marital home, support obligations (including spousal and child support), family contracts and claims for damages by support creditors. The Provincial Court is divided into several divisions, each dealing with a different aspect of the law, such as small claims or circulation. The Family Division of the Provincial Court (often called Family Court) makes court orders regarding guardianship, parenting arrangements, access, child support and spousal support. Family debts include all debts that a spouse incurs during the relationship, such as mortgages, family member loans, bank lines of credit or overdrafts, credit cards, income tax and repair costs. Family debts also include debts incurred after separation, when money is spent on the maintenance of family property. Under the Family Law Act, all family debts are divided equally when you separate, unless you and the other spouse have an agreement to the contrary. To change this, you would have to demonstrate that an equal distribution would be significantly unfair.

Lawyers paid by Legal Aid BC who can help low-income individuals with family, criminal or migration issues. The public defender can give free legal advice, but cannot take on your entire case or represent you in court. Family Law Information Centres (FLICs): You can find a FLICs in Ontario family courthouses. The FIC office staff will help you with information about family law and resources available in the community. You will also be able to provide information and recommendations on mediation. The FIC service is free of charge. Application: A person starts a family law case by completing Form 8: Application (General), filing the application with the court and serving it on the other party. There are different types of applications and you need to make sure you have the correct Form 8 for your application. One of the most complex areas of family law is the law, process and procedure related to interjurisdictional support orders.

The procedure allows individuals to file an application in their own jurisdiction (such as your local courthouse), regardless of where the children live. People who are or will be involved in this process should consult a family law lawyer immediately. The family law firm has achieved many successes with clients in this complex area. Consultants are private lawyers or staff lawyers with Legal Aid Ontario in all family courts who provide basic information about family law. For example, the consulting lawyer can explain legal terms, how to start or respond to a court request, and the legal process. If you or your partner can`t reach an agreement and later decide to go to court, you won`t be able to use your family law lawyers as lawyers in court. If your income is low enough, the counsellor can also give you legal advice on decision-making and parental leave, child and spousal support, division of property, divorce and most other family law issues. Previously, decision-making responsibility and parenting time were referred to as custody and visitation. When a child protection worker (social worker) from the Department of Children and Family Development (or a delegated Indigenous agency) contacts you or visits you at home to ask questions about your family. The child protection worker may be able to take your child from home. Government employees working in family justice centres across the province and access to justice centres in Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo.

Family Law Counsellors are accredited family mediators who have been specially trained to assist families with parenting arrangements and support issues. A process in which two people work on their family law issues with a qualified professional such as a mediator. Is designed to help you resolve a dispute without going to court. Also includes working with family advocates or a child support officer. The person of the opposite sex or sex to whom you were married or to whom you lived in a relationship similar to marriage. In other words, your spouse is your wife, husband or partner. Under the Family Law Act, an unmarried couple who have lived together for two years is treated as a married couple in all aspects of family law, including the division of property. An unmarried couple who have lived together and have a common child is treated as a married couple for the purposes of spousal support, regardless of how long they live together. This includes family law counsellors, mediators, lawyers, education coordinators and arbitrators who can help you resolve a family law dispute. Parents are legally obliged to provide financially for their children, whether they live together as a family or not. After a separation or divorce, child support is the amount that one parent pays to another parent to support the children.

It used to be called maintenance. Although parents have the primary responsibility for paying child support, other guardians and step-parents are also required to provide for the child and may be responsible for paying child support. Under the Divorce Act, this is the time a child spends with a parent who does not have custody of the child. You will only use the terms custody and contact if you apply to the Supreme Court for orders in your family matters under the Divorce Act. You will not use the Terms if you are applying to the Supreme Court or Provincial Court for a family law order. Under the Family Law Act, family property is usually divided equally after separation, unless it is “excluded property.” See definitions of family property and excluded property. The person who applies for a family order by filing an application with the Supreme Court. Probability weighting is the standard or legal test of proof usually required in a family law case.