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Collingwood Family Law

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Collingwood Family Lawyers

Our Collingwood family lawyers at Devry Smith Frank LLP (‘DSF’) understands the delicate nature and need for compassion when dealing with matters between spouses, children and relatives. We handle a wide range of family law issues such as child custody, child support, marriage contracts and more – including preventative matters like prenuptial agreements and similar contracts.

There are primarily three grounds for divorce in Ontario:

  • Separation
  • Adultery
  • Cruelty

Meaning, that the separation of the spouses for at least a year could be reasonable grounds for a divorce. The acts of cruelty or adultery might come in many different types and forms which could also be a contributing factor. The majority of divorces are granted based on separation.

Our family lawyers in Collingwood are fully aware of how emotionally challenging a divorce can be. At this critical time, clients need professional support through smart decisions. Our dependable and trusted family lawyers and team are committed to understanding your goals and needs. Our Collingwood family lawyers have extensive experience in the following:

  • Simple Divorce
  • Separation Agreements
  • Marriage Contracts
  • Cohabitation Agreements
  • Child And Spousal Support
  • Custody And Access
  • Property Division
  • Structuring Business In Light Of Family Law Issues
  • Legal Issues Surrounding Heterosexual And Same-Sex Relationships
  • Common-Law Relationships
  • Child Protection (Children’s Aid Society Proceedings)
  • Collaborative Law And Collaborative Practice
  • Family Mediation And Family Arbitration
  • Family Court Proceedings
  • Adoptions
  • Legal Issues Surrounding Assisted Reproduction

We Will Fight For Your Rights

As a full-service law firm, we provide expert knowledge at every level of court – from the Ontario Court of Justice to the Supreme Court of Canada allowing us to offer optimal legal representation and advice no matter the severity of your case. Outside the courtroom, our family lawyers also solve disputes using mediation and arbitration and exercise “Collaborative Practice.” This unique practice allows couples to resolve difficult situations without putting stress on their children.

Conveniently Located

Our office is conveniently located at 25 Huron Street, Collingwood, ON L9Y 1C3,  which is within walking distance to all amenities within the town square with ample free parking. We welcome individuals and businesses located across Simcoe County and surrounding areas to meet their legal needs from our new location closest to them.

Get To Know Us

Browse through our website to learn more about our firm’s history and how our services can help you. Refer to our pages to read in detail specific practice areas that may be relevant to your situation. Also, check out Meet Our Team for our lawyer profiles to learn more about their credentials and qualifications. Feel free to make use of our Blog and Media for legal resources that can provide you with very helpful information about your particular legal issue.

Top Reasons To Hire DSF Collingwood Lawyer

Both in court and out of court in settlement discussions, if your position is not within the range of what is “reasonable”, it may get nowhere. Credibility will be lost before a judge and in settlement discussions, your opponent will ignore you. Family Law matters are often emotional and this may cloud your judgement. A related point is that you need to be aware of what facts and issues are important and which are not. For example, spousal infidelity probably has no bearing on child custody. Child abuse probably has no effect on property issues. Mixing up what is important and what is not can make the process longer.

In negotiating or deciding on litigation strategy, you need to know what the possible outcomes are and whether you could do better using a different course of action. At times generosity might carry moral weight, or you may want to keep a fair share of assets from your spouse. Unless you speak to a lawyer, you will not know whether you really are getting a good deal that will last or do better or worse.

These contracts cannot be bound without a lawyer. If you are signing a contract, it must be valid for the court to enforce it. Unfortunately, judges usually ignore family law contracts if both parties did not have lawyers. Judges are usually suspicious if one party only saw a lawyer for a few hours to get an ILA Certificate. If you want an enforceable contract, it is advisable to have lawyers involved throughout the negotiations.

The court process is complicated. Judges have expectations about how things will be done in court and those expectations may be based on more than just the Family Law Rules. However, judges hold self-represented litigants to the same standard as lawyers. This can place self-represented litigants at a disadvantage.

Lawyers are professional negotiators. Family lawyers represent individual people, not big businesses or corporations, so they know that the cost of the process is important. Lawyers have strategies to get their clients the best possible resolution at the lowest cost possible.

You need a professional on your side. The Children’s Aid Society (“Society”) has lots of professionals to help them – lawyers, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors and others. The Society uses those professionals to acquire their needs. Alternatively, you need a child protection professional on your side as well. A child protection lawyer can not only advocate for you in court, but help find other field-related professionals to help you get the best deal.

In Canada, the loser in a lawsuit pays some or all of the winner’s lawyer’s bill. If you sue and lose because you did not know what you were doing, the court will order you to pay for the other party’s lawyer. If that happens you have not saved any money by not getting a lawyer to help you – but the other party (with a lawyer) has saved a substantial amount.