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Calgary Divorce & Separation Lawyer

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    If you have a divorce or separation issue, a Calgary divorce lawyer can help. Contact us today at 403-225-7777. Phones are answered 24/7.

     

    Going through a separation or divorce can be very stressful emotionally. This is especially so when young children are involved.

    In cases involving children this will likely be the most important matter in your mind to try as much as possible to see to it that your children suffer as little as possible.

    For all couples, there will be the issue of your finances to straighten out. Your Calgary divorce lawyer should ensure that you receive a fair division of marital assets.

    These issues must be handled expertly because so much is at stake. The most fundamental questions which need to be answered are:

    • What will be a fair division of financial assets?
    • How much spousal support is going to be paid?
    • What will be the result for child custody, child access and visitation?
    • How much child support is going to be paid?

    Calgary Divorce Lawyers & Calgary Separation Lawyers

    Only a small fraction of divorce cases actually go to trial. The vast majority do not.

    Battling it out might only add to cost, delay, and emotional upset.

    Our lawyers will fight in court and go to trial where a fair result is not achievable through negotiation and settlement of all the issues important to you.

    Our firm’s divorce lawyers are well adept to take cases to trial and have done so on numerous occasions with success.

    It is always recommended to hire an experienced Calgary divorce lawyer.

    Lawyer up now and we can handle all the issues including: property divisionchild custodychild support, and spousal support.

    Filing for Divorce / Grounds for Divorce

    There will be a huge sense of loss and hurt involved in almost every divorce. This causes some people to become angry and aggressive. It can easily hurt the chances of reaching a reasonable settlement amicably between the parties.

    It is not always necessary to commence the conversation by filing court proceedings. A settlement might be achievable through direct discussions with your ex or soon to be ex-spouse with the help of an experienced Calgary divorce lawyer.

    But be careful, most lawyers will say it is tactically significant to be the first to file. This makes you the applicant in the process and there are benefits.

    Interim child support and spousal support orders can be requested from the court. Until a final order is made, these “interim orders” may remain in place indefinitely. If you need support it is important to go to court quickly. The longer you wait the less likely it is to get the court to agree that you cannot survive without a great deal of financial support.

    Our Calgary divorce lawyers are very experienced in representing both men and women and are therefore a good choice if you are performing any one of the following searches for lawyers in Calgary: divorce lawyer for mothers, divorce lawyer for women, divorce lawyer for fathers, or divorce lawyer for men. Our Calgary divorce lawyers are dedicated to helping you work through a legal separation or divorce with the least amount of dispute and cost.

    Some cases can be resolved amicably between the parties with a settlement agreement. This would be negotiated with both parties represented by their own lawyers. Once we have a settlement agreement it still needs to be approved by the court. So your case would be ready to go before a judge to approve it.

    In this case documents are filed with the Court and considered by a judge without the parties having to be present. This is called an uncontested divorce.

    The courts will ensure “reasonable arrangements” are in place for any children involved. The divorce will not proceed unless the judge is happy that all will be fair to any children including their custody access and parenting time arrangements as well as the appropriate level of child support.

    How much will a Calgary divorce lawyer cost?

    As with other family law work, most Calgary divorce lawyers will quote you an hourly rate. This can be anywhere from around $200 to $500 per hour. An uncontested desk divorce might have a fixed fee in the $2,500 to $4,000 range if there are zero complicating factors.

    However a complicated divorce with issues in contention like child custody, access or parenting time, child support, spousal support, and/or division of marital assets can easily run up costs in the tens of thousands, particularly if the case goes to trial.

    An application to the court for immediate relief by what is known as an interim court order for matters like spousal support or child support, custody or access /  parenting time arrangements will be likely to cost you anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000.

    It all depends on the hours involved by the lawyer. You basically are paying on a straight time basis. Every time you contact the lawyer or the lawyer does any work on your case they keep track of the time then multiply the time spent working on your matter by their hourly rate.

    Additionally there will be some out of pocket disbursements. For example filing fees at the court house might be a few hundred dollars. And then there is also GST.

    What Will I Need for Getting Started?

    If you wish to get started with a divorce, after you have made up your mind that this is the right course of action to pursue, your Calgary divorce lawyer or Calgary separation lawyer will first ask you for several documents to proceed:

    • Proof of your identity (i.e. a copy of your passport, driver’s licence, or other government issued identification)
    • Original or certified copy of your marriage certificate (issued by the province in which you were married)
    • A photograph of your spouse for the purpose of personally serving documents upon him.
    • If you have children under 16 years of age, you will be required to attend the Parenting After Separation Course; once completed you will need to provide the original yellow certificate of attendance.

    Note also that the law as it applies in Alberta and according to the Divorce Act requires that one of the spouses must have been “ordinarily resident” in the province of Alberta for at least one year prior to filing for divorce. Make sure that you check this with your lawyer if in any doubt as this is a requirement that a judge has no capacity to waive.

    In relation to the Parenting After Separation Course, your Calgary divorce lawyer will be able to provide you with all the information to help you to register for the course. In certain circumstances the requirement may be waived but requires a court application.

    If you were married outside Canada, provide the documents you have, and your Calgary divorce lawyer will be able to advise you further.

    You may be searching through the hundreds of possible Calgary divorce lawyers looking for the best Calgary divorce lawyers and the best Calgary common law separation lawyers to help you by working on your side. There are so many to choose from and the decision is an important one.

    No lawyer or lawyer can say that they are the best Calgary divorce lawyer. Be careful if a lawyer tells you that! There are so many good lawyers out there in Calgary. We therefore always recommend that clients should consult with more than one Calgary divorce lawyer and Calgary separation lawyer and decide to hire a family law firm in which you trust and one that is highly experienced in family law and divorce cases. That’s really it!

    We have offices in Calgary, Airdrie, Red Deer, and Edmonton. Many of our lawyers practise exclusively in the area of family law. Our Calgary office proudly services the following nearby communities: Airdrie, Okotoks, Chestermere, Strathmore, and High River.

    Our Calgary divorce lawyers pride themselves on promptly returning all calls, e-mails, and text messages, and providing honest and zealous representation. Our focus is to help you find closure on legal matters after a separation or divorce. We will work together to evaluate all your needs and factor them into a fair and appropriate divorce or legal separation that protects your interests.

    Get in Touch

    Visit us at 2710 17th Ave SE in Calgary. You can take the 17th Ave exit from Barlow Trail. Or if you come straight along Blackfoot Trail it turns into 17th Ave SE automatically. Memorial Drive or Deerfoot will hit Barlow Trail and we are just around the corner.

    The office has Merchant Law written on the top of the building so you can’t miss it!

    We have ample free customer parking. If you don’t find a spot street parking is also free and usually available.

    Call us to book an appointment at 403-225-7777. We answer the calls seven days a week 24 hours a day.

    Or alternatively, you can please feel free to fill out the form on this page and we will answer you by return call or return email within 24 hours (or one business day).

    We look forward to serving you.

    Please note: The information provided on this website is Not Legal Advice. The information may or may not be accurate. The information is for discussion purposes only. Reliance upon any information provided would not be grounds to advance a claim against Merchant Law for providing any advice. In order to get a formal legal opinion upon which you may rely about any specific fact scenario, you would have to first retain the services of a lawyer and request a formal legal opinion.