Saskatoon Divorce Lawyer

The Canadian divorce rate is 41%, which means many Saskatoon residents will be embroiled in this life-altering legal action at some point. The final divorce decree typically has lifelong consequences both for your finances and for your relationship with your children.

The dedicated family lawyers in our Saskatoon office have over 90 years of collective experience between them. They are responsive to your needs and dedicated to protecting your interests throughout this stressful process.

Filing for Divorce in Saskatoon

One of your first tasks will be proving there are grounds for divorce. In some circumstances it is critical to prove your case before the court so you can get divorced and get protected as quickly as possible, as in a domestic violence case. In other cases where you might have grounds for an immediate divorce you may have to prove additional facts to get permission to succeed.

Most Saskatoon divorces are initiated after a year-long separation. Separation does not require any intervention from the courts, but it’s usually a good idea to retain a family lawyer after you or your spouse move out. This is because all the major issues of a divorce exist during a separation as well. Who will have the kids, and will? Who will pay whom support, and how much? A formal, legal agreement can protect you until you’re ready to pursue the formal divorce.

The major issues of a divorce include child custody, child access, child support, division of debts and assets, and spousal support. If you and your spouse are in agreement on all of these points you can file an “uncontested divorce,” which is the least expensive and easiest way to proceed. If you are not in agreement on even one point you will be gearing up for a contested divorce action.

In general the Court of Queen’s Bench prefers divorcing couples to work out as many of these issues on their own as they can. On the matter of debts, assets, and spousal support they are happy to okay just about any settlement if both parties are in agreement. Child support and custody arrangements must be reviewed by the court to ensure they truly are in the best interests of the child, but if the arrangements are reasonable you can generally expect court involvement to be more minimal.

One of our jobs as Saskatoon divorce lawyers is to be cognizant of what the courts are likely to accept and/or are likely to do if the matter is brought to trial. We can use this as a starting point for negotiations between you, your ex, and you’re ex’s lawyer. We are not afraid to take any matter to trial when necessary, but we also want to be good stewards of your time, energy, and pocketbook.

SK High Conflict Divorces

When a divorce is particularly acrimonious it takes a skilled hand to navigate the issues. This is especially true in cases where the court begins setting aggressive deadlines for these issues to either be resolved or to enter litigation.

In some of these cases the judge will refer you to Saskatoon’s High Conflict Family Case Conferencing program. Both parties attend this conference with their lawyers. The judge joins in, as does a mediator.

Up to four sessions take place, typically focusing on child access and the development of a co-parenting plan. The goal is to reduce the amount of emotional pain suffered by the children of high-conflict divorce and to make sure the best interests of the children are maintained.

Whether you are remanded to High Conflict Family Case Conferencing or not, you want a skilled lawyer by your side. Divorce is difficult enough to navigate even when the negotiations are going well. When they’re going poorly, you want someone who understands where to draw the lines, when to absolutely refuse to back down and when to be flexible. These are the kinds of determinations that can only be properly made with the help of vast experience.

SK High Net Worth Divorces

A great many residents of Saskatoon have high incomes of $79,000 per year or above. Over 18,000 of our local residents have six figure incomes. And with more divorces taking place later in people’s lives it is not at all uncommon for married couples to have gathered a strong asset portfolio by the time the marriage dissolves.

Our expertise as high net worth divorce lawyers gives us insight into all the issues we can expect to encounter in such a divorce. Dividing retirement funds and pensions is never a straightforward process. In such divorces, one spouse has usually sacrificed their career so the other spouse can pursue his or hers, which means issues of spousal support come into play.

Where the divorcing couple owns real property the property will have to be assessed and either divided up or sold so the money may be divided. Where the spouses own shares in businesses the services of a valuation professional are almost always necessary.

And there is no other divorce type where hidden assets are more likely, which means we typically have to engage in a rigorous discovery process which may require the services of a forensic accountant.

High net worth divorces easily become high-conflict divorces both because of the size of the assets at stake and because of the complexity of the arrangements. Agreements the court would find fair can sometimes seem inequitable on their surface.

Fortunately, our team has successfully navigated numerous high net worth divorces for both men and women. We’re confident we can help you walk out of your divorce with your fair share of what you and your spouse built together.

Getting to Our Saskatoon Location

We are located at #920-410 22nd Street East, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 5T6. We’re right across the street from the Queen’s Bench Court where your divorce case will be heard.

To schedule an appointment by telephone, call (306) 653-7777. We look forward to demonstrating how we can help you with your divorce action.