White City, Saskatchewan Family Law and Divorce Lawyers
Getting divorced in White City? Don’t face this life-altering event alone. Make sure you have expert help on your side so that you can protect your finances and your relationship with your children.
Most divorces are not simple. Some are exceedingly complex. Let the experienced team at Merchant Law help you navigate this troubling time. We’ve handled some of Saskatchewan’s most difficult divorces, including farm divorces and high net worth divorces.
We’re skilled litigators and savvy negotiators who can help you maintain your advantage during the divorce process.
Saskatchewan Child Custody, Child Support, and Child Visitation Lawyers
Child custody issues tend to be some of the most frightening in any divorce. Yet often, there’s no basis for this fear. Unless one parent is putting the child in serious danger with their lifestyle, habits, or history of domestic abuse it is very rare in Saskatchewan for either parent to get sole custody.
Instead, Saskatchewan favors arrangements where both parents get close to 50% time with their kids, while maintaining guardianship rights. While one parent might serve as the primary residential parent, the courts want to foster a child’s relationship with both parents.
All divorce decrees that involve kids will include child support. That child support amount must, at a minimum, follow federal child support guidelines. This isn’t always straightforward: parents with variable income, parents who own their own business, and parents with special needs children may have special concerns that must be accounted for in your eventual divorce settlement.
Saskatchewan Property Division Lawyers
In Saskatchewan, both spouses have an equal right to the marital property after the marriage dissolves. Yet equitable distribution does not always mean 50/50 equal distribution. Many assets can’t be liquidated so easily.
Property division often requires many rounds of negotiation, especially in high net worth divorces where dividing the assets the wrong way could devalue them, or can have negative tax consequences.
We recommend our clients come to us with some clearly defined goals. For example, if you built a business from scratch you might wish to retain control over that business. While you might have to give up other assets to do so, it is possible to negotiate a settlement that will allow that to happen.
Keep in mind we help high net worth couples all over Saskatchewan. We have backgrounds in business, real estate, and civil litigation which help us come up with appropriate business and settlement deals. We know how to divide your assets without devaluing them, and we know how to help you meet your long-term goals.
Spousal Support
Spousal support always sparks a lot of fear in the hearts of our clients. Those who need it fear they’ll have to do without it, or won’t get enough of it. Those who have to pay it fear that they won’t be able to meet their expenses because they’re expected to write large monthly checks to their exes.
Fortunately, spousal support is negotiable.
Federal guidelines do offer a formula whereby the higher earning spouse might pay the lower earning spouse. It considers the length of the marriage, the money each spouse makes, whether the lower-earning spouse is already receiving child support, and more. Lawyers use software programs to run the numbers.
This number is little more than a starting point. Nothing in Canadian law mandates the use of that number.
In addition, there are guidelines for the length of support: usually six months to one year for every year of marriage. This, too, is negotiable.
We’ve even negotiated lump sum payments in lieu of monthly checks, a solution that is often beneficial to both parties.
If you’re worried about spousal support, get help today.
Support for White City, Saskatchewan Farmers
There are few divorces more complex than a farmer’s divorce. It’s a high net worth divorce where all the assets tend to be tied up in the farm itself. Selling equipment could mean the product doesn’t get to market. The family home is right there on the family’s place of business. Farm divorces can get messy fast.
In fact, inexperienced family lawyers often destroy farms while trying to take their clients through the process.
We save farms. We have decades of experience with these sorts of highly specialized divorces. We know how to handle the issues of variable income and debt that can further complicate the issue.
If you inherited your family farm we can help you keep it running and keep it ready for your children to take over some day. We excel at creating Win-Win deals that farming spouses are willing to accept.
Common Law Divorces
If you were involved in a common law marriage that you’re ready to end, then you should know that a legal separation agreement is an absolutely vital tool if you want to protect your interests.
Forging a separation agreement allows the courts to back and enforce your child support, child visitation, and spousal support agreements. It ensures you get the property that you have a right to in a timely fashion once your spouse agrees to give up your share.
Don’t try to navigate your separation without one. Contact one of our family law lawyers today.
Get Help Today
We have offices in Saskatoon, Regina, and Moose Jaw, but we help people throughout the province, including residents of White City. We also serve other areas like Prince Albert, Swift Current, North Battleford, Yorkton, Estevan, Warman, Weyburn, and Martensville Many of our lawyers have decades of family law experience and have even been published in prestigious family law journals, which means when you work with us you get all of the advantages that come with working with truly skilled professionals.
Schedule an appointment to go over the facts of your divorce case by calling (306) 359-7777 today. Our Regina and White City divorce lawyers will be happy to advise and to assist you.