Noted family lawyer Russell Alexander has written a book outlining the path to a successful divorce, taking readers step-by-step through the process from finding a lawyer to handling post- litigation issues. This one of the few books that touches exclusively on Ontario divorce law.
“It made me realize how much hunger there is for information on how divorces work,” said Alexander. “No one ever expects to get a divorce, so it’s not a subject that people spend much time learning about until they are facing one. It can be hard to catch up at such a stressful time.”
In 300+ pages, Alexander’s book, “The Path to a Successful Divorce,” aims to give readers a solid grounding on the key questions about family law that they’ll face as they go through a divorce, including whether they’ll need a separation agreement first, how courts view adultery and why representing yourself is a bad idea.
Using his knowledge of Canadian case law, Alexander also peppered the book with interesting anecdotes about real divorces that illustrate how some of these issues play out, such as a father who sent abusive text messages and a couple who were married in front of 500 people but never obtained a marriage license.
“Every divorce is unique,” Alexander said. “But there are principles that underlie the process that you need to understand before you move forward in a divorce. This is one case where what you don’t know can hurt you. Hopefully this book will help readers avoid that problem.”
The book is now available for purchase on Amazon Kindle and will be available in print on Amazon and on the firm’ s website later this spring. For more details, contact: marketingdirector@thesilo.ca
Russell Alexander Family Lawyers is committed to practicing exclusively in the area of family law in Ontario dealing with all aspects, including separation and divorce, child custody and access, spousal support, child support, and division of family property. A team of lawyers provide guidance from start to finish, helping clients identify and understand the legal issues as well as the options and opportunities available through the transition. The firm has offices in Lindsay, Whitby, and Markham, Ontario. For the Silo, Alison Beckwith .
Ontario making family law less complex; less expensive
I have heard from so many who find Ontario family law frustrating. The sentiment
being that the only winner is the lawyer. In my opinion, there shouldn’t be a winner
but rather a process that puts families – especially children — first.
The Ontario government has introduced legislation that, once passed, will finally
move family law forward for children and families. The bill is titled Moving Ontario
Family Law Forward Act. Family disputes pose unique challenges in our justice
system. People access the family law system in some of life’s most difficult
moments, both emotionally and financially.
We all know someone who has been tied up in the system. It’s challenging, overly
complex, outdated and causes anxiety among users. The system can be better, and I am
proud to say we are working toward making it better.
First and foremost, we are working to apply common sense solutions to strengthen the
system to be more accessible and responsive. Lawyers admit they find the current
system confusing – if it’s confusing for lawyers, it must be extremely intimidating
for those who must, or choose, to self-represent. Self-represented litigants
compromise over 50 per cent of family law files.
Appeals have always been tricky but our government has devised an appeal process
that will be more consistent for families regardless of what court hears their
matter. Such a change will help children who are in difficult circumstances by
ensuring final decisions are reached faster. Resolving these issues quickly is
critical to stability and consistency for children.
Additionally, our government has called on the federal Attorney General to follow
through on its commitment to roll out and accelerate Ontario’s work on the unified
Family Court. Right now family court is heard at two different levels, depending on
what matters they are dealing with – children or no children, and property, are all
factors on where matters are heard.
A unified Family Court across Ontario would streamline the system significantly.
Currently, about half of Ontario courts are unified. The federal government assures
Ontario they will be moving in the right direction and support our request.
Our government has also been working with the Superior Court of Justice to expand
the dispute resolution program to two new locations – Kitchener and Welland. The
program already exists in nine other locations around the province.
Lawyers and litigants have told us they see value in having access to a dispute
resolution officer (DRO) who is in fact a senior family lawyer. These DROs are
appointed by the Superior Court of Justice and hold case conferences, which help
narrow issues down and provide early neutral evaluations. DROs save everyone
involved in the system save time and money. In some situations, this eliminates
court time as couples come to resolve between themselves.
Further to these very important steps, we are eliminating an old requirement whereby
arbitrators submitted detailed reports on every family arbitration award. No other
jurisdiction requires this reporting and its elimination will save time and increase
efficiency for arbitrators and other frontline workers.
Wading through family law in Ontario right now is cumbersome and costly. Our
legislation will create a system easier to navigate and will save those who need to
access it time, money and anguish.
There is much more in the bill many may find interesting — the bill can be viewed
at:
https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/house-documents/parliament-42/session-1/2020-09-30/hansard#P209_13233
Toby Barrett MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk