# Seeking Divorce Lawyer Referral in Ottawa



## mjl1976 (11 May 2015)

Sadly I am going through a separation and have an extremely useless lawyer. I was hoping that someone here may have experience with a good divorce lawyer they could refer me to in the Ottawa area. I have already wasted quite a bit of money on one lawyer who has done nothing for me so hoping to avoid that with his replacement.

Thanks in advance


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## newwifey (12 May 2015)

Can't help with the referral, but this is an excellent resource!  Perhaps someone there can recommend one.

http://www.ottawadivorce.com/forum/


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## opcougar (12 May 2015)

mjl....may I ask why you think you need a lawyer, as opposed to self representing yourself? I ask because only you know your situation well, and if you are able to read, write and backup statements with facts, then you are pretty much going to e doing what a lawyer will be paid for. Now I ack that your case might be complicated i.e. kids, house to be sold, pension and all that, but there is a clear cut system as to how all that is to be handled.

In the mean time, if you have kid(s), then am hoping you are paying child support (right of the child) willingly based on the custody/access arrangement between you and spouse? There is a federal table that outlines the amount in $$ and number of kids for each provinces.

Hopefully you have cancelled joint accounts, cable, credit cards and non-essentials of life stuff in joint names???? You need to protect yourself from here on, and also refrain from posting nonsense on social media (if at all you do), and refrain from getting baited into an argument and fight. Yield this advice.....DO NOT GET BAITED.

Child support table. In a case of 50-50 access, CS is paid proportionate to income i.e. difference in table amount of what each parent earns

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fl-df/child-enfant/fcsg-lfpae/2011/pdf/ona.pdf

One Family court forms for every step of the process (what a lawyer is going to use)

http://www.ontariocourtforms.on.ca/english/family/


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## The Anti-Royal (12 May 2015)

I was going to say something inflammatory in response to opcougar's post, but I took a breath.  That said, the aphorism that, "a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a lawyer" is true in the vast majority of cases.

Judges, almost universally, detest self-reps.

Please, OP - for the love of all that is holy and good - retain competent counsel as soon as you possibly can.


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## Remius (12 May 2015)

Get a lawyer.  Don't do this yourself.  It might cost you a bit but it might cost you a whole lot more if you don't.


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## opcougar (13 May 2015)

Please say the "inflammatory" stuff to show what you really know about family law, which is the facet of law in this question. A lawyer is only going to go by what you've told them i.e. facts/BS/lies etc.

I like many others, self represented myself, and have 50-50 custody. I was the applicant in my matter, which meant I always went first at every stage. My matter never did make it to trial, but it came close because of her greed. I got everything I asked for...

- sale of the house
- 50-50 custody (she wanted sole)
- No alimony aka spousal support (she wanted it)
- I kept my pension (she wanted half)
- I took her of my benefits (she wanted to remain on it)
- divorce was on consent

The Judge commended me on my organization, and decorum in court. Yes, and this was a female Judge, and even lambasted my ex at one point. I mean to come on here and tell someone to retain legal counsel is silly considering not everyone can afford teh retainer of minimum 5k, which lawyers go through in no time.

I can present links to CanLii (public database of family law cases in the country), that shows many people self rep'ing. 

OP...again, only you know your case and the extent of the matters that needs to be resolved.



			
				The Anti-Royal said:
			
		

> I was going to say something inflammatory in response to opcougar's post, but I took a breath.  That said, the aphorism that, "a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a lawyer" is true in the vast majority of cases.
> 
> Judges, almost universally, detest self-reps.
> 
> Please, OP - for the love of all that is holy and good - retain competent counsel as soon as you possibly can.


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## opcougar (13 May 2015)

How much is a bit....a 50k legal bill after, and on top of that the legal costs of the opposing party?

Yeah



			
				Crantor said:
			
		

> Get a lawyer.  Don't do this yourself.  It might cost you a bit but it might cost you a whole lot more if you don't.


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## The Anti-Royal (13 May 2015)

I paid well over 50K for my divorce.  It was worth every penny to ensure that my rights were protected, that I was secure in the knowledge that my children would be well taken-care of, and that I'd saved money in the long run.

In addition, costs are usually only awarded if the other party is being an absolute a**hat.


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## opcougar (14 May 2015)

Again, you are providing half arsed advice to the OP. You are yet to provide substantiating points to back up your stance as to why everyone should "use a lawyer", considering only you know your case better than anyone else. I will ask you, do you have your kids 50-50 or better yet have sole custody? If not, then you just wasted 50k on nothing

Some of us have always been more involved in our kid's lives, which has helped make our case. Anyone that delegates upbringing of their kids to the other parent, can't then say they want them on equal footing, when you don't even know the teachers name, or who their friends are.

Child support is a given, and you don't need a lawyer or Judge to tell you that...if you don't want to pay it, then you should have kept your knob in your pants. My point again, I'll hope that anyone in the CAF is able to read and write, and based on this should be able to read documents, and state facts and back them up to present to the other party and a Judge...why on earth is a lawyer needed for this? There are tons of case precedents on CanLii to use to back up your stance, and this is what lawyers do to argue their case.

Again.....

- I got 50-50
- I kept my pension
- am paying CS based on 50-50
- ex is not on my benefits
- no alimony / spousal support is paid
- I spend more on my kid when with me
- take kid to activities (3) during the week
- take kid overseas
- school, doctor, dentist, friends of kid all know me

I did not need a lawyer to get all this. As mentioned before, I know a lot of men that have gone this route, and we all talk about our love for our kids and how we will do it all over again because it was worth it! Now I know people that have used lawyers, and still ended up losing and now depressed. I work with 2 people like this.

As for cost...you are wrong, you can expect a lawyer for the winning party / self rep to ask for costs. It is mentioned in every document served...if you did you actually worked on the documents that was served, then you will know this, as there is a box to be ticked. It is usually a tactic to try and get the other party to cave in.

The "over 50k" you spent, could have been put in RESPs for your kids education. Ironic isn't it considering you talk about "making sure your kids are looked after"



			
				The Anti-Royal said:
			
		

> I paid well over 50K for my divorce.  It was worth every penny to ensure that my rights were protected, that I was secure in the knowledge that my children would be well taken-care of, and that I'd saved money in the long run.
> 
> In addition, costs are usually only awarded if the other party is being an absolute a**hat.


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## George Wallace (14 May 2015)

If I may interject: The matter will boil down as to how much you know the LAW, not how much you know yourself and your family.


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## Brasidas (14 May 2015)

opcougar said:
			
		

> The "over 50k" you spent, could have been put in RESPs for your kids education. Ironic isn't it considering you talk about "making sure your kids are looked after"



I've stayed out of this, having avoided being in that spot myself. But that's a bit much.

Getting effective legal advice, at least at the outset of of a divorce, so that you know what you're looking at and don't screw up the outcome, does not sound like a waste to me. If you've got a vindictive spouse and you're not damned confident about what to do and how to do it, legal fees sound like reasonable risk mitigation to me. Skipping them doesn't mean that money will benefit your kids, even if you try to do your due diligence in self-representation.


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## Kat Stevens (14 May 2015)

As soon as my ex said "we can do this without lawyers", I went and got a lawyer.  Best money I ever spent.


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## vonGarvin (14 May 2015)

Kat Stevens said:
			
		

> As soon as my ex said "we can do this without lawyers", I went and got a lawyer.  Best money I ever spent.


I got a lawyer, and a week ago today was the divorce hearing. I have custody (yes, I'm a single dad with custody of our daughters) and I pretty much got what was fair and just.  

The ex got part pension for the time we were cohabitating, which is just in my opinion.  I pay her no support, and once she starts declaring an income, she pays me child support.

In the end, a barrister knows the law.  Unless you do as well, I would highly recommend that you seek legal advice.  I'm unable to recommend anyone as I am nowhere near Ottawa.

Sorry that your marriage came to this.


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## opcougar (14 May 2015)

That is why I mentioned in both posts above....CanLii. It has almost (all cases) that have *made it to trial* in the family court. You do a search under your province and federal, to find a case using wild cards that relates to yours, and use that as a supporting material for your case.

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/

It should be noted as mentioned by me above, if you've never been the type that is really involved in your kids lives, and will rather go hangout with your buddies, you can then try to get out of paying CS, by looking to get them 50-50 or even more silly sole custody...no Judge will grant that.

I am not saying legal advice should be ignored, especially if you are drafting a separation agreement (many examples online) which I'll be more than happy to share my old one with you which is iron clad and covered everything from health, school, holidays, b'day, mother/father's day et al. You will need a lawyer / paralegal to look over it. You stbx will be wise to do the same thing.

It was me (the guy as applicant) that drafted ours based on research, and served it on my ex. Like I said, it covered everything that can cause drama...exchange for child happens at school, so the ex and I don't even see each other and each parent gets to speak to the teachers. During holidays, exchange happens at a neutral location, as opposed to showing up at my / her doorstep.

Travel is taken care of with consent template emailed or faxed with ample notice i.e. a couple of days for outside province, and 14 days for int'l travel.



			
				George Wallace said:
			
		

> If I may interject: The matter will boil down as to how much you know the LAW, not how much you know yourself and your family.


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## Pusser (14 May 2015)

Opcouger, I have to say that yours is likely a very special and unique case.  None of the DIY divorces I've had the misfortune to witness (as an accounting officer who deals with pay, court orders, etc, I've seen the results of a few) have ended so well.  I have seen folks royally screwed because they trusted an ex-spouse who told them they wanted to keep it friendly and lawyers weren't necessary.  The first piece of advice I've always given to anyone going through this is to always get a lawyer.  For one thing, a lawyer can remain emotionally detached from it all and can deal with things objectively.  Experience in these things is also a great asset.  Figuring out the processes and the rules while you're going through it is not really the best tactic.  I'm glad it worked for you, but for most folks, it's not so easy.  Just because you can read, doesn't mean you fully understand what you're reading or for that matter, whether you have complete information.  You may not know what you don't know.

I've saved a ton of money over the years by doing my own repairs and renovations, including things that leave my neighbours standing in awe, but I draw the line at plumbing because I just get wet.  Always play to your strengths and get a professional for the rest.  I hire plumbers.


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## opcougar (14 May 2015)

Pusser...respectfully what does an accounting officer know about family law (even the JAG aren't allowed to advise on such matters), your analogy of plumbing, gardening etc isn't the same with family law. Again, you might have missed the part where I said if a person hasn't always been part of their kids lives i.e. very involved, and had a spouse who stayed at home, that right there by default makes the spouse the "primary caregiver". My ex always worked, and I will never be with someone that doesn't work or earns very less than me...that is just an alimony waiting to happen.

Again...I am substantiating my stance with links and documentation. The forms in the 1st post is what your lawyer is going to use, and he/she will add your own comments along with case precedents and submit, why is this difficult for you to do? No my case is not "unique", as I know at least 10 men and women with similar cases to mine and we all self represented. My ex wanted sole custody based on delusional thoughts and advice from her friends...she called by bluff, and she got served.

Again, Lawyer advice is great, but retaining one with not a lot of money in your pocket is not a choice many people have. Lawyers are there to run your retainer to the ground and then ask for more. In the case of buddy above, he spent over 50k and yes he might not have to pay CS, but he isn't getting any either because his ex isn't working.

I am well aware of court orders to garnish wages...I have staff who are in this situation, and that is because they were stubborn, and took that attitude to court. Family responsibility office (FRO) in Ontario and MEP in Alberta garnish wages after a court order is sent to them. I pay month directly to my ex, and that is because after the separation and her moving out, I religiously paid electronically to her...so when the divorce order was granted, she opted out of FRO.

You handling the garnish of wages, doesn't make you privy to the whole transcript of the court case, so to claim that you have witnessed DIY divorces, is stretching the truth. What you would have received from FRO / MEP is the page about how much of the mbr's wages is to be deducted.


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## secondchance (14 May 2015)

It depends .
Look what your ex-wife wants and what you want to get.If for both there is not issue  then you both just need papers to sign it (This is in Quebec).But  in my case my ex wanted custody,spousal support.I had to take the lawyer.After almost one year of process I got custody of my daughter and I don't need to pay spousal support for now. But if my salary can be bigger I don't know. Even if child with me according Law I should pay her spousal support.


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## Blackadder1916 (14 May 2015)

opcougar said:
			
		

> Pusser...respectfully what does an accounting officer know about family law (even the JAG aren't allowed to advise on such matters) . . .



I won't include the respect, but what does a signals(?) officer know about family law (beyond the particulars of his own case) that makes him so adamant in his stance of not using a lawyer?  Yeah, yeah, you made out okay when representing yourself, but, get over yourself.  You are not a lawyer nor should you be so stridently arguing that the OP (or anybody) does not need professional legal advice.  If you think that what you gave is legal advice, then I would advise you to stop practicing law without a license.

We have a well established rule on these means of not providing medical diagnoses or treatments.  Perhaps we also should preclude the practice of internet law as well as internet medicine.  While the knowledgeable medical types (as well as the unknowledgeable) may provide suggestions as to possible solutions, the one caveat always stressed is to seek advice from a licensed professional, not some anonymous lunk on the web.

As an aside, JAG officers don't provide family law advice, not because they don't know anything about it (and they may not), but because individual soldiers are not their clients - the Government of Canada is their client.

By the way, I also once thought that I was smart enough to handle my own divorce (30 years ago shortly after changes in the law ref "grounds").  I bought a book about how to do the process written by a well respected lawyer.  My ex hired the guy who wrote the book.


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## opcougar (14 May 2015)

Please in your infinite wisdom point out in this thread thus far, where I mentioned that legal advice should not be sought? I think in your knee jerk read of my post, you are confusing retaining a lawyer (which isn't feasible for most), with legal advice which is cheaper i.e. a couple of 100s vice thousands in retainer fee that builds up to over 50k as in the case above.

Again, read carefully what I said about the JAG. Just because you couldn't manage to handle your own divorce for reasons known only to you and lost out, doesn't mean many men and women these days aren't capable. Again, retainer a lawyer isn't feasible for most, unless you are unemployed and get legal aid, which a lot of mothers asking for sole custody use to their advantage.

I provided the OP with readings, links and documents, which is more than some have done on here, and instead are just saying get a lawyer. I am sure people are aware that most lawyers are just in it to make money, they deep down don't really care about you and your situation, they get paid regardless.



			
				Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> I won't include the respect, but what does a signals(?) officer know about family law (beyond the particulars of his own case) that makes him so adamant in his stance of not using a lawyer?  Yeah, yeah, you made out okay when representing yourself, but, get over yourself.  You are not a lawyer *nor should you be so stridently arguing that the OP (or anybody) does not need professional legal advice. * If you think that what you gave is legal advice, then I would advise you to stop practicing law without a license.
> 
> We have a well established rule on these means of not providing medical diagnoses or treatments.  Perhaps we also should preclude the practice of internet law as well as internet medicine.  While the knowledgeable medical types (as well as the unknowledgeable) may provide suggestions as to possible solutions, the one caveat always stressed is to seek advice from a licensed professional, not some anonymous lunk on the web.
> *
> ...


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## runormal (14 May 2015)

First of all I'm not a lawyer, not even close but I lived through an extremely messy divorce, both of my parents spent well over $300k each plus my grandfather sued my mother and I have no idea how much $$ that consumed. I asked her at one point "you've been doing this for years now do you really need a lawyer you must know it and out". She explained that Issue was the lawsuit and she also had a job to maintain (Teacher), furthermore if she lost the lawsuit (which was total bullshit) we'd be on the streets because there was no way she'd be able to pay it. (Back story my parents built up a farm together and obviously all of the assets appreciated. All in all a lot of money was wasted for no reason because my moms initial offer a house (250k) and full custody of the kids (which she got) and no further child support payments sure seems a lot cheaper in hindsight ;D. 

That being said as a result of this experience if I get divorced I would consider self representing. From what I understand from the law "Half is Half" and anything that was acquired or put on credit during the marriage is split evenly. Obviously I'm sure it is a tad more complicated depending on your situation. The more assets you poses and if you have children the more sense it makes to hire a lawyer IMO. It is the same thing as filing your taxes, you can do it yourself or you can pay an expert to do it and likely get back more money because they know tips and tricks because it is their job. Obviously this isn't the best example because a lawyer is a variable cost and an accountant is a fixed cost but you get the point.

@OP seeing how I've never been involved in a divorce I can't advise you on whether or not to get a lawyer. However for the love of god, (assuming you have kids) keeping your kids out of this. Do not use them as messengers there is nothing worse than being 13 years old and getting yelled at by your mom or dad because of delivering a letter or just saying that "Dad said X". Man up deliver the letter your self, call them yourself and do what you can to keep both parties civil when picking up and dropping of the kids. Do what you can to keep them involved in all our their activities and sports and what not. If the other parent is being a knob do what you can to get them from transportation from place a to b (i grew up in the country and the only way was around was by car or bike if you wanted to bike for hours). Most of all this isn't their fault so as bad as it is for you just realize that their entire world has been ripped apart and nothing makes sense. 

All in all I'm happy by parents split, as my mom is so much happier as is my dad but it was a pretty shitty five years.

Good luck ,


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## FJAG (14 May 2015)

I've followed this thread for a while and have tried to stay out of it but unfortunately I'm allowing myself to be sucked into it.

Just to provide full disclosure: before I retired, I practised law, primarily civil litigation, with a fair percentage of family law as well, for twenty years.

Opcougar. Your opening premise in this thread was:



			
				opcougar said:
			
		

> mjl....may I ask why you think you need a lawyer, as opposed to self representing yourself? I ask because only you know your situation well, and if you are able to read, write and backup statements with facts, then you are pretty much going to e doing what a lawyer will be paid for.



To put it succinctly; that is pure  :bullshit:.

Family law goes far beyond filling out a few forms and reading a few articles on the web. The fact of the matter is that there are tens of thousands of family law cases on CANLII, hundreds of federal and provincial statutes that deal with family law and related matters and thousands of articles on the topic (some written by very brilliant people; some written by complete morons). To expect someone who has never practised law to be able to find the few nuggets that apply to their case amongst that plethora of material is akin to the proverbial hunt to find the needle in the haystack. Do you really want to encourage people to go on that hunt knowing that not finding the needle can end up having them lose their kids, their house or their bank accounts?

Here's the thing. Most people, if they're lucky, are never divorced--or maybe just once. They can't possibly ever get sufficient experience to represent themselves well; even if they are able to "read, write and back up statements with facts." It's a bit like going into battle and all the guys in your platoon learned their military skills by playing video games and watching war movies.

Look folks. Not every family law case is a $50,000 affair. I used to do uncontested divorces for $500.00-$750.00. Those were cases where the couple worked out the key details. For my fee, I drafted the documents, advised them of the relevant law regarding children, child support, pension and asset splitting and all those things where the law makes very specific provisions as to what should happen, obtained appropriate disclosure of pension valuations and income disclosure for setting guideline support, and finally marshalled the case through court in order to obtain the appropriate decrees. The price has probably gone up a bit since I left practice but most lawyers still handle uncontested divorces for a reasonable sum.

The cost of a divorce goes up dramatically when the couple can't agree to settle things. All too often in a divorce, at least one party hates the other's guts and will do anything to hurt him/her. This is frequently seen when one of the parties refuses to retain a lawyer or to listen to their lawyer's advice. At the beginning of those cases it's about the "principle and not the money". Let me tell you that at the end of the case it's "always about the money".

I know that there are lawyers of varying abilities and frequently (but not always) the better lawyers are the more expensive. The trick is finding one that you trust to look after your interest (which includes saving you costs). 

Opcougar. I don't know your background or how your case really went in court but from the nature of your repetitive posts I take away the impression that this topic has become somewhat of a crusade for you. You've made your point several times over; stop pushing and let the OP make their own decision.

 :cheers:


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## PMedMoe (14 May 2015)

FJAG said:
			
		

> I used to do uncontested divorces for $500.00-$750.00. Those were cases where the couple worked out the key details.
> 
> ....
> 
> The price has probably gone up a bit since I left practice but most lawyers still handle uncontested divorces for a reasonable sum.



Yes it has....   :nod:


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## Blackadder1916 (15 May 2015)

FJAG said:
			
		

> Opcougar. Your opening premise in this thread was:
> 
> 
> > mjl....may I ask why you think you need a lawyer, as opposed to self representing yourself? I ask because only you know your situation well, and if you are able to read, write and backup statements with facts, then you are pretty much going to e doing what a lawyer will be paid for.
> ...













> . . .  I used to do uncontested divorces for $500.00-$750.00 . . .



That much, I think I paid my ex-wife's lawyer around $350.00 . . . . plus the $9.95 I paid for his book - but that was 30 years ago.


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## FJAG (15 May 2015)

I'm so old - how old am I? I used to buy gas for $0.39 per gal (imperial gallons at that, not those dinky American ones)

But seriously folks, there are ads here in Ontario which indicated uncontested divorces are available from some lawyers for as low as $399.00 for fees (disbursements such as a $477.00 court filing fee are extra) while others charge in the neighbourhood of $1,500.00 to $3,000.00. I've seen several ads for under $1,000.00 for fees. Shop around.

What folks seem to forget is that when most couples marry (or for that matter enter into common law relationships), they are probably entering into the most significant financial transaction of their lifetime (buying a house is just a subcomponent of that). Frequently you are dealing with hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets and debts. Taking that financial structure apart fairly (not to mention structuring a reasonable life and future for the children) is not a simple thing. Small errors can have severe consequences.

 :cheers:


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## dapaterson (15 May 2015)

Last lawyer I hired was subsequently disbarred.  Not that you'd know it from his communications; in a letter dated the day before he was disbarred, he announced that he was "retiring" and that another law firm was taking on his files.

That said, for anything complex I'd find an appropriate lawyer.  And for anything I decided was simple enough to handle myself, I'd find an appropriate lawyer to review and make sure that I wasn't being more stupid than usual...


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## Pusser (15 May 2015)

opcougar said:
			
		

> Pusser...respectfully what does an accounting officer know about family law (even the JAG aren't allowed to advise on such matters), your analogy of plumbing, gardening etc isn't the same with family law.



I know very little of family law and have never claimed to know anything more than can be gleaned from Wikipedia.  I actually know a fair bit about plumbing, but can't seem to make it work.  I hate gardening, so I don't do that at all.

However, as an accounting officer running a pay office, I see the results of "discussions" of family law all the time.  Every time I went to execute a court order, I inevitably heard a detailed explanation from the service member of how he was being screwed over and how he should have to pay, etc. (by the way, an accounting officer has no choice when executing a court order - the only thing I could ever do is refer it to AJAG if I saw something wrong with it - the mechanics of the order (e.g. spelling mistake, wrong address, etc), not the order itself).  In my experience, many of these situations were cases where a service member had failed to get a lawyer, but their spouse had not made the same mistake.  

All I am saying is that based on my experience and observations, engaging a lawyer is money well spent.


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## opcougar (15 May 2015)

Words in Bold....

1. I wouldn't retain a civil litigation lawyer to represent me in family court, and like you said it's been a while since you practised in your area

2. No kidding, but again getting advice from a lawyer and retaining one are 2 completely different things. I unlike most that have jumped in here, at least know something about family law based on what I have provided (links and materials), instead of just saying..."get a lawyer". Now this is pure and unadulterated BS for a person that can't afford a lawyer.

3. Glad you don't claim to know me or how my never got to trial case went, but I have stated above how I handled my matter and came out OK. 

Note: Fathers/mothers that haven't always been involved, and that will rather go drinking/hunting/etc with their buddies, don't deserve to have 50-50 when a relationship breaks down, so yes you will pay full table CS on top of any entitled SS



			
				FJAG said:
			
		

> I've followed this thread for a while and have tried to stay out of it but unfortunately I'm allowing myself to be sucked into it.
> 
> Just to provide full disclosure: before I retired, I practised law,* primarily civil litigation,* with a fair percentage of family law as well, for twenty years.
> 
> ...


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## FJAG (15 May 2015)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Last lawyer I hired was subsequently disbarred.  Not that you'd know it from his communications; in a letter dated the day before he was disbarred, he announced that he was "retiring" and that another law firm was taking on his files.
> 
> That said, for anything complex I'd find an appropriate lawyer.  And for anything I decided was simple enough to handle myself, I'd find an appropriate lawyer to review and make sure that I wasn't being more stupid than usual...



 :nod: You're right on both counts.

I sat as a bencher for eight years on my provincial law society and for seven of those was involved in the lawyer disciplining process. Unfortunately being smart enough to pass law school does not mean that you are instantly a good or competent person. That's why lawyers have insurance policies, reimbursement funds and discipline processes.

Most law societies have their discipline cases decisions published on a public website although sometimes they are not easy to find. For example for Ontario you need to drill down through several pages to get there: https://lawsocietytribunal.ca/Pages/Orders.aspx#41. If you wish you can search your lawyers name to see if he/she has a discipline history with the law society.

As to your last statement all I can add is that very rarely does a lawyer represent himself in a case, whether marital, civil, criminal or disciplinary. Almost always they hire another lawyer to represent them. With twenty years experience in front of the courts I would never represent myself (well maybe a small claim but definitely never a divorce). Nor for that matter would I give anyone legal advice at this time; not just because I'm a non-practising member and not be allowed to give advice but because I know that the law has changed a lot since I last practised actively and that I would now be much more prone to make a costly mistake. Its not that you or I are "stupid" but to paraphrase Rumsfeld's unknown unknowns -- there are important, relevant facts, procedures and information that we don't know about and that, more importantly, we don't even know that they exist so that we can search them out to consider them.

 :cheers:


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## Occam (15 May 2015)

An option that's been overlooked so far is something relatively new; collaborative divorce.  It can save a lot of money vs. the adversarial route in the courts.  Check it out; there are lawyers in the Ottawa area who practice this style of divorce.

http://www.oclf.ca


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## mariomike (15 May 2015)

Not sure if your employer offers this, but in case they do:
http://www.sykesassistance.com/services/employee-legal-assistance


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## opcougar (27 May 2015)

@OP....only you know your financial situation better, and this will be the conduit as to if you self represent yourself following easy to read guidelines / using case precedents to back your stance. There is RETAINING a Lawyer, and there is SEEKING ADVICE.....not worth getting into debt over if finances doesn't permit, and you shouldn't think giving into the other party's request is your only choice.

Good luck


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