Get answers to your questions
Is an agreement written by a lawyer "more legal"?
No. Your witnessed signature on the agreement is what makes it legal. These domestic contacts are not signed by lawyers or notarized. You and your spouse are, by law, considered to be the sole authors of your agreement, regardless of which service provider you select to assist you.
Do I have to be living in the home to use your services?
No you do not have to be living in the home. Although, having close proximity to your spouse and knowing when you will see him/her can provide the convenience for quick face-to-face conversations if needed.
We have difficulty talking, can you still help us?
Communication is often an issue of the marriage. We are trained and skilled in understanding communication styles. We facilitate the meeting and assist each of you in communicating about the core of the separation issues, options and solutions.
Do we come together to see you?
For best results it is better to work with the couple together. We will endeavor to accomodate the individual work schedules of the couple.
How fast is this process?
Many of our clients are on a time-line, either personally or because of a mortgage renewal. You can expect to be done in 1 week to maximum 2 weeks.
We are both concerned about how we will live financially after the divorce and this is causing problems in talking about the divorce. Can you help us?
This is a key issue for most couples as we each want to maintain a standard of living after the divorce and not be suffering financially. We have the financial training and knowledge of strategies specific to divorce situations that can assist you with cash flow as a single parent.
We don't want to use lawyers, do we need lawyers in your process?
No. There is no step in our legal divorce process where you will be required to hire lawyers
Do we file our agreement at court?
No. Once you have your separation agreement, you simply keep your copy in your personal files. It does not get notarized, filed in court or submitted with divorce documents. You will provide a copy only, to a mortgage professional if you are applying for a mortgage, a real estate lawyer on sale or transfer of the house and CRA if you are claiming spousal support as a deduction on your taxes.
How do we resolve the financial piece?
Often finances are an issue of the marriage and are even more so going through the divorce. We have received financial training and are skilled in helping you to understand and sort out the financial aspects of the divorce.
If we don't have everything figured out, can we still come to see you?
Absolutely. It is preferable that you come to see us even if you have issues that you have not been able to figure out. It is much better that you continue to move forward and bring the unresolved or not-yet-discussed issues to the meeting rather than getting stuck. We take the pressure off you, by assisting with the communication about areas where you may find discussion uneasy or stressful.
Do you provide mediation to help us to come to agreement?
We utilize a few methods to help you come to agreement, depending on where you are on each issue. We employ mediation, conflict resolution, negotiation and strategic intervention tools to ensure agreement is reached.