Three Steps to Separation Success

Three Steps to Separation Success

On Wednesday January 25 2012 between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m.. Barrie Public Library is offering a free drop-in session to provide education and information for people considering separation or divorce. The session will be presented in the Angus Ross Room just inside the front door of the downtown library – that’s at 60 Worsley Street.

Ellen Anderson of Anderson Adams Lawyers is one of the presenters: and she will be joined by Brett Degoldi of Galbraith Family Law. Both of us are collaboratively trained counsel. We cannot give legal advice, but we want to set out some simple preparation you can do to help yourself and save some legal costs.   

We know that if you are ready to separate, you would like to do it right. That you are hoping for finality. That you would like it to be over. And that many of you would like to achieve all of that without taking the matter through court.

So we broke the process down into three steps.

1.  Step One: Collecting the right financial information

You need a sworn financial statement showing your income and the assets you accumulated during the relationship.

2.  Step Two: Preparing a net family property statement

This helps to determine who "made more" out of the relationship. Only married couples "equalize" net family property, by law. But the net family property statement is also helpful in determining fair resolution for cohabiting couples who have co-mingled their financial affairs and created a "joint venture".

3.  Step Three: The Separation Agreement

Your separation agreement must be written, witnessed, and signed. Full financial disclosure, and independent legal advice for each of you: those are the two key factors which provide you with the greatest possible assurance of finality.

If you have a separation agreement in place, you can proceed with a divorce after one year’s separation. If the proper arrangements are in place for the children, you’re unlikely to ever need to attend at court.

So please join us Wednesday January 25 2012. There is no charge. If you are dealing with a separation, we hope that the Three Steps to Separation Success will help you get moving along the right pathway to resolve your family law matter with less cost, less delay and less conflict.