Divorce and Legal Separation Assistance at Mississauga Law Firm

Turn to a Mississauga Divorce Lawyer for the Legal Guidance You Need

When couples enter a long-term relationship, they are often filled with hope and expectations of a romance that will know no end. As they reach relationship milestones, such as moving in together, getting married, buying their first home and having their first child, the potential for a future that includes separation or divorce most often never comes to mind. However, with each of these relationship milestones, the partners become increasingly financially and legally entwined. Therefore, if the time comes that separation or divorce is the next step in their relationship, the couple may be facing a complicated quagmire of financial entanglements and parenting responsibilities.

Ending a long-term relationship is often one of the most painful experiences in a person’s life. The mix of emotions can be overwhelming, and making even the most mundane decisions can become an arduous task. When the divorce or separation involves not just the couple but also children, navigating the changing family dynamic and attempting to maintain as much normalcy for the children as possible can feel like an insurmountable undertaking all on its own. With each member of the couple juggling his or her own emotions, the needs of the children, concerns about an uncertain future and the changing relationship with his or her partner, it can be difficult to attend to the tasks involved in effectively ending a long-term partnership that involves assets, financial responsibilities and children. This is where an experienced Mississauga divorce lawyer will prove indispensable as they help you manoeuvre through the challenging time that lies ahead.

Understanding Your Options with the Help of a Divorce Lawyer Mississauga

Couples who have chosen to end their relationship have different options for managing the legal and financial aspects of their separation or divorce. These options include mediation, collaborative law and divorce litigation. Which of these options is right for you will depend on your particular situation, what is best for your family, and your and your partner’s ability to work cooperatively to come to a mutually satisfactory resolution. Working with a Mississauga divorce lawyer to weigh your options and determine which approach is best suited for your family’s circumstances allows you to benefit from the expertise of an experienced, knowledgeable strategist who is well versed in family law.

Mediation and Collaborative Law: How a Divorce Lawyer Mississauga Can Help

Mediation and collaborative law provide non-adversarial options for relationship dissolution. In mediation, a professional mediator meets with the parties individually and jointly, to better understand the needs and wants, of each person and to assist them in designing a solution that is agreeable to both parties. The mediator acts as a neutral facilitator to help all parties reach their goals in the relationship dissolution without the need for a court to determine the parameters of their separation or divorce agreement. Once a potential agreement is made, each party takes this agreement to his or her lawyer for evaluation and review.

The collaborative law process is also a cooperative endeavour in which both parties obtain legal representation and sign a participation agreement, which states that each party agrees to be bound to the solution reached through this process and that neither party will pursue the matter in court. When choosing this option, both parties and their lawyers meet to negotiate a workable solution based on the needs and wants of each party.

Choosing relationship dissolution through mediation or collaborative law promotes communication and cooperation between the parties, which often results in less conflict and, in cases of families with children, an easier transition from partners to co-parents.

It is an unfortunate truth that collaborative law and mediation are not options for every couple. There are some situations when divorce litigation is necessary in order to settle disputes over assets, child custody and visitation issues, child support or spousal support. In these situations, it is essential that you seek legal representation from a Mississauga divorce lawyer who can offer the legal expertise, strategy and advice necessary to achieve a resolution that is in your best interest.