Going through a separation is one of life’s most difficult experiences and can often leave people feeling overwhelmed and alone. While parties can hire lawyers to assist with the legal issues, they may want to lean on friends, family, or professionals for emotional support. This is a normal and healthy thing to do; however, it becomes a concern when a parent leans on their child or children, rather than on other adults. The process of…

When two people decide to end their relationship, there is a strong incentive to save some money by either making informal separation arrangements or by using one of the many separation agreement templates available online. While this may work for some people, the majority of couples benefit from professionally drafted agreements that are specific to their situation. Separation agreements are intended to deal with the care and support of children, including parenting arrangements and access and…

Assisted Reproduction includes donor insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI), and surrogacy. Prior to the Family Law Act (“FLA”), family law in BC was premised on very basic and incomplete notions of family: children were conceived through sexual intercourse and their parents were the woman whose body the child came from (the child’s mother) and the male partner who participated in the sexual intercourse that conceived the child (the child’s father). The…

The case of NK v AH, 2016 BCSC 744, created a heartening precedent for transgender children in BC. JK, the child of NK and AH, was receiving gender affirming medical intervention to prevent the onset of puberty. He had already socially transitioned to express as a boy. His father was opposed to the treatments and the transition. The father applied to the courts for an order barring any further treatments and ending all contact between JK…

It is not uncommon in some eastern cultures, particularly in Iran, India, Pakistan, and other Arab countries, to enter into marriage agreements wherein a husband commits to pay an agreed-upon sum of money, usually in the form of gold coins, to his wife. This amount can be summoned by the wife at the beginning of the marriage, the end, or at anytime in-between. Often referred to as Maher (or Mehr, Mahr, Mohr, Meher, Mehrieh, Mahir, or…