Author: Jennifer Shuber

Establishing a child’s surname legally can cause more strife between parents. A child’s surname – Something else to fight about “The one thing I want to leave my children is an honourable name”. – Theodore Roosevelt In the past 50 years, a child’s surname legally has become the subject of controversy and litigation in Ontario. …

Legal Recognition of Establishing Parentage A child’s birth is registered in Ontario is under the Vital Statistics Act.  Section 9(1) of the Act requires the mother and the father, or either of them, to certify the child’s birth within 30 days of the child being born.  Normally, this registration is an uncomplicated matter as the …

What constitutes matrimonial homes? As long as these homes fall within the definition of matrimonial homes, all of the homes can be matrimonial homes such that the legislation applies. There are a number of implications to the existence of a matrimonial home, at date of marriage, over the course of the marriage, and at date …

Here are some useful tips for divorce and how it pertains to Disney On July 29, 2015, I gave you my first three tips fordivorce and Disney. Today I have the last three tips for you, on the same theme. Are you a hero or a villain? Disney characters, and similarly fans, can be divided …

You can survive Disney. What about surviving Divorce? I have just returned from a wonderful week at Disney World with my son, two couples and their children: 5 adults and 5 children in all[1].   Strangely enough, as I sat on a bench waiting for the afternoon Pixar parade to begin, and as I was listening …

Welcome to the Toronto Family Law Blog! This Blog has been created by Sarah Boulby and Jennifer Samara Shuber of Basman Smith LLP, with the intention of providing useful information and updates about Family Law and upcoming speaking engagements. We will touch on a wide array of topics such as Family law in Ontario, Family …

Understanding the Federal Child Support Guidelines: Effective December 31, 2011 New Federal Child Support Guideline table amounts have been announced by the federal government. They will take effect December 31, 2011. The new tables are part of the Canadian government’s commitment to review the table amounts every five years at a minimum. Amounts increase in …

Family Law Rules and the costs associated: As of July 1, 2004, all family proceedings in Ontario are governed by the Family Law Rules. These costs rules differ in many respects from the Rules of Civil Procedure that previously governed family law proceedings and, hence, distinguish family law from civil cases generally. Increasingly, under the …

Listening to the voice of children and family court It is a time of change in family law. The voice of children and family court is finally being elevated to its rightful place as an essential aspect of any custody determination. These children need lawyers, and lawyers need the specialized training required to handle these …

Listening to your Family Law Expert might be your best move Divorce is often described as a “lose-lose” proposition. Although it can be difficult and emotional, divorce can help you make the best of a bad situation. To do so, you must be aware of the impact of your decisions. Talk to a Family Law …