Blog Posts
Below are our blog posts about recent developments in the areas of Estate, Family and Personal Injury law as well as comments on some recent important decisions from the BC Supreme Court, BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Our blogs are written by the legal minds of Richter Trial Lawyers, including our managing partner, John M. Richter.
Recently a Vancouver judge made it clear which antics he thought were too much in divorce court. We have blogged on this site before about the importance of legal advice and what to avoid when presenting the court with affidavit evidence here and here. In the recent case of Zandbergen v. Craig, Justice Smith was […]
Recently Vancouver family lawyers were reminded that not only parents but also step-parents may be responsible for supporting their step kids after divorce. In EZ v. PZ, 2017 BCSC 375, Justice Baird heard a case in which the mother and purported father were married at the time that the mother gave birth to a child […]
People always assume it is a good idea to put property or bank accounts in joint names with their spouses. They buy a house where they will live, and they put it in joint tenancy. They open a bank account so they can pay their bills, and they put it in joint names. Often, people […]
Mr. Justice Skolrood of the BC Supreme Court has ordered that he can step in where necessary and require parents to sign a consent form for Nexus passes. In Pasco v. Pasco, 2016 BCSC 2484, the mother lived in White Rock and the father was unwilling to provide consent for her to travel cross-border for […]
Deciding whether to get a divorce can be stressful. It is often the most stressful time in your life. How will you pay your bills? What will you get in the divorce? What about the kids? Where will you live? What does your new life look like? All of these questions are often floating around […]
If you are not married and your claim for spousal support is pursuant to the BC Family Law Act, you must apply within one year of separation. If you are married and your claim for spousal support is pursuant to the Divorce Act, there is no time limit to apply for spousal support. This issue […]
The Family Law Act was meant to simplify property division on divorce in British Columbia. So far in practice, it seems to have had the opposite effect. Vancouver family lawyers are finding it more difficult to advise spouses of their legal rights and obligations on divorce. In July 2010, the Ministry of Attorney General Justice […]
Like everything in family law, spousal support and your right to it are different shades of gray. Nothing is black and white, and therefore nothing is an easy, yes or no answer. In part it depends on what came first? Spousal support or a new spouse. In part it depends on the reason you’re entitled […]
When couples get engaged and get married, they often hope that the relationship will withstand the test of time and circumstance. They often see their union as a romantic venture rather than the financial partnership that it also is. And having a conversation about prenuptial agreements is probably one of the last items most couples to […]
In family law, claims of adultery are generally irrelevant to any issue other than whether there has been a breakdown of the relationship. Adulterers continue to have all of the rights and obligations found in the Family Law Act. On July 20, 2015, CBC reported that Ashley Madison, the popular infidelity website which encourages married […]
In British Columbia, a common law relationship is what the courts call it once two people have lived together in a marriage-like relationship for more than 2 years.
BC family lawyers and parents are recently reminded that there is no presumption of equality in parenting time. In BCB v. RWB 2014 BCSC 622 released yesterday, Master Baker reminds us that the best interests of the child is the most important consideration in determining parenting time. Further, he states that which parent is ostensibly […]
Picture chicken little: “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!”. That is the attitude most people are exhibiting in news articles in relation to the new Family Law Act that comes into force in BC today. Richter Trial Lawyers is here to say: The sky is NOT falling! Yes, common law couples are going […]
Today, the Toronto Sun reported that the term “parents” is being redefined in Kansas where a man is being sued for child support for a child that was conceived after he donated sperm to a lesbian couple. Before donating the sperm, it is reported that the man also entered into an agreement with the couple […]