by Michael Butterfield on November 4th, 2014
Collaborative Law made simple The Collaborative Family Law Group or CFL, was formed 15 years ago in Victoria B.C. The CFL members are the only certified provider of Collaborative Law services in Victoria. It was created by a group of independent lawyers, counselors and financial specialists to take the conflict out…
by Michael Butterfield on November 2nd, 2014
Court Procedures Made Simple Both Provincial and Supreme Courts require the filing of a Financial Statement in Family Law matters. These statements are important tools, and are often what the court will depend on to make decisions regarding property division, as well as child and spousal support. If you are…
by Michael Butterfield on October 28th, 2014
Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist Randy Bachman and his estranged wife have been sent back to the negotiating table- highlighting the pitfalls of partial settlement in divorce cases. In his October 24, 2014 ruling, B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Hickson stated, “ It is not for the Court to fill in essential…
by Michael Butterfield on October 27th, 2014
Negotiation is something we do everyday with our spouses, colleagues, children, and even strangers. Most people are pretty good negotiators because they know what they want and what they are willing to give up to get it. The corner stone of negotiation is compromise. So why do spouses have such…
by Michael Butterfield on June 30th, 2014
When a relationship ends one issue that frequently needs to be addressed is how gifts and inheritances are dealt with. Section 85(1) of the Family Law Act makes the situation a lot simpler. This provision for gifts and inheritances (aside from capital gains) to be excluded from the family property which…