What to expect on the legal front: from separation to divorce

In this podcast Sara Dimerman chats with family law lawyer, Lisa Gelman.

Over the course of this episode you will learn more about:

  • First steps towards formalizing a separation
  • Whether the process is different depending on whether the couple is legally married versus living common law
  • What separation means and whether a couple actually needs to be living in separate places in order to be considered legally separated
  • Whether there is a period of time that has to lapse before a couple can file for divorce and whether they need lawyers in order to do this
  • Some of the most common issues that couples need to work through on the legal front once separated or divorced eg. child custody, division of assets
  • What lawyers will typically ask each of the partners to provide in order to create a legal document
  • The difference between a mediator and a lawyer and when to use one or the other
  • What collaborative law means and when its best to work with a collaborative lawyer
  • Some good questions to ask a lawyer when making the decision as to whether he or she is the right fit
  • How long of a process one can someone expect from the time of separation until divorce and what kind of cost each can expect during the legal process
  • How to try to maintain an amicable relationship during the legal process