Family Lawyer
Dependable Family Lawyer Serving Niagara and St. Catharines
If you are looking for a family lawyer in Niagara and St. Catharines, get in touch with J. Leigh Daboll Law Office! Without solid representation, you should never face the grave and legally complicated matters of visitation access and other serious decision-making responsibilities. I can help you handle all issues related to family law. From matters relating to property division or parenting responsibilities, I can ensure that all your disputes are settled with as little acrimony as possible. However, if going to court is inevitable, you can rest easy knowing I will build a strong case for you and pursue resolutions in your best interest. Book your consultation now!
Settle Your Property Division
A range of seemingly straightforward to convoluted issues can arise during property division settlements. Particularly if one of the parties wishes to keep the marital home for various reasons but cannot afford to, you may be faced with challenges about whether to sell the property. Debt handling can also be a source of contention, especially when financial struggles are a part of the equation.
Discussions about dividing retirement savings plans can sometimes become unnecessarily lengthy, revolving around the amount of notional tax that should be applied. Property division also includes the estates and other residential properties you might possess. Additional difficulty can arise if one of the parties fails to declare certain significant financial and business assets, corporate holdings, or even offshore trusts. I can help with estate planning, drafting living trusts, and avoiding estate taxes so your property remains safe with you and your dear ones.
I am well-versed in all parties' rights regarding a division of assets and debts. I can advise when you must provide financial statements and further updates. I have guided clients to achieve reasonable goals cost-effectively. I understand the clients and will do my best to help them resolve their affairs correctly.
Spousal Support in Niagara and St. Catharines
Negotiating spousal support or common-law partner support can be a delicate issue, especially when there are considerable differences in income between two parties who have been married for a long time. Complexities regarding the entitlement to alimony and the amount and duration of support are not uncommon, mainly where children are involved. There may be variations in the spousal support arrangement due to disability or illness affecting one of the spouses, remarriage, or retirement. In either of the cases, the final motion is passed only after both sides consent to the arrangements. I will be by your side with trustworthy and reliable suggestions and guidance to change an existing legal agreement and give you the necessary advantage. I will also ensure you get the best solution for your legal family troubles.
Child Custody and Support
Child support guidelines establish a base amount to be paid by either or both parents for the children, along with the potential sharing of extraordinary expenses. However, the time-sharing arrangement between the parents may impact the support paid. Many factors affect the child support amount that a judge may order, such as special expenses for daycare or illness and disability. Support issues can also arise for post-maturity children above 18, who often continue to qualify as financial dependents if they pursue post-secondary education and thus cannot support themselves. Understanding your rights and obligations as a parent in such cases is critical so that your children are looked after and least affected during this stressful time.
Decision-making Responsibilities and Access
Parenting time and access decisions are critical for your children and can affect their futures. These issues are often the centre of family disputes, particularly where parents have differing objectives or parenting styles. I can help you and guide your assessment to decide the children's best interests. Matters relating to the access or the time your child spends with each parent must also be settled. The entitlement to access to a child includes the right to visit with and be visited by the child as well as the right of the parent to make inquiries and be given information about the child's health, education, and welfare. I can help you with parenting time, how time with the children is divided, the mobility of your children, name changes, and educational pursuits, among other issues.
Pension Division
Pension is an asset that is to be equalized when a marriage dissolves. Upon request from either spouse, our family lawyer and legal team can help prepare a valuation of the pension benefits per formulas set out in laws and regulations. I help settle any disputes in this respect so that you and your partner can reach an agreement that works for both parties.
Matrimonial Home
A matrimonial home is any property where both spouses reside at the time of separation, irrespective of which one of the spouses owns it. Both parties have an equal right to possession of the property in normal circumstances. When only one of the spouses has an interest in the marital home, the other spouse’s right of possession ends when they cease to be spouses unless otherwise stipulated in a separation agreement or court order. I will be by your side with all the assistance you need to take care of this matter calmly and do my best to achieve the best possible outcome.
Legal Agreements, Including Pre-nuptial Agreements, Marriage Contracts and Separation Agreements
If you are starting to cohabitate or your relationship is ending, I can assist you in drafting the agreement you need to best preserve your legal rights. While no one wants a legal contract with their partner, many people today wish to enter or exit their relationships with clarified terms that address their needs. I am also a divorce lawyer who can provide expert counseling if needed.
Families in Niagara and St. Catharines rely on the family lawyer at J. Leigh Daboll Law Office to help them navigate the legal complexities of family law. Whether you need to establish primary residence for your child or determine child or spousal support details, you can count on the extensive knowledge at my law firm.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding family law:
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Q: What If I Need a Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Niagara for Advice but Not for an Actual Court Case?A: As your wrongful termination lawyer in Niagara, I would suggest you choose our “unbundled” law service option. “Unbundling” means that you can choose which services you want and which to forego, which can be less expensive in the end. If you don’t need your lawyer present in court but rather to offer legal advice, You should consider our unbundled option. This way, you will never pay for non-essential legal services beyond those you require.
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Q: I Am Going Through a Divorce but Have Never Needed a Lawyer Before. Won’t Hiring a Divorce Lawyer Be Expensive?A: I am here to assist you by providing advice and leadership to you in a difficult time, but I will not provide services you do not need. Instead, I will simply assist you in assessing the legal risks of your situation, providing direction relative to your choices and the probable consequences of those choices. While I can’t accurately estimate your costs in advance, since I don’t control every aspect of the case, I will settle your file as quickly and economically as possible.
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Q: My Ex-husband and I Need to Work out Our Parenting Issues. Does Hiring a Family Lawyer in St. Catharines Mean We Have to Go to Court?A: No, as a family lawyer in St. Catharines, I offer mediation services. This means that I can help negotiate a resolution that is reasonable for both of you, which will save you money unless the two of you can’t reach an agreement within a certain amount of time.
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Q: What Information Will You Provide to My Opponent?A: All information you give me remains confidential. I will not divulge any details that would violate your privacy in any way. In fact, your privacy is protected by law in Ontario and must be observed unless you waive it.
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Q: What If I Need Your Services Outside Normal Business Hours?A: While my office hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM throughout the week, we sometimes make appointments available outside normal hours if circumstances require it. However, those appointments are the exception. We can minimize the number of costly appointments you need to attend here at our office through voice mail, email and fax. In fact, we suggest that you email us at the following addresses: J. Leigh Daboll, Lawyer: jld-law@xplornet.com Jessica Bantten, Law Clerk, Criminal/Civil/Estates: jldoffice1@xplornet.com Heidi Topa, Law Clerk, Family/Divorce: jldoffice2@xplornet.com Jennifer Bourque, Law Clerk, General Matters: jldoffice3@xplornet.com Weekend and holiday appointments are also not generally available, but are available in cases of emergency or by special prior arrangement. Unfortunately, we are not available for consultation without appointments.
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Q: What Are Your Current Rates?A: We charge to the nearest one-tenth of an hour for all activity on your case. Each hour billed to you is based on actual work done on your particular case. These are our present rates: J. Leigh Daboll $350.00 per hour Law Clerks $100.00 per hour You will be billed a flat consultation fee of $500.00 (including applicable HST) for the first two hours of your initial consultation, payable at the time of the meeting and/or prior to my advice being provided to you. This payment may be made by way of cash or cheque only. Our fees are also based on one or more of the following elements: The time spent on your behalf, and the service which is performed; The complexities of the issues, and your potential emotional and monetary exposure; The extent to which the expertise of this firm contributed to a successful outcome; The degree and type of resistance encountered; and, The extent to which any work needs to be performed on an emergency basis. These rates may be adjusted at any time. However, unless you are advised otherwise, we will not raise our fees more than $50.00/hour.
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Q: How Can I save on Legal Fees?A: By minimizing the time we spend on your case. This means that it’s a good idea to give some thought to your appointment before you show up or call. You might, for instance, come with a written list of questions and concerns. By our first meeting, you should provide us with any documentation or written materials we may need. We suggest that you prepare a written chronology of your situation for clarity. It is best to provide as much as possible by email. Do not send us non-essential electronic replies to emails we send you or telephone conversations we have had with you, as we will bill you for the time it takes to read, print and file those communications. Also, when you call us and leave a voicemail, please clearly state the reason for your call (i.e., status of the case, etc.)
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Q: What Is a “Disbursement?”A: Disbursements are actual file expenses incurred in your matter: printing, photocopying (25 cents per page), couriers, long-distance telephone calls, fax transmissions (25 cents per page), postage, court filing fees, parking costs, consultations with outside experts, etc.
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Q: What Is a “Retainer?”A: The retainer is an amount paid to our firm in trust on the understanding that it will be used to satisfy our accounts for legal services and disbursements, at the time accounts are delivered. The retainer is a source of payment for your accounts. The retainer is not a flat fee nor an estimate of the cost of our services. The amount of the retainer is arbitrary to some extent. Before the issues are clarified and before we know the degree of resistance offered by the other side, we cannot predict the amount of work necessitated, nor the time needed to complete it.
