Ottawa Divorce .com

How We Can

Help You With Your Divorce Behrendt Law Chambers has handled numerous cases, ranging from simple, uncontested divorces to complex and bitter divorces. We use a variety of approaches, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration or litigation, depending on what is needed in an individual case.

Successful Divorce Mediation
Behrendt Law Chambers represented a client who was still able to communicate well with his wife when they separated. We recommended that he and his wife pursue divorce mediation, which they chose to do. Throughout the mediation, we took a proactive role to ensure that he understood the law and helped him prepare for the mediation sessions. At the end of the mediation, we ensured that he understood and was satisfied with the agreement reached with his wife. We resolved tax issues and effected the transfer of the real estate.

Complex Separation Agreement
Behrendt Law Chambers represented a client in negotiating a divorce settlement agreement that involved the issues of child custody and access, child and spousal support, and the division of property. Through aggressive settlement negotiations, we managed to ensure that our client obtained joint custody of his daughter, all of the access to her that he wanted, plus we minimised the support payments and equalization payment he had to make.

Successful Court Appearances
Although negotiation is normally preferable, it is not always possible. Behrendt Law Chambers is no stranger to the courtroom, having appeared at many motions, case conferences, settlement conferences, and trials regarding simple and complex divorce and family law issues.

Property Issues on Divorce
Although property division on divorce may seem to be a straightforward mathematical calculation, except in the simplest of cases, numerous disputes can arise. Behrendt Law Chambers has dealt with all of these types of disputes many times.

Date Of Separation In Dispute
In some cases, it's clear when a relationship has ended - one party may decide to leave the home, or there may be a big fight. However, in many cases, it's not clear. For instance, a relationship may gradually end over a period of years. For instance, a spouse may move to a different bedroom with the rest of the relationship continuing as before, a couple may eat dinner together less and less frequently, or a couple may gradually spend less and less time together. In these cases, it is difficult to determine what the exact separation date is. Each spouse believes that the relationship ended on a different date, and this can impact the value of the assets dramatically.

Value Of Asset In Dispute
Some assets are easy to value - for instance a bank account. You can tell exactly how much you have in the bank, simply by looking at your bank statement. But many assets are not that easy to value. One common example of this is a pension. Your pension is worth a different amount, depending on when you plan to retire. The earlier you receive your pension, the more valuable it is. This is because you will be receiving your pension income for a longer period of time. It is common in separations for the spouse who has a pension to argue that he or she planned to work as long as possible - perhaps because they enjoy their job so much. The other spouse then argues no, the pension holder planned to retire as early as possible, because he or she did not like their work and could not wait to spend the rest of their lives golfing. The difference between the two values can be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Continued at how we can help you with your divorce.