Saskatoon Divorce Lawyers Giving Clients the Legal Support They Need to End Their Marriage

If you plan to end your marriage, you will need divorce guidance. A family law lawyer can guide you through the process to protect your best interests. Even if avoiding court for litigation during your divorce proceedings is your goal, divorce is still a stressful process. You can benefit from having a legal professional from start to finish by your side for an effective amicable separation. At Panko Collaborative Law & Mediation, our legal team strives to make the divorce process go as smoothly as possible. We help clients who want to leave behind an unhealthy marriage and get a fresh start through non-adversarial processes. These processes include separation mediation and the Collaborative Process. Learn more about mediation here. Learn more about the Collaborative Law here.

Whether you’re looking into mediation or collaborative divorce, we can assist you. Our divorce lawyers in Saskatoon know how difficult divorce can be, especially when you share children with your spouse. We invite you to schedule an initial consultation at our law firm. You can learn what our skilled lawyers can do for you during your divorce case.

What Should You Know About the Divorce Process in Saskatoon?

Starting the divorce process can be nerve-racking and intimidating. You likely don’t know all the laws surrounding this legal action in Canada. A Saskatoon divorce lawyer will answer your questions and walk through every step of the process. When you come to our law office in Saskatoon, you can expect fast answers to all your questions. Our experienced divorce lawyers will provide the attention and care you need during this family transition.
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Hiring a divorce lawyer ensures you have peace of mind. But in the meantime, you should become familiar with some basic facts about divorce in Canada.

Where Should You File?

First, you will need to submit all divorce paperwork. You will submit the documents to the court in the territory or province where you or your spouse live. In Saskatchewan, the divorce documents may be different from those in Alberta, Quebec, or other areas. Seeking legal advice from a Saskatoon lawyer would be beneficial in understanding these differences.
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If neither you nor your spouse currently live in Canada, the Canadian courts will not grant you a divorce. At least one of you has to have lived in Canada for the past year or longer. Submit your divorce petition and original marriage certificate to the court in the country where you or your spouse live.

What Happens If You Need an Annulment?

If you’re seeking an annulment, this differs from a divorce. An annulment suggests that your marriage was invalid or did not exist at all. As such, it’s usually quicker and less expensive to annul a marriage than to divorce your spouse. However, you need to prove certain facts that show your marriage is not valid. For example, you will need proof that you or your spouse were either:

coerced into the marriage,
too young to agree to the marriage,
or already married to someone else when you married each other.

Your family law representation in Saskatoon can help you prove one or more of these facts if they apply so you can get an annulment.

How Long Does Divorce Take?

You can apply for a divorce at any time. However, it will only be granted once you have been separated for at least one year. So, if you just recently separated, it may take almost a year to complete the divorce. If you have already been separated for over a year, divorce could take as little as three months to complete. An uncontested divorce will often take less time to complete. Additionally, if you’re seeking an LGBTQ divorce and are curious about how long that will take, you may be glad to know that the divorce process in Canada is the same as it is for opposite-sex spouses. As such, divorce in Saskatoon could take anywhere from a few months to over a year.

Whether your case is simple or complex, we are happy to help. We have handled divorce cases for clients with unique matters yet wished to avoid court. When facing a contested divorce or some circumstances that could complicate your case, you should turn to our skilled divorce lawyers in Saskatoon. We can confirm that you meet all the requirements for a divorce in Canada.

What Are the Legal Grounds for Divorce in Canada?

Canada does not have fault divorce. Instead, we have no-fault divorce. No fault divorce means you don’t need to prove that your spouse did anything wrong before you get divorced. You can merely state that your marriage has broken down and that you want to get divorced. Getting divorced on the grounds of separation is the easiest way to file for divorce in Canada. You only have to prove that you have separated from your spouse for at least one year.

Even then, there are exceptions to this. You can seek a divorce even if you still live with your former spouse. For example, if you have separate rooms and essentially live like roommates. You are separated if you have not been living as a couple in a relationship for more than a year. As long as you can agree on the date you separated from each other. The court typically won’t challenge your claim if you both have been living like single people for over a year. Because of this, divorcing on the grounds of separation is the preferred way to initiate divorce in Saskatoon.

However, you have two other grounds for divorce to consider if you don’t want to wait a year.

One is adultery, meaning you tell the court that you want a divorce because your spouse cheated on you. The only benefit of this option is you might complete your divorce faster since you don’t have to be separated for a year or more to go this route. The downside is that you have to either convince your spouse to admit to adultery – which is unusual – or find a way to prove that it happened, which can take a lot of time and money to find proof. You have to decide if it’s worth it to you. Another downside to this choice is that you can’t forgive your spouse for the adultery if you want to use it as a basis for divorce. If your spouse can prove that you ever had forgiven them, the court likely won’t grant you a divorce on the grounds of adultery.

A third basis for divorce is cruelty. You may divorce sooner if you can prove your spouse has been physically or mentally cruel during your marriage. However, like adultery, this can be hard to prove, resulting in extra time and costs. You have to prove that living with your spouse would be intolerable due to extreme domestic abuse. Proving domestic abuse usually requires proof of severe injuries, such as police reports and hospital stays.

This type of high-conflict divorce will involve the court system, so we rarely recommend it if you hope to avoid conflict with your spouse.

Although the process is emotionally difficult, at Panko Collaborative Law & Mediation, we have helped numerous clients through separation and divorce without ending up in court. To ensure an amicable divorce and a civil case, consult with a Saskatoon divorce and family lawyer who is skilled in mediation and collaborative law so you and your spouse can come to an agreement without going to court. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation.

What Legal Issues Will You Need to Address During Your Divorce?

When you’re married, you share so much of your life with your spouse, from creating joint financial accounts and buying marital property to raising children together. The more you have shared throughout the spousal relationship, the longer it can take to separate everything during a divorce. Even if you have a relatively simple mutual consent divorce that you both agreed to, you will likely need to take some time to work out family law matters with the help of a divorce lawyer.

The issues you need to spend time mediating can vary depending on your circumstances, but for many couples, they include:

Division of property
Parenting arrangements an
Child support
Spousal support
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements

If you need to discuss these or any other issues for informed decisions, it’s important to reach out to an experienced divorce lawyer who has handled cases like yours. This is especially important if you think you will have any complications, such as if this is a high-asset divorce or if you are an immigrant concerned about your legal rights after you end your marriage.

At our Saskatoon law firm, our caring, skilled lawyers are proud to offer a divorce service that focuses on helping spouses negotiate to get what they need rather than going straight to the courtroom to argue. If this method of reaching a resolution during divorce is of interest to you, come to our office today to meet with considerate divorce lawyers in Saskatoon.

How Can Saskatoon Divorce Lawyers Help You?

Divorce is rarely a simple process, as one or both people involved will likely contest a few details along the way. Whether one spouse disagrees with the proposed division of property or plans to pursue sole decision-making of the children, you will need a divorce lawyer to ensure that your interests are represented during the legal process, especially when it comes to parenting agreements. While compromise is key in a divorce outside of the courtroom, this doesn’t mean your spouse should get their way on every issue. You deserve the mediation services of a family law practice on your side to make sure negotiations are fair throughout the legal processes.

When you come to our Saskatoon law firm, you can choose which divorce service we offer, such as collaborative law or mediation. If you are not sure, we will listen to your objectives regarding the divorce and then let you know which technique we recommend for you. Either way, we always aim to help you avoid court during divorce. You can trust that our legal recommendations focus on ensuring your divorce goes as smoothly and peacefully as possible. Whether you need an experienced family mediator to assist with arranging for child custody, child support or modification, or you need someone to represent you in collaborative law, our divorce lawyers in Saskatoon are here to provide guidance from start to finish. We strive to help you have an amicable divorce that allows you to separate with dignity and respect.

You can learn more about how our services will benefit you when you attend an initial consultation at our law offices.

Call us to schedule a meeting on a day that’s convenient for your schedule. Our compassionate family law lawyers are eager to begin working on your case so you can put your divorce behind you and get started on the next chapter of your life, so contact us today. Speaking with our team, we can help connect you with the best family law lawyer for your needs.