Family law
Divorce or separation
These questions may concern custody of your children, their education, the fixing of alimony, the use of the family residence or the division of property.
Adoption
You wish to have your rights as a parent recognized. There are ways to have your paternity recognized and to force the other parent to submit to a DNA test. There are also avenues that will enable you to adopt a child, whether it’s a future project or the child of your spouse. If you’d like to take advantage of the new provisions on surrogate motherhood, we can guide you through the process.
Moving away
A parent wants to move far away. In some cases, a parent’s move may require court permission. This is particularly the case when it is likely to affect the other parent’s custody rights, generate significant additional costs, or even force a change of school. This is not a decision to be taken lightly.
Partition of assets
You must divide your assets. The partition of assets is done according to your civil status. If you were common-law spouses, the division of property will be subject to each spouse’s property rights. If you were married, the partition will be governed by the rules of family patrimony and your matrimonial regime. If you were de facto spouses, you’ll need to validate whether you are covered by the parental union patrimony rules.
Common law spouses
You are in a common-law relationship (de facto spouse). The rights and obligations of common-law couples are not the same as those of married couples. Since freedom of contract is at the heart of this conjugal regime, it’s important to find out whether your couple is covered by the patrimony of parental union. If this is not the case, it may be a good idea to draw up a cohabitation or indivision contract to avoid any ambiguity in the event of separation.