If you are at the beginning of your journey, you are probably wondering: how do I separate from my spouse in BC?
We have created an innovative & streamlined divorce mediation process to help you complete a legal Separation Agreement in British Columbia.
Rather than you each hiring your own lawyer to negotiate and document your family matters, together you hire our family law mediator, a neutral family law professional who does not represent either of you but instead helps you find a solution that will work for both of you.
Our approach for documenting your Separation Agreement works whether:
you have a verbal agreement that simply needs to be ‘papered’ into a legal Separation Agreement; or
you have complicated disagreements that need to be resolved.
Step 1:
Getting Started: The first step on the path to your Separation Agreement is for each participant to have their own private & confidential Pre-Mediation Initial Consultation. The Initial Consultation is up to 30 minutes.
We are required by the Law Society of BC to meet with each participant individually before we meet all together.
The Initial Consultation gives you the opportunity to tell the family law mediator about your situation, and to get information about family law in BC and about our process.
It also gives the mediator a chance to ensure that mediation is appropriate for your situation. Some examples of reasons why mediation might be inappropriate are: vastly different and inflexible expectations about the desired outcome, severe power imbalances, repeated and/or recent physical violence, active drug and/or alcohol abuse, and emotional and/or mental health issues that would likely impede effective participation.
After the Pre-Mediation Initial Consultation, there is no obligation for you to continue and there is no obligation for the mediator to continue with your case.
Step 2:
If you have both completed your Pre-Mediation Initial Consultations & you both would like to participate in mediation & the mediator agrees that mediation is appropriate for your situation, you then choose one of our Flat Fee/ Fixed Timeline packages.
Our Quick Package is a highly focused process for people who have already verbally agreed on all issues that are important to them + have their documents organized + are comfortable making decisions quickly about any minor outstanding details to be finalized. It provides the use of our Client Portal and dedicated support for up to 1 full day, including up to 2 joint meetings with our Family Law Mediator and the drafting of the Separation Agreement if an agreement is reached. These services are available starting at 10am up to 5pm on your scheduled mediation day. Fee: $1100/person
Our Standard Package is an efficient process for people who have already verbally agreed on some issues that are important to them + they need time to gather documents between meetings + time to consider the settlement options for any remaining issues. It provides the opportunity for the use of our Client Portal, up to 2 joint meetings with our Family Law Mediator and the drafting of your Separation Agreement if an agreement is reached. These services are available for up to 4 weeks from the date of the first joint meeting. Fee: $1500/person
Our Plus Package is the entry-level package for couples with a combined net worth of more than $3m OR who require additional time because of legal, financial or emotional complexity. These situations often include some of the following: one or more businesses, investments, family trusts and/or multiple properties, which require substantial document review and complex drafting. It provides the opportunity for the use of our Client Portal, up to 3 joint meetings with our Family Law Mediator and the drafting of your Separation Agreement if an agreement is reached. These services are available for up to 6 weeks from the date of the first joint meeting.Fee: $1900/person
Step 3:
Once you’ve agreed on the terms, the final step is to formalize your arrangement by signing the written Separation Agreement. We will provide you with detailed instructions on how to sign your Separation Agreement so that it will be a legally binding document. You have the option of obtaining Independent Legal Advice before you sign the agreement (recommended but optional).
Done!
Please know that your separation doesn't have to be the awful battle that you've heard about from your friends. The vast majority of our clients complete their legal Separation Agreement within the timeline of our innovative family mediation process.