Legal Resources

Explains your rights, and what you’re entitled to, if your common-law spouse dies. It explains the different definitions of “spouse,” and describes what happens if your spouse left a will, or if they died without a will. It explains pension, survivor, and CPP benefits. It also explains custody and guardianship of children.

Explains the collaborative family law process, where you and your spouse each hire a lawyer who practises collaborative family law with the goal of settling your case fairly, without going to court. It provides links to finding a collaborative family lawyer, and to other resources for legal help and advice.

Brief description of the federal child support guidelines, which are the rules for calculating the amount of child support one parent must pay to the other parent to help support their child or children.

Provides information to help you register and order certificates for vital events, such as a birth, death, or marriage. Also provides online application for certificates.

This website is for people in British Columbia who are interested in unbundled legal services — a new service model for lower-cost legal help. You hire a lawyer to help with parts of your legal matter (rather than the whole file). You get the support you need at a manageable cost.

This guide has general information, instructions and worksheets, as well as other tools to help you make decisions about child support when you separate or divorce. It is based on the Divorce Act.

Links to all the forms (you can view them in alphabetical or numerical order). The page also links to free resources to help decide what form you need and how to proceed. It provides instructions and explains what software and browsers to use.

The Supreme Court has developed a “Family Order Pick List” which sets out standard terms for most of the usual orders made in family cases. The pick list provides the Supreme Court clerks the ability to electronically populate orders after chambers applications or a judicial case conference.

This fact sheet provides general information about spousal support under the Divorce Act. The act applies to married couples who are divorcing. Provincial or territorial laws apply to unmarried or common-law couples that are separating and to married couples that are separating but not divorcing.

A 57-page booklet written for permanent residents who need help when the person sponsoring them in Canada is no longer supporting them. Explains what happens when a sponsorship breaks down, and how to apply for welfare.