Flat Fee Legal Fees for Divorce and Family Law

Applications for Divorce

Listed fees are exclusive of filing fees, process server fees, and any other disbursements secondary to the delivery of services. The cost to file a claim for divorce in Alberta is $260.00.

Uncontested Divorce Application without an Order for Support

$1,500

If you wish to be legally separated from your ex-spouse and wish to remarry, you will need to apply for a divorce, we can help.

Uncontested Divorce and apply to sever Orders for Support and Property

$1,950

If you wish to have a divorce but need to deal with support or other relief, you will need to ask a family court judge to have those matters separated so you can move on with your divorce. If you need help with severance of your divorce, we can help.

Family Law Agreements

Listed fees are exclusive of filing fees, process server fees, and any other disbursements secondary to the delivery of services. Listed fees include negotiation of a single edit to the agreement in response to the advice given to your partner or ex-partner

Prenuptial/Cohabitation Agreement

$1,500

Before or during a relationship, people often find it beneficial to know what would happen if their relationship had a breakdown. If you need help clarifying what you and your partner would each receive if your relationship broke down, we can help.

Separation Agreement - Property Only

$1,500

When two people separate, they need to know who is getting what from their family assets. If you need to prepare an agreement after the breakdown of your relationship which sets out how your family assets will be split up, we can help.

Separation Agreement with Support

$2,100

This includes a division of property, as well as a parenting plan for when each of you will spend time with your children and how much is payable for child and spousal support.

Independent Legal Advice

If you or your partner have already retained a lawyer to help you prepare an agreement or court order, we can provide the necessary independent review of that agreement or order to ensure it is also in your best interests.

Cohabitation/Prenuptial Agreements

$500

If you or your partner are considering a prenup, have an agreement drafted already, or have an agreement that you made yourself, we can help.

Separation Agreement with Support or Parenting Provisions

$1,000

If you and your ex-spouse have an agreement dividing assets and dealing with any parenting time, child support, or spousal support, we can review the agreement with you to ensure that it's in your best interests.

(note increased price arises from requirement to review financial disclosure)

Property Agreement

$500

If you and your ex-spouse have an agreement about the division of family assets, we can review the agreement to ensure that it is a fair split.

None of the information on this website creates a solicitor-client relationship or purports to provide legal advice. We have provided legal information only.

Hourly Services

Hourly Services are typically billed in minimum increments of 1/10th of an hour for all time the lawyer spends on your matter.

Services described are as provided at the Court of King's Bench of Alberta, if your matter is in the Court of Justice, please contact us.

Applications for a change in parenting time

If you require a minor change in a parenting order and the other parent does not agree, we can apply to morning chambers for an order from a family court Justice for an incremental change in parenting time. If you require a major change in the parenting arrangement, we will need to have your matter booked for a special chambers hearing.

Applications for Child Support

In order to obtain an order for child or spousal support, both parties must give full financial disclosure to each other and the court. The process of obtaining disclosure from the other person can be very frustrating. If the other parent refuses to provide financial disclosure, we can ask a family court Justice to set the other parents income in the absence of their actual income.

Support can often be dealt with in morning chambers before a Justice. However, complicated cases, especially those which deal with months of unpaid support may require a special hearing.

Can you give me an estimate for a morning chambers application?

Typically, we expect that a morning chambers application will require between 8 to 12 hours of lawyer time, including meeting with our client, preparation of affidavits and disclosure statements, review of the other person's documents, and going to court on the day of your hearing.

If you ask us to take any additional steps, such as questioning the other person on their materials, hiring an expert, or preparing written argument, those costs are in addition to the amount of time estimated.

Can you give me an estimate for a special chambers application?

Typically, we expect that a special chambers application will require between 20 to 30 hours of lawyer time, including meeting with our client, preparation of multiple affidavit documents, drafting written arguments (briefs) to the court, review of the other person's documents, and going to court on the day of your hearing.

If you ask us to take any additional steps, such as questioning the other person on their materials, hiring an expert, or obtaining written reports from third parties, those costs are in addition to the amount of time estimated.

Property Trials

In Alberta, the only way to have a court hear the issue of division of family property is to take the matter to trial. Trials are complicated and require an understanding of the rules of evidence. Once a trial is commenced, you will not have another opportunity to hear the matter, so preparation is the most important part of trial.

FAMILY AND DIVORCE SERVICES

Divorce and Separation

Once there is no chance that you and your spouse or partner will get back together, it's time to consider how to make your separation official. If you are married, you can apply for a divorce with the Court of King's Bench. If you are common-law or in a long-term unmarried relationship, you may wish to make a contract or other agreement setting out how you and your ex-partner will deal with each other now that you're no longer a family. In any case, our lawyers can help.

Child Support

Child Support payments are statutory payments that a parent makes to another parent to support their children. If you need to get child support from your children's parent after a divorce or separation, or need to alter an existing child support obligation, our lawyers can help.

Depending on your circumstances, we may be able to get your case into Court before your next support payment is due.

Spousal Support

After the breakdown of a relationship, there are often times when one party is worse-off than the other. In those circumstances, the Court may believe that one ex-spouse or ex-partner should make payments to the other until they can become self-sufficient again. Spousal support is taxable transfer of income from one spouse to another to offset the difference in incomes of the spouses. If you have received a request for spousal support, or want assistance obtaining spousal support from your ex, our lawyers can help.

Parenting

One of the biggest stressors for recently separated people is the effect on the children. You and the other parent will need to figure out who will spend time with your children and when. If you can't agree or figure out how best to come to a solution, you may need to seek a Court Order, or seek the assistance of a Parenting Coordinator. If you want to put your best foot forward when dealing with these processes, our lawyers can help.

Cohabitation and Prenuptial Agreements

Are you considering marriage or entering into a long-term relationship with someone? If so, creating an agreement on what the parties will do after they break up is a good idea. An agreement of this kind is like a will for your relationship, you hope you never need to use it, but if and when you do need it, you'll be glad you have it. In the changing legal environment, it can be hard to know what your agreement should cover, our lawyers can help.

Free Consultation

We offer a free 30-minute consultation wherein you can describe the nature and circumstances of your problem. At the end of the 30 minutes, we will outline how we could help, how much it would cost, and how long we expect the process to take. Although the consultation is not a time to get legal advice, we can let you know if our lawyers can help.