John P. Schuman C.S., Child and Family Law

40 - How to Keep Your Money in Separation and Divorce

Separation and divorce can be very expensive - often more expensive than necessary.  When separating spouses or parents are not careful, or make big family law mistakes, they give away or spend more money than they have to - leaving less money for themselves, their children and possibly their new families. 

In this episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, gives many valuable family law tips to separating spouses and parents about how they can keep more of their money. Drawing from more than twenty years of experience as a family lawyer, trial lawyer, mediator, arbitrator and collaborative lawyer, John Schuman explains how preserve wealth through:

• using a marriage contact or cohabitation agreement to provide financial predictability and sensibility in separation
• avoiding bad Family Court decisions
• resolving matters using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) such as negotiation, mediation, arbitration and collaborative practice
• avoiding the financial horrors that can be associated with matrimonial homes
• saving on lawyer’s fees and using unbundled services 
• calculating child support and spousal support appropriately
• considering measures to reduce income for support purposes
• taking steps to have your ex pay your lawyer’s fees

This podcast is an invaluable resource for people considering separation or divorce.  People should listen to this podcast before living together, getting married or separating to make sure they do not give money away needlessly. 

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available  as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.  To get your copy of the book, click on the picture of the book above and to the left.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues.  Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below.  The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto.  if you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5869, email us,  or fill out form below and click “send.”

You can comment on this podcast using the comments section below.  Share your experiences with losing money - or coming out ahead, in your separation or divorce to supplement what people learn from this important podcast.  

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38 - Ontario Private Schools, Standards, and Education Law

Many children attend Ontario Private Schools.  They do so in the belief that those schools provide a superior education to publicly funded schools, including superior academics, better sports, smaller class sizes and more attention to children’s needs.  But, does Ontario Law require private schools to meet those expectations or  meet any standards at all?  Recent private school scandals have pointed out just how little Ontario Education Law protects students at private schools. Parents should know what they are getting into before enrolling their child.

In this edition of the podcast, Toronto Education Lawyer, John Schuman explains how Ontario Education applies, and does not apply to Ontario Private Schools.  He lets parents how to know what standards apply to any Ontario Private School that they are considering and what to do if the school falls below those standards.  This is information that every parent needs to know before sending their child to private school. 

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on all aspects of children’s law, education law, children’s rights, family law, divorce and separation issues.  Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below.  The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto.  If you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5869, email us,  or fill out form below and click “send.”

You can comment on this podcast using the comments section below.  Share your experiences with child custody matters to supplement what people learn from this important podcast.

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37 - Sharing the Holidays After Separation

Holidays (be they Christmas, Chanukah  Kwanza, Eid, New Years, or any other important celebration) can be difficult for separated families.  It may be impossible for the kids to celebrate with both parents and their families  - or to have the most important times, such as Christmas Morning, with both parents. Dividing up these special times with the children can be one of the biggest challenges after separation or in divorce.

Fighting over the holidays can ruin them for your kids and cause psychological harm. In this edition of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, gives useful parenting, child custoody and Family Law tips on how to share your children over important holidays.  If you and your ex have not been able to sort out the holidays, this episode is essential listing to protect your kids and make sure they have a celebration, not a conflict.

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available as a $9.99 Kindle eBook, Kobo eBook, or iBook for your iPad or iPhone and as a a paperback from Amazon and better bookstores.   Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.  To get your copy of the book, click on the picture of the book above and to the left.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues.  Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below.  The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto.  if you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-4036, email us,  or fill out form below and click “send.”

You can comment on this podcast using the comments section below.  Share your experiences with child custody matters to supplement what people learn from this important podcast.

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CBC Ontario Morning with Wei Chen

It is not just urban legend that more couples separate or start their divorce in January.  Divorce Lawyers do see more people call their offices in that month than any other. John Schuman was a guest on CBC’s Ontario Morning radio program to explain why.  You can listen to interview by clicking on the player to the left.

The pressure and stress of the holidays are too much for some couples.  Others find that spending so much time together can exaggerate the difficulties in the relationship.  Others decide that they are going to turn over a new leaf in the new year - and those plans do not include their spouses.  Regardless of the reason for the separation, it is not as important as the first steps after the separation - as those decisions can have a bigger impact on the spouses, and the children, as the separation itself.

1 - Separation and First Decisions

Deciding to separate from a spouse is a decision to make carefully. It is a decision that should be made knowing what will happen next and what to do.   To find out more about how to separate from your spouse and what to do next, check out the first episode of the Ontario Family Law Podcast.   You should also watch the video below.  Finally, get more information about the first steps after separating from your spouse on this page. 

There are also a number of common mistakes that people make when separating from their spouses.  Some of the most common ones are set out in the video below.  However, to make sure you are making the best decisions for your and your children, you should consult with a top family law lawyer about the specifics of your case. John Schuman is a Certified Specialist in Family Law.  To make an appointment with him, use the contact form at the bottom of the page, email him, or call 416-446-4036.

Another source of reliable family law information, that you can access at any time - before or after separation, is this $9.99 e-book for Kindle, Kobo, or iPad/iPhone/Mac or ordering the paperback version.  It includes  a lot of helpful information about Ontario Family Law issues, including property division, support, and most other family law that separating spouses and parents must address everyday.  It will help you understand not only the law, but the decisions you have to make and what is involved with each choice. 

Many thousands of people get family law assistance from this website everyday.  If you have found this page useful, please share it on your social network using the Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest buttons at the bottom of the page.  Please comment on this page using the comments section at the bottom to share your thoughts on money issues in divorce or separation.

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35 - Resolving Children's Issues Outside of Court

The research is clear that parental separation or divorce does not harm children, it is the conflict between parents, even at mild levels, that have serious long-lasting negative impacts on children.  While there are many things parents can do to protect their children in these situations, one of the most important, if not the most important, is to work out post-separation parenting issues without a big fight.   Family Court, as part of its adversarial system of justice, most often requires some form of conflict over children’s issues.   However, there are many alternatives to Family Court for parents who want to work out custody/access issues with less conflict and with more control over the results. While judges always decide custody/access cases in the best interests of the children, what a judge thinks is in a child’s best interests can be different from what the child’s parents think.

In this edition of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, Certified Specialist in Family Law, John Schuman, explains the options for working out custody/access issues without resort to the Courts.  He describes parenting mediation, parenting coordination, family law arbitration, custody/access assessments, the Office of the Children’s Lawyer and how each of these options works and when each of them can be best.   This podcast also describes how parents can have greater control over the parenting plan after separation by using these other methods.

All separated parents, who do not have a parenting plan or agreement over custody/access issues must listen to this podcast to find out not only how to get the best results and protection for their kids, but also how to get the parenting arrangements that work best for them.

For more information about mediation, check out this page, with a video on what happens at family and parenting mediation.

The Ontario Family Law Podcast is a companion to the book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, which is available as an e-book for Amazon Kindle or Kobo, and as an iBook for iPad, iPhone and Mac, or as a paperback from Amazon and other fine book sellers.  Anyone who has to deal with issues related to child custody, child access or parenting after separation should rely on both of them for  give easy-to-understand information and advice about how the law applies to their case and what are the best ways to address their concerns.  The book also covers all the other related family law issues, such as child support, spousal support, property division and restraining orders.  To get your copy of the book, click on the picture of the book above and to the left.

Thousands of people tune into the Ontario Family Law Podcast to get valuable pointers on family law, divorce and separation issues.  Please feel free to share this podcast with your social network using the sharing buttons below.  The host of the Ontario Family Law Podcast, John Schuman, is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, practicing in Toronto.  if you would like to contact him, either call 416-446-5869, email us,  or fill out form below and click “send.”

You can comment on this podcast using the comments section below.  Share your experiences with child custody matters to supplement what people learn from this important podcast.  

Contact Us:

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