Want to avoid a nasty divorce? Consider these family-centric alternatives to court 🙌


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Leanne Townsend | Family Lawyer and Divorce Strategist

The Divorcing Well Newsletter

NOVEMBER 2021

Leanne Townsend is the Chair of the Family Law Group at Mills & Mills LLP, which includes associate lawyers Allie Cuperfain, Alyssa Warias and Alexandra Forsyth-Sells, administrative assistant Mia Asido and law clerks Fiona Ly and Sweta Panchal. Each month our group sends out a newsletter full of helpful tips, advice and insights to help you navigate through family/fertility legal challenges.

Alternatives to court for separating couples

Leanne's Divorcing Well podcast: How to divorce with your dignity intact

Is there a way couples can resolve the issues of their divorce without ending up in court?

Yes, there are less adversarial ways for separating spouses to settle all the issues of their divorce — without ever stepping inside a courtroom.

On a recent episode of Divorcing Well, I spoke with New York family attorney Katherine Miller about two popular alternatives to litigation: collaborative law and mediation. Both options enable couples to work through conflicts and arrive at mutually agreeable solutions for the issues in dispute.

There are many good reasons to consider settling your divorce outside of court — saving time and money are just two of them. Tune in to this episode to find out why more couples are choosing alternative dispute resolution for their divorce.

Listen on Apple or Spotify.

Mills & Mills welcomes family lawyer Alexandra Forsyth-Sells

Alexandra Forsyth-Sells is an associate lawyer and the newest addition to Mills & Mills LLP's Family Law Group.

Alexandra has experience in all aspects of family law, including separation and divorce, property division, parenting arrangements, child and spousal support, marriage contracts, cohabitation agreements and separation agreements.

She is a skilled advocate and has represented clients in the Ontario Court of Justice, Superior Court of Justice and the Family Court Branch of the Superior Court of Justice.

Alexandra also recognizes the benefits of resolving family matters outside of the court process through the family dispute resolution services such as negotiation and mediation.

If you would like to reach out to Alexandra, you can contact her here.

Practical tips for coping with the emotional fallout of divorce

When a relationship ends people often experience a wide range of emotions, including sadness, anger, confusion and fear.

Even when the relationship wasn’t particularly happy, there's often a feeling of loss associated with the formal severing of ties between a couple, writes Hermann Samano in a recent post.

Samano says it can be helpful to remind yourself that getting over losing someone — as well as the adverse circumstances that caused your relationship to end — takes time.

He offers some practical suggestions to help people cope with the end of a relationship in healthy ways that support their well-being and healing journey.

Read the blog

Divorce Explained on Instagram Live

Every week, I co-host Divorce Explained, an Instagram Live show with family lawyer Steve Benmor, where we discuss issues on the minds of those who are divorced or divorcing. Here are the topics from a couple of recent shows. Click on the photo to check out the full episode.

Rights of partners in common-law relationships

Common-law relationships: myths versus facts

We're clearing up some misconceptions about the rights and obligations of common-law partners when their relationship ends. For example, common-law spouses don't have the same property rights as married couples, but depending on their circumstances, they may have the right to receive — or an obligation to pay — child and spousal support.

Check out this IG Live.

How to avoid parenting clashes over the holidays

How to avoid clashing with your co-parent over the holidays

The holidays can be a catalyst for conflict between newly separated and divorced parents — even those with clearly defined schedules for their children in a parenting plan. We're sharing two simple strategies to help co-parents sidestep potential landmines. They will also pay big dividends in their ongoing co-parenting relationship.

Get our tips here.

Serving clients during COVID-19

As we continue to navigate the new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic,
the safety and well-being of clients is my top priority. Social distancing is vital right now to prevent the spread of the virus so I will continue to work with clients through virtual meetings. If you have any questions or concerns about your family law matter or would like to schedule a meeting, please reach out to me by email.

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Looking for more information on what to expect during a divorce, abusive relationships, love and money, life after divorce or other family law topics?

Check out the In the News and Blog sections of my website where there's a wealth of great content to get you up to speed on everything you need to know.

Check It Out

Leanne Townsend, Family Lawyer

Chair, Family Law Group
Mills & Mills LLP
2 St. Clair Ave W., Suite 2101
Toronto, ON M4V 1L5

416-682-7094

Leanne.townsend@millsandmills.ca

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