LITIGATION COACHING
Deer Lake Law Group - Burnaby Lawyers
Saves Money and Reduce Stress on Your Family Law Case
Increasingly, people choose to navigate the family courts on their own (self-litigant) and get help from an experienced family lawyer only at certain times. Litigation Coaching lets you handle your own divorce case at a fraction of the cost because you pay only for the legal services you need, and you stay fully in control of your legal costs.
Litigation Coaching reduces your stress because you have an experienced team of Family Lawyers, Paralegals and Legal Assistants guiding you through the process and answering your questions along the way.
Litigation Coaching is strongly recommended for clients with property and other family assets, excluded assets, children, and a disparity in income between spouses.
It is designed for clients dealing with child support and parenting issues in the Provincial Court of BC, including Family Case Conferences – FCC and greatly beneficial for clients applying for property division, spousal support, and divorce in the Supreme Court of BC, including Judicial Case Conferences – JCC and Applications. Some clients rely on Litigation Coaching before they meet with a Family Mediator or Parenting Coordinator.
When should I get help from a Litigation Coach?
When faced with dilemmas and difficult choices about the breakdown of the marriage, some people will discuss things with their friends and family, perhaps a therapist but the one professional who is best qualified to help you get the answers you need is an experienced Family Lawyer.
Working as your Litigation Coach, a Family Lawyer can tell you what you can expect with respect to child support and parenting time, spousal support amount and duration, spousal buyout of the family home, dividing pensions and so on. This means that when you are negotiating directly with your spouse, you have a clear picture of what is a reasonable agreement and what constitutes an ‘unfair settlement’.
Your Litigation Coach can also direct you to knowledgeable professionals who can assist you as you move ahead on your own. You may need to speak with an accountant, financial planner, mortgage broker, property appraiser, real estate agent, business valuator, parenting consultant, and so on.
Post separation, some parents engage in high-conflict disputes over where the child will live and how often they see their other parent. This is often referred to as guardianship, custody, and access. Transition from a two-parent-household to a co-parenting two household arrangement is difficult for the adults and the children but your Litigation Coach has dealt with many parenting time issues and will help you structure a parenting plan that is in the best interests of the child and acceptable to both parents. They will suggest techniques to ensure that your children don’t become involved in the drama of parenting disputes while potentially dealing with intentional and unintentional parental alienation.
If both parents cannot agree on a stable parenting routine, your Litigation Coach will help you bring this matter before the court for a judicial decision.
For many couples, one of the scariest aspects of separation and divorce is the ‘financial unknown’. Can you afford to stay in the house you love? Can you stay ahead of your bills? Can you afford the children’s extra-curricular activities? Some people choose to stay in an unhappy or abusive marriage simply because they are afraid of the economic consequences of living apart.
Your Litigation Coach can advise you on the range of spousal support payable by the higher income earner and for how many years this support is due. You will also understand how much child support is payable and how to handle children’s expenses like music lessons, sports activities, and university tuition. Finally, with a thorough financial analysis of your family’s assets and debts, your Litigation Coach can advise you on the possible scenarios for the division of assets. You will understand how you can restructure your finances to avoid triggering tax consequences and incurring unnecessary losses and expenses.
With this information from your Litigation Coach, you will negotiate your own settlement with the benefit of independent legal advice, and if you cannot agree on terms, your Litigation Coach will help you prepare for court.
Your friends and family will always tell you what you want to hear, but sometimes – you need a reality check. Your Litigation Coach is a sympathetic listener and the voice of reason. They are on your side and will help you advocate your position aggressively, but at the same time, they will ensure that you understand the pros and cons of every step that you take in your family law dispute.
Your Litigation Coach will keep you focused on the essential issues and guide you towards wise decisions so that you can achieve your desired result faster and move on with your life sooner.
Who is my Litigation Coach?
One of our experienced Family Lawyers will be your assigned Litigation Coach. Your Litigation Coach will make sure that you have a clear understanding of your rights and obligations, what steps you can take to resolve your matter in the most cost-effective and timely manner and ensure that your court documents are prepared properly so that you can represent yourself in court effectively. Your Litigation Coach will ensure that you understand the law in British Columbia and Canada, the court process and the rules of court.
Your Litigation Coach will provide you with legal advice every step of the way and is available to provide you as much support as you need including draft or review legal documents (Notice of Family Claim, Counterclaim, Affidavits, Notice of Application, Financial Statements, Notice of Motion, etc.), draft or review settlement offers and other correspondence, prepare you for a court appearance or examination for discovery, provide you with caselaw that supports your case, and any other legal services that you may request.
Your Litigation Coach is a Family Law litigator and attends hearings, applications and trials regularly. They also attend family mediation meetings and arbitrations to ensure their clients get the best results. If, at any time, you would like your Litigation Coach to attend a discovery (examination for discovery), court appearance or mediation with you, they will be able to assist you.
Litigation Coaching is billed hourly at $350 – $450 per hour. Prior to working with your Litigation Coach, you will decide what services you require, and you will set your budget for your legal fees.
Who is my Litigation Guide?
One of our dedicated Legal Assistants can act as your Litigation Guide. Your Litigation Guide will be your liaison with the courts, and can schedule court dates for JCC, Long Chambers, Appearance before a particular Judge or Master, file court documents, arrange for personal service or alternative service.
The Litigation Guides have long-standing relationships with the court registries and other professional offices, so they can easily take care of many procedural items on your behalf.
Services provided by your Litigation Guide are billed at $100 – $150 per hour.
Every step of the way, you have a knowledgeable, reliable and passionate team helping you get through this difficult time. You will rely on both your Litigation Coach and your Litigation Guide at different times and for different reasons. This another way for you to keep your legal fees and stress low.
Deer Lake Law Group, Burnaby Law Firm & Law Office. We Want to make your Legal Matter less stressful for you! We are committed to helping you understand the legal processes in BC. A Deer Lake Law Group Burnaby Lawyer can answer general questions about the Canadian Legal Process. As a full-service Law Office Located near Deer Lake and Metrotown.
