Hi, my name is Veronica Yeung and I am an associate with the Feldstein Family Law Group.

In this video, I discuss other professionals who may be involved in your family law matter.

Family law matters are more than just about the law, they are about the facts and how the law applies to those facts. Often, facts involve complicated financial, corporate, or real estate matters that are outside of a family law lawyer’s knowledge.

As such, it is not uncommon for separating parties to involve other professionals (aside from their lawyers) to assist them with unique issues that may arise in their matter. Such issues include children-related matters, real estate transactions, taxes and income, businesses, or complex financials.

• With respect to children, a Parenting Coordinator can be helpful in situations where parents need assistance with implementing a parenting plan or resolving disputes with respect to child-related issues on an ongoing basis. For more information regarding parenting coordinators, please check out our other video blog on the role of parenting coordinators.
• A counsellor or therapist may be helpful for where a party or child require emotional support through the end of the relationship. Children often require and benefit from counselling to assist them through the difficulties of adapting to the changes in their family.
• A certified property appraiser or a real estate agent can be helpful to determine the current market value of a jointly owned property (such as a house or cottage) where one spouse wants to buy out the other’s interest. A certified appraiser can provide a formal detailed appraisal whereas a real estate agent can provide a letter of opinion of value. Parties can decide whether they want to retain an appraiser together and be bound by the appraised value or if one or both of them want to obtain their own individual appraisal.
• A real estate agent is needed when the matrimonial home will be sold after separation. The parties can decide if they want to jointly retain a real estate agent to represent them together for the listing and sale. They also have the option of co-listing the house with their own individually retained real estate agent.
• Parties selling a jointly owned home will also need to jointly retain a real estate lawyer to represent them in the sale transaction and to distribute the proceeds of sale.
• A forensic accountant may be necessary where a spouse is self-employed but does not report all their income to the CRA. The accountant can help determine the spouse’s true income for child and spousal support purposes.
• A business valuator may be necessary where a spouse owns a business or has an interest in a business. Business valuators will help determine the value of that spouse’s business or business interests for equalization purposes. Usually the business owning spouse retains a valuator who prepares a report and the other spouse, if they disagree with the valuation, can retain their own valuator to either critique the report or prepare a valuation of their own.

That’s all for this video. If you would like further information about the above please visit our website at www.separation.ca or call to book a consultation with one of our lawyers at 905-581-7222.