JP Boyd on Family Law

Graphic still to come

This plain language guide covers pretty much everything there is to know about family law and divorce in British Columbia.

BC Family Law Resource: A New Home

A new home for the popular family law help website from BC lawyer JP Boyd. Read about the transition of this resource to a wiki format, timed to coincide with the introduction of the new Family Law Act on March 18, 2013.

Contents

Getting Started

• Definitions
• Legislation
• Family Law Basics
• Family Law Act Basics
• Divorce Act Basics

Chapters

• The Legal System
• Resolving Problems in Court
• Resolving Problems out of Court
• Family Law Agreements
• Children
• Child Support
• Spousal Support
• Property & Debt
• Family Relationships
• Separation & Divorce
• Protecting People
• Other Family Law Issues

How Do I?

• Get married in British Columbia?
• Prepare for separation?
• Separate from my spouse?
• more...

Court Forms

• Supreme Court: Samples · Blank
• Provincial Court: Samples · Blank

Advisory Committee and Editorial Team

JP Boyd

insert actual contributors here

An advisory committee and editorial team have assisted JP Boyd in migrating and updating the BC Family Law Resource website into this wikibook.

The legal termination of a valid marriage by an order of a judge; the ending of a marital relationship and the conjugal obligations of each spouse to the other. See "conjugal rights," "marriage" and "marriage, validity of."

A person licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction by that jurisdiction's law society. See "barrister and solicitor."

Normally referred to as the "Supreme Court of British Columbia," this court hears most of the trials in this province. The Supreme Court is a court of inherent jurisdiction and has no limits on the sorts of claims it can hear or on the sorts of orders it can make. Decisions of the Provincial Court are appealed to the Supreme Court; decisions of the Supreme Court are appealed to the Court of Appeal. See "Court of Appeal," "jurisdiction," "Provincial Court" and "Supreme Court of Canada."

A court established and staffed by the provincial government, which includes Small Claims Court, Youth Court, and Family Court. The Provincial Court is the lowest level of court in British Columbia and is restricted in the sorts of matters it can deal with. It is, however, the most accessible of the two trial courts and no fees are charged to begin or defend a family law proceeding. The Family Court of the Provincial Court cannot deal with the division of family property or any claims under the Divorce Act. See "Divorce Act," "judge" and "jurisdiction."