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Difference between revisions of "Introduction to Family Law in British Columbia"
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Introduction to Family Law in British Columbia (view source)
Revision as of 16:52, 11 May 2013
, 16:52, 11 May 2013→Common family law problems
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==Common family law problems== | ==Common family law problems== | ||
Couples who | Couples who live together and couples who don't, couples how are married and couples who aren't can all have family law problems when their relationships end. Family law affects same-sex couples in exactly the same way that it affects opposite-sex couples.The sorts of problems a couple can have when their relationship ends include deciding how the children <span class="noglossary">will</span> be cared for, whether support should be paid, and who <span class="noglossary">will</span> keep which property and which debt. | ||
The sorts of problems a couple can have when their relationship ends include deciding how the children <span class="noglossary">will</span> be cared for, whether support should be paid, and who <span class="noglossary">will</span> keep | |||
Family law problems about children are: | Family law problems about children are: | ||
*'' | *''parenting time'' or ''custody'', which include deciding where the children <span class="noglossary">will</span> live for most of the time, | ||
*'' | *''parental responsibilities'' or ''custody'', which include deciding how the parents <span class="noglossary">will</span> make decisions about important things in the children's lives, about issues like health care and education, and | ||
*''parenting time'', ''contact'' or ''access'', which are about deciding how much time each parent <span class="noglossary">will</span> have with the children. | *''parenting time'', ''contact'' or ''access'', which are about deciding how much time each parent <span class="noglossary">will</span> have with the children. | ||
Support means money that one person pays another to help with that person's expenses: | Support means money that one person pays another to help with that person's expenses. Family law problems about support are: | ||
*''child support'' | *''child support'', money that is paid to help with expenses for the children, like clothing and food, and | ||
*''spousal support'' | *''spousal support'', money that is paid to help with a spouse's day-to-day living expenses, like rent, the phone bill and the hydro <span class="noglossary">bill</span>, and sometimes to compensate a spouse for the economic decisions made during the relationship. | ||
When a couple have property, sometimes including when only one person has property, they have to decide if and how that property <span class="noglossary">will</span> be shared between them. In family law, the property married spouses and unmarried spouses share is called ''family property''. Family property can include things like houses, bank accounts, and cars. It can also include RRSPs and pensions. | When a couple have property, sometimes including when only one person has property, they have to decide if and how that property <span class="noglossary">will</span> be shared between them. In family law, the property married spouses and unmarried spouses share is called ''family property'', generally only the propery that accumulated during a relationship. Family property can include things like houses, bank accounts, and cars. It can also include RRSPs and pensions. | ||
Sometimes a couple also has to decide who <span class="noglossary">will</span> take responsibility for debts. Generally, only the debts that accumulated during a relationship <span class="noglossary">will</span> be shared between married spouses and unmarried spouses. | Sometimes a couple also has to decide who <span class="noglossary">will</span> take responsibility for debts. Generally, only the debts that accumulated during a relationship <span class="noglossary">will</span> be shared between married spouses and unmarried spouses. | ||
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#Unmarried couples: An unmarried couple probably think of themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend. They may have lived together, but not for too long. Sometimes an unmarried couple involved in a family law problem <span class="noglossary">will</span> have been together only for a very short while ― perhaps just long enough to make a baby. | #Unmarried couples: An unmarried couple probably think of themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend. They may have lived together, but not for too long. Sometimes an unmarried couple involved in a family law problem <span class="noglossary">will</span> have been together only for a very short while ― perhaps just long enough to make a baby. | ||
#Unmarried spouses: Unmarried spouses are not legally married. Unmarried spouses have lived together in a loving relationship, and, for most purposes of the ''[[Family Law Act]]'', must have lived together for at least two years or for less than two years if the | #Unmarried spouses: Unmarried spouses are not legally married. Unmarried spouses have lived together in a loving relationship, and, for most purposes of the ''[[Family Law Act]]'', must have lived together for at least two years or for less than two years if the couple have had a child together. | ||
#Married spouses: Married spouses have been legally married, by a marriage commissioner or a religious official licensed to perform marriages, and their marriage has been registered with the government where they were married. | #Married spouses: Married spouses have been legally married, by a marriage commissioner or a religious official licensed to perform marriages, and their marriage has been registered with the government where they were married. | ||
