JP Boyd on Family Law

Written in plain language, with handy rollover definitions for legal words and phrases, JP Boyd on Family Law provides practical, in-depth coverage of family law and divorce law in British Columbia. This trusted source for family law information is based on John-Paul Boyd's popular website, BC Family Law Resource, and is completely updated for the Family Law Act. To get started, read Family Law in British Columbia for a quick introduction. Then dive into the main chapters of the wikibook, or see the How Do I? section for answers to common procedural questions. Read about the transition of this resource to a wiki format. View the many lawyers and judges who were part of the editorial team led by Megan Ellis KC over the years.

Cover of JP Boyd on Family Law
(print edition released July 2019)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the justice system and how family law problems are resolved. Clicklaw has gathered helpful online resources about the changes. Information about how the courts are responding can be found on the websites of the Provincial Court and the Supreme Court, and John-Paul Boyd's YouTube channel on family law topics, "Five Minute Family Law," now includes COVID-19 and Family Law, Part 1 and Part 2.

The pandemic hasn't been the only change affecting family law and the justice system:

• Big changes to the Divorce Act came into effect on 1 March 2021, and those brought changes to the Child Support Guidelines and the forms used by the Supreme Court of British Columbia in turn.
• The Family Law Act has also been updated to address the arbitration of family law disputes
• The Provincial Court introduced a new set of rules and forms, and is trying out a new, less adversarial way of handling family law cases in the courthouses in Surrey and Victoria.

Read our pages on the new Divorce Act and the important recent changes to family law.

Contents

Getting Started

• Introduction · Family Law in British Columbia · Definitions · Family Law Legislation · Divorce Act Basics · Family Law Act Basics

How Do I?

• Marriage, Separation & Divorce
  • Get Married in British Columbia? · Prepare for Separation? · Separate from My Spouse? · Find Out if I'm Divorced? · Get Divorced? · Get my Certificate of Divorce?

• Avoiding an Obligation
  • Get Out of Paying Child Support? · Get Out of Paying Spousal Support? · Get Out of Sharing My Assets?

• Alternatives to Court
  • Start Negotiations with My Spouse? · Start Mediation with My Spouse? · Start a Collaborative Process with My Spouse? · Start Arbitration with My Spouse? · Hire a Parenting Coordinator?

More How Do I? topics...

Court Forms & Documents

• Supreme Court Forms & Examples · Provincial Court Forms & Examples · Other Family Law Forms & Documents

From the Author

• Editorial Manifesto · Rights and Responsibilities of Self-Represented Litigants

Editors

Many contributors and editors have contributed to JP Boyd on Family Law over the years. Up until 2020, most chapters were divided among pairs of subject editors. Since 2020, JP Boyd has taken on updates and rewrites to the wikibook to reflect substantial changes to key family law legislation and regulations.

Creative Commons

JP Boyd on Family Law © John-Paul Boyd and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.