Being married is not the same as living common law. I got quite a shock talking to the lawyer last night. We don’t have community property – we exit with what we came in with – but we jointly own the house and our debts. We’re pretty much done the separation agreement. But 3 grand for a retainer? Zow.
Back from the lawyer
Published by
Allegra, my separation and divorce from Spence ran about $4,000 (my lawyer only) and would have begun in September of 1989 and finalized in 1991 sometime. The divorce tooks affect exactly one-year after the final separation agreement was signed by both of us. I don’t know if the option of a mediator is still available now, but that would have cost us considerably less. Also, does it matter what province you now live in or what province you became a common law couple in. Now it’s 1 year living together, but back then I think it was 4 years living together, i.e. the point at which you became common law married. This might affect the division of assets? Separation and Divorce is not good for the rich, the poor or the middle class — lawyers fees, division of assets and separate living arrangments lead to a decreased financial position. In my case, I stayed in the same house, but had to re-finance to buy Spence out — so I had a lot more debt and, of course, a higher mortgage payment. Good Luck!