BALBI
& COMPANY
LEGAL CENTRE
Family Law
Lawyers
/
NEWSLETTER
Phone: (403)269-7300 / Fax: (403)265-97901501 MacLeod Tr. SE
Calgary, AB T2G 2N6
e-mail:
website:
Issue No: 22 / September, 2007
CALGARY FATHER GETS CUSTODY, THEN IS ALLOWED TO MOVE TO TEXAS
W
e represented a Calgary man who is the father of a young girl. The parties were divorced in 2000, and the mother had primary custody of the child, with access to the father. He also paid the required child support.
About one year later, the father married his new wife and they began a family. However, the child from the first marriage was having trouble in school and was seemingly not being properly attended to by her mother. The father maintained focus and was very involved in the child’s schooling and other activities. In about 2004, as a result of an ADD diagnosis on the child, the parties changed the parenting arrangement somewhat to allow more stability for the child.
The father came to us in March, 2006 to see if he could get primary custody of the child and move (due to an employer transfer) to Texas with the child.
We advised the client of the risks involved, and formulated a strategy. By the end of the summer, our strategy was successful and our client was able to move with the child and our client’s new family to the US and provide an excellent home and opportunity for his family.
With proper planning and advice at early stages, our client was able to achieve a positive result which has proven to be in the child’s best interests.
INTENSE BARGAINING PAYS OFF
W
e represented a wife and mother of two children going through a difficult separation and divorce. The husband was a high-income earning man who worked hard in his business.
Our client was in a “non-traditional” marriage in that she worked for many of the years during the marriage. However, by the time the marriage ended, she found herself suffering from some illnesses and having a reduced capacity to earn income. The husband disputed the wife’s income capacity and took the position that she should receive no support.
A strategy was formulated early on with the client. We decided that normal mediation would be helpful for some of the issues, but that lawyer-assisted mediation might be necessary given the husband’s attitude.
As part of our plan, we retained the services of a specialist in financial planning in divorces. Our expert prepared a report outlining the positions of the parties now, and at retirement. This was an eye-opening experience.
After several meetings with the lawyers, mediator and financial planner, the parties were able to resolve all of their significant financial issues in a way that met each of their interests while still providing their former partner with dignity and respect. For our client, the process was difficult, but worth the effort.
BALBI & COMPANY’S
WEB SITE
An overview of follows:
- The About Our Team page allows you to read a brief summary about each of our firm’s lawyers and learn about their area of expertise.
- From Divorce to Step-Parent Adoption, the Area of Law section lists the areas of law our firm deals with.
- If you need information about the Parenting After Separation Seminar, you can check out our Resources page. You will find the telephone numbers, as well as links to help you find contact information ordocumentation from a variety of resources.
- One of the best ways to keep your legal costs down is by having all questions for your lawyer ready before making a telephone call. Check out our FAQ page. Frequently asked questions are posted and answered by our lawyers.
- Schedule too busy to take part in Balbi L.A.W. Seminars?Maybe you’ve misplaced our last Newsletter? Our web site takes care of that too. Archived Newsletters and Balbi L.A.W. Seminars are available on the web site.(See more on Balbi L.A.W. Seminars below).
- Our Contact Us page provides our location and how to get in touch with us.
- If you, or someone you know,are looking for an exciting career in Family Law and are lookingto join a fantastic group of people, join us on our Careers page to see what current opportunities are available.
BALBI L.A.W. (LEGAL ADVISORY WORKSHOP) SEMINARS
RecentBalbi L.A.W. (Legal Advisory Workshop) Seminars include the following:
1. New Law Affects Everyone.
2. Top 10 Tips When Taking Your Child Across the Border.
3. The 10 Big Secrets You and Your Friends Should Know Before Someone Decides to Separate.
4. New Year’s Tune-Up.
5. High Conflict People in Legal Disputes.
6. Shacking Up – 10 Things Everyone Should Know About Living Together.
7. Divorce on a Budget – Keeping Your Legal Costs in Check.
If you missed any of our recent seminars, we have postedthese archived recordings on our web site at Go to the Balbi L.A.W. Seminars page to listen to any of the saved seminars.
Information about the Seminars,including dates, topics and call-in numbers, is sent to you via email. If we don’t have your email address and you’d like to be added to our distribution list, please forward your email address to , or call (403) 269-7300.
CAST & CREW
Lawyers
Lonny l. Balbi, QC
Ceri m. Chwieros
Crystal Thompson
Tera Yates
Office Manager
Dana Eason
Legal Assistants
Veronica Beaulieu
Mary-Anne Leong
Special Project Coordinator
Receptionist
Kristin Frederikson