Family Law
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What an Executor Actually Has to Do in Alberta
Being named an executor can feel like an honour and a burden at the same time. Someone trusted you enough to put you in charge of their estate, often at the hardest moment for their family. What most people do not realize until they are in it is that being an executor is a legal…
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What Happens to the Matrimonial Home in an Alberta Divorce
For most families, the home is the largest asset they own and the most emotionally charged. It is where the children sleep, where the memories live, and often where each spouse most wants to stay. So when a marriage ends, the question everyone asks first is the same: who gets the house. The answer in…
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Powers of Attorney in Alberta: Protecting Significant Assets During Incapacity
An enduring power of attorney is one of the most important legal documents a high-net-worth individual in Alberta can have. It is also one of the most consistently neglected components of estate and incapacity planning. A will governs what happens to your assets after your death. An enduring power of attorney governs what happens to…
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Property Division for Business Owners in Alberta: Corporate Assets, Valuations, and Strategy
Property division for business owners in Alberta is categorically more complex than property division for salaried employees or individuals whose wealth is held in straightforward investment accounts and real estate. The business interest itself raises questions about characterization, valuation, and division that do not arise with other asset classes. The income from the business raises…
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A Landmark Ruling: The Supreme Court of Canada Recognizes the Tort of Intimate Partner Violence
On May 15, 2026, the Supreme Court of Canada issued one of the most consequential family law decisions in a generation. In Ahluwalia v Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16, a six-to-three majority of the Court recognized a new common law tort of intimate partner violence, grounded in the concept of coercive and controlling conduct within intimate…
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Postnuptial Agreements in Alberta: Restructuring Your Financial Arrangement After Marriage
A postnuptial agreement is a family property agreement made by spouses after they have already married, as opposed to a prenuptial agreement, which is made before the wedding. While prenuptial agreements are more commonly discussed, postnuptial agreements serve an equally important function for couples whose financial circumstances have materially changed after the marriage began, or…
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Independent Legal Advice in Alberta: What It Is and When You Need It
Independent legal advice is a specific legal requirement in Alberta for certain types of agreements, particularly family property agreements such as prenuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, postnuptial agreements, and separation agreements. Without independent legal advice properly given and certified, these agreements may be unenforceable, and the legal protection they were intended to provide evaporates at exactly…
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Separation Agreements for High Asset Couples in Alberta: What Needs to Be Addressed
A separation agreement is the legal document that defines the terms on which separating spouses or partners will resolve their financial and family affairs. For high asset couples in Alberta, a separation agreement is not a standard form document. It is a complex, specifically negotiated instrument that must address a range of financial, corporate, tax,…
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Child Support for High Income Parents in Alberta: When the Guidelines Are Not Enough
Child support in Alberta is calculated under the Federal Child Support Guidelines for divorcing married parents and the Alberta Child Support Guidelines for separating unmarried parents. For most families, the guidelines produce a straightforward table amount based on the payor parent’s income and the number of children. For high income families, the calculation is significantly…
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Spousal Support in Alberta: How It Is Calculated and What to Expect
Spousal support is one of the most frequently contested and most financially significant issues in any separation or divorce involving spouses with meaningful income differences. For separating spouses in Alberta, understanding how spousal support works, how it is calculated, and what factors affect both the amount and duration of support is essential to making informed…
