What a family lawyer says you should know before getting divorced
CTV
Sometimes, despite couples' best efforts to stay together, marriages come to an end far earlier than either party hoped or predicted. Here is some advice from Barry Nussbaum, a family lawyer who has counselled countless couples, about the details you don't want to neglect when getting divorced.
Getting married is one of the most significant personal, legal and financial milestones many people make, and keeping a marriage alive and well takes a lot of ongoing commitment.
Sometimes, despite couples' best efforts to stay together, marriages come to an end far earlier than either party hoped or predicted. There's always a risk the process of dissolving a marriage will be messy and acrimonious, but it can be less so if both parties go about it with care and forethought.
Here is some advice from Barry Nussbaum, a Toronto-based family lawyer who has counselled countless couples, about the details you don't want to neglect when getting divorced.
Nussbaum said most people, including himself, tend to be "penny wise and pound foolish" when it comes to addressing life's problems.
"People generally don't want to spend money when there's not a problem," he told CTVNews.ca in an interview over Zoom, giving the example of a homeowner who doesn't want to pay $300 for preventative maintenance on their home air conditioning system.
"Then it breaks, and the guy comes and fixes it, and it costs $10,000," he said.
"Same thing with a family lawyer. Sit down with a lawyer before you pull the trigger and find out what your rights and obligations are. Don't start taking things into your own hands and then get a lawyer to fix it, which costs ten times as much money."
