Divorce Lawyer Toronto

The cost of a Divorce Lawyer in Ontario varies from law firm to law firm. The important thing to consider is the Divorce Lawyer’s hourly rate and the complexity of your case. You should also take into consideration that a good Divorce Lawyer that costs more than others may get your case resolved quickly and efficiently as opposed to others that may charge less but don’t possess the knowledge or experience to effectively negotiate or litigate your family law case.

There are several ways to get a divorce in Toronto and there are three main grounds under which you may file a divorce, which are cruelty, adultery and separation. The vast majority of divorce cases are filed under the grounds of separation. This ground requires that the divorce applicants have been living separation and apart for at least 12 months. Remember, some parties live separate and apart in the same home and can still be considered separated. Another important note is that you do not need to wait until 12 months of separation in order to file your divorce. You may file the divorce at any time after separation and you can have the divorce finalized at the 12 months separation mark.

As mentioned above, getting a divorce in Ontario requires grounds of either adultery, cruelty, or separation of 12 months.

The amount of time it takes to get a divorce in Ontario largely depends upon the court in which you file and whether you are filing a simple/uncontested divorce or a General divorce. In a simple divorce, you are only asking the court for a divorce and there are no other claims being made on the divorce application. This divorce process can generally be completed in 3 to 4 months. In a General Divorce Application, there are additional claims being made by the Applicant such as support, custody or property division. The time it takes to complete this type of divorce depends entirely on how long it takes the parties to either reach a settlement or litigate the issues in Family Court.

If you are filing for a simple divorce in Ontario, the government court fee is currently $632. This case be paid at once or in two separate payments. If you are filing a sole divorce, the first payment of $212 is paid when you are filing the initial application. The remaining $420 is paid when you are filing the final documents including the Affidavit of Divorce. In some cases, you can apply to the Family Court to have this government fee waived by filing a fee waiver application that is sworn. If you are also hiring a lawyer to complete your divorce case, the cost of the divorce and the lawyer’s legal fees will depend on your retainer agreement.