Gottlieb Law Firm now handles a wider range of family law matters, including contested and uncontested divorces, custody and parenting arrangements, child and spousal support, property division, and separation agreements.

An uncontested divorce, where both spouses agree on terms, can often be finalised through paperwork alone. A contested case — where custody, support, or property division is in dispute — usually means court filings, financial disclosure, and sometimes a trial.

Our custody & parenting arrangements are governed by either the federal Divorce Act (for married couples) or Ontario’s Children’s Law Reform Act (for unmarried parents). We draft your parenting plan detailing issues such as decision-making authority, schedules and what happens when there are disputes about whether an agreement should change over time.

Our child support calculations follow the Federal Child Support Guidelines that determine appropriate amounts according to income and number of children. There isn’t a fixed formula used for determining spousal support. This varies depending upon the duration of a relationship between spouses, their respective incomes and their ability to become self-sufficient post-separation. The firm reviews financial disclosure from both sides before advising on a support position.

Property division in Ontario runs through the equalisation process under the Family Law Act: spouses calculate the increase in their net worth during the marriage and split the difference, with exclusions for gifts, inheritances, and pre-marriage assets. This is usually the most paperwork-heavy part of a divorce — home valuations, pension valuations, business valuations.

Clients come to us at different points, said a spokesperson for Gottlieb Law Firm. Some have already separated and need to formalise an agreement. Others are still deciding whether to leave and want to know what it would mean financially before they do anything.

The firm also writes separation agreements for couples who are seeking to lay out the terms of their agreement without going through with a full divorce. It will represent you in mediation (and other forms of alternative dispute resolution) where that might be appropriate rather than taking cases all the way up to court if it doesn’t need to go there.

Decisions about three things can make the biggest difference early in your case. First, whether you’ll remain in the family home throughout your time of separation; second, how you’ll deal with shared finances and debts; and third, what kind of documentation to collect ahead of starting proceedings. If you wait too long – once you’re actually engaged in a dispute — then you may find that your choices become more limited.

We've seen cases where someone made an informal arrangement early on — who'd stay in the house, who'd pay what — without realising it could affect how a judge later views the situation," the spokesperson said. "A short consultation early on can prevent that.
The firm offers initial consultations to review a client's situation and outline next steps.

About Gottlieb Law Firm

Gottlieb Law Firm is a Toronto-based family law practice serving clients across the Greater Toronto Area. The firm handles divorce, separation, custody and parenting matters, child and spousal support, and property division.