Family lawyers and divorce lawyers in large urban centers such as Toronto, Thornhill, Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan, are not all the same.

All family and divorce lawyers in Toronto, Thornhill, Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan, go through very similar legal training, in law school, but they do not all graduate with the same legal and personal abilities.

Family and Divorce law is a very difficult and complicated area of law. The law is always changing and evolving with changes in society. Lawyers practicing Family and Divorce law in Toronto, Thornhill, Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan or in any other area, must constantly keep current with all the changes that are taking place. This is accomplished by extensive reading, research and review of all the recently decided court cases, changes in legislation, etc. Divorce and family laws are full of many legal technicalities and are frequently subject to legal interpretation and your divorce lawyer or family lawyer must be experienced and up to date in these areas. Issues of child custody and child support can profoundly affect your children's ongoing development. You and your children's rights and well being may be affected for many years in the future.

Choosing a lawyer who practices in many areas of law, such as real estate, business, criminal law etc. as well as family and divorce law, will have a difficult, if not impossible, time of keeping up with all the constant changes in each area of law. You should be looking for a lawyer who spends 90% to 100% of his time devoted to family and divorce law. Make sure you ask.

Family and divorce law is one of the few areas of law, which is extremely emotionally charged. These situations are not the same as a business lawsuit where someone is just owed money.

In family and divorce cases you are dealing with individuals who shared their lives together and in many cases have had children together and for many reasons can no longer remain together. The emotions people feel are very deep and painful. Feelings of anger, fear resentment, betrayal, loss of trust are very common. Many divorce and family lawyers have gone through their own personal divorces and have experienced your situation personally as well as professionally and may be in a better position to empathize with you and understand exactly how you are feeling and how they can help you better.

You need to choose a family and divorce lawyer in Toronto, Thornhill, Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan, who can understand how you are feeling and help you through this difficult time. Very difficult and life altering decisions must be made, affecting many personal and important issues, such as child custody, child access or visitation, joint custody, child support, spousal support, property division, debt division, equalization of net family properties, the matrimonial home, separation agreements, among many others. Effective divorce lawyers and family lawyers can help you through a very stressful time in your life and also help you avoid very costly financial and emotional mistakes.

Some people believe that the best family and divorce lawyers are the ones who are very aggressive, who do not compromise or settle and fight every step of the way, right into court. You may think you are winning but in the end, when you pay your bill and measure the emotional cost, the only ones who have won, are these lawyers. Judges are not intimidated by aggressive lawyers and decide cases on the basis of the facts and the law, not on the basis of how loud or aggressive your lawyer is. You need a family and divorce lawyer who can see through fog, pick out the important issues and try to settle your case for the best possible result you can get, without making it worse. This is not a war you have to win but a bad situation you have to work through, with the best possible result at the least cost involved.

In some cases, it is not possible to settle a case and then the effective lawyer will have no choice but to take your case to court and fight vigorously for your rights, but this step should only be taken when all your other options have been exhausted. Going to court is a very expensive process and a third party judge makes the final decision. With a settlement, you have input into the final outcome.

Choosing a smart and effective divorce and family lawyer is your best bet for obtaining a fair and reasonable settlement, at the lowest emotional and financial cost.


Erwin Seltzer has practiced in all areas as a leading family lawyer and divorce lawyer, in Toronto and York Region, for over 25 years, including Custody, Access, Child Support, Spousal Support, Property Division and Equalization, Separation Agreements, Cohabitation Agreements and Marriage Contracts (Pre-Nups).

Erwin can be reached at (905) 474-4333.
80 Tiverton Court, Suite 205, Markham, Ontario (Hwy 404 & Hwy 7)

www.erwinseltzerdivorcefamilylaw.itgo.com