Important Terms

Access/Parenting Time: Time spent with the child/ren of the relationship.

Arbitration: A form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) that is voluntary. This is when a neutral third party, most likely a lawyer, who is agreed upon and chosen by both parties, imposes a decision upon the parties, which is legally binding. 

Child Support: Giving or receiving financial support to/from a parent of the child/ren for the support of the child/ren. This includes set monthly child support and may also include special expenses. Generally, child support is set by the relevant Child Support Guidelines.  

Collaborative Family Law: A process committed to resolving issues from a separation/divorce without involving the court. Collaborative law is a commitment to uphold open communication and disclose information and achieve solutions based on the most significant priorities for the parties involved. Lawyers that take part in this process are not only lawyers, but they are a support system for the involved parties through the difficult time that is divorce. This is also a form of ADR.

Custody: Clarifies the decision-making roles of each parent for a child. Custodial decisions are major decisions and include decision-making regarding a child’s education, medical treatments, religious upbringing, and more.  

Family Professional: A collaborative team member that may assist at collaborative meetings, "offline" meetings with clients, prepare parenting plans, and offer help with post-separation communication between parties.  

Financial Neutral: A collaborative team member who can assist in putting together financial documents, valuing businesses, preparing post-separation budgets, financing, and more.  

Mediation: The mediator must be agreed upon or selected by both parties. The purpose of mediation is to resolve issues with a memorandum of understanding that can then be turned into a legally binding document, such as an Agreement or Minutes of Settlement/Court Order. This is also a form of ADR.

Parenting Plan: A document that sets out each parent's responsibilities with respect to parenting. It may include parenting time, decision-making responsibilities, and dispute-resolution mechanisms.  

Settlement Meeting: Parties and counsel sit down together to talk about issues and come to a resolution on issues where possible.  

Spousal Support: The giving of financial support by one party to the other based on the parties' respective roles during the relationship or based on a disparity in income and need.