I hosted a great teleseminar for the hundreds of members that have joined MyOntarioDivorce.com over the last month since the launch of the site on February 24. I covered a lot of ground and revealed the many secrets to accessing justice in the Family Courts that I have learned from inside the system. I spoke about the need for the unbundling of legal services so that you can do a lot of the paperwork yourself and use lawyers for advice and guidance on an as-needed basis. I spoke about how the process is started with an Application and how MyOntarioDivorce.com can help you do that. We had a great Q&A after the seminar where I answered as many of your questions as I could. I look forward to speaking with you all next month when I will talk more about the process including the completion of the Financial Statement and what the Case Conference is all about and why in most cases you don’t need to go the Conference with a lawyer.

You should have a listen to March’s teleseminar. It’s loaded with information about the process and how MyOntarioDivorce.com can help you get through it without a lawyer holding your hand every step of the way. Here’s the link to the replay which you can download or listen to directly on the site:

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?preview=3&previewbar=1&eventid=6676266

Meanwhile, try the site for a month for FREE, courtesy of me, and let me know what you think of it.

Helping you help yourself,

P.S. Thank you to all of the people that responded to our survey. I read every one of your responses and really appreciate each of them. I want to make MyOntarioDivorce.com all that you want and expect it to be.

Your lawyer and your mother-in-law are trapped in a burning building. You
have time to save only one of them. Do you have lunch or go to a movie?

—–

Have a lawyer joke you’d like to get off your chest? Share your laughs!

Helping you help yourself,

The time has come. Enough is enough. Not everyone needs or can afford a full service lawyer. Why can’t you walk into a lawyer’s office and buy the advice or service you need without first paying a huge retainer upon the lawyer’s expectation and requirement that the service you need is full-service? When you walk into a car dealership you have a choice. When you go to a restaurant you have a choice. You don’t have to buy the most expensive car or item on the menu. Even dentists charge by the filling.

For some cases you need a lawyer from beginning to end. Complicated cases involving business valuations and expert witnesses do. But, most cases that involve a house, 2 kids, and a couple of RRSPs should be settled or litigated with legal advice as and when needed.

Unbundling legal services on an as-needed basis is a win-win for both the public and lawyers. The public get affordable access to justice and lawyers can do more business with the increasing number of clients able to afford their menu of services.

And, that’s what MyOntarioDivorce.com is about . . . giving you the tools and information you need to successfully access the Family Court process without a lawyer holding your hand (and your wallet) every step of the way. Check us out. We’re on the cutting edge of the New Economy. Try us on for size for FREE during your first month of membership. Get all the Court Forms you need automatically prepared to tell your particular story without having to leave your couch. No lawyers. Just a lawyer-approved system that provides you with the tools and information you need to represent yourself and save a lot of money. Any Questions?

Helping You Help Yourself,

For those of you with children, here are some truths you should consider as you begin thinking about what kind of custody arrangements you want.

Truth: Your children’s needs will change as they mature, while the custody arrangements will probably remain fixed- it’s very expensive to return to court and revise the plan- so be careful what you agree to.

Truth: If you and the other parent are reasonable, honest, and mature, you can and should accommodate each other’s needs as much as possible and within reason. For example, if the other parent is going out of town for business and would like to switch weekends to avoid a long gap away from the kids, you should try to accommodate the switch (as long as it doesn’t interfere with important plans you or your children may have, and as long as you are assured that the switch is actually two-way and not just you giving up your time).

Truth: Most custody arrangements are decided by the parents or as a result of mediation, not in formal court hearings. Make sure that if you go this route, it’s because you honestly believe that the plan you and your ex have agreed to is workable, not because you’ve been manipulated into signing.

Share your truths.

Helping you help yourself,