Based in Downtown Vancouver, Specht and Pryer has been offering legal services in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean and English for over 20 years. We have varied experience in Family Law, Criminal Law, Corporate, Immigration, Will and Estate and more. While primarily practicing in Vancouver, our lawyers represent clients in Metro Vancouver and part of Vancouver Island and Fraser Valley. The best way to fight a case is to prevent it from escalating in the first place. Let us show you how.
Our Vancouver divorce lawyers have handled many divorces not only when both parties are in BC but also when one of them is overseas.
Our goal is to end your divorce with minimal stress. We will propose property distribution, child support, and a child-rearing schedule that will be fair to both the client and the other party.
Common Divorce Process at Specht and Pryer:
1. Consultation.
2. Ask the client to fill out a checklist.
3. Preparation and submission of Notice of Family Claim.
4. Serve Notice of Family Claim to the other party.
5. If there is no Response from the other party within 30 days, go to the next step.
6. Preparation and submission of the second set of documents.
7. Requesting a Certificate of Divorce after receiving a final order from the court.
Please contact us when you receive a Notice of Family Claim from your separated spouse. It’s difficult to tell if the terms are fair for you and your child from a court document. Let us help you to protect your rights.
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Contested divorce vs Uncontested divorce in BC
A marriage agreement is a contract that sets out the conditions under which the relationship ends. This can be done at any time before marriage, during the marriage, before cohabitation, or after cohabitation.
Content mainly includes:
● The date the marital relationship began
● Distribution of property, such as houses received from parents
● How to divide debt
If you are going to start living with a person you have a relationship with, we recommend that you consider making a marriage agreement. Under BC family law, if you have lived together for two years in a relationship that is similar to being married, you are considered common law spouses, even if you are not married.
We also review agreements prepared by other lawyers.
A separation agreement is a contract that sets out the conditions for separation. You can minimize unnecessary disputes when both parties sign the agreement.
Content mainly includes:
● Distribution of property, such as houses received from parents
● How to divide debt
● Amount and duration of spousal support
● Custody and Guardianship
● Child Support
● Parenting schedule
● Date of Separation and Marriage
A separation agreement is required if you have a child or children.
We also review and advise on separation agreements written by other lawyers.
We also handle other cases related to divorce, marriage, and children, for example:
● Common Law Declaration
Clients request this document in order to prove their relationship in a country where the common law system is not recognized.
● Division of Property
Are you divorcing with houses or condos that were gifted from your parents? Did your parents help you to buy a property when you got married? Your parents may have a claim against that property.
● Custody and Parenting
Changing the parenting arrangements detailed in separation agreements can be challenging especially when the other party is not cooperative. However, it is possible to alter these arrangements.
● Child Support
Child support is generally determined by the parents’ declared income but other factors can be considered to help determine your spouse’s income.
A Wills and Estates Lawyers at Specht and Pryer specializes in the area of law that deals with the planning, distribution, and management of a person’s assets after they pass away. We also assist clients obtaining Power of Attorney and Adult committeeship, so that their family can make decisions on behalf.
Estate lawyers at Specht and Pryer have extended experience in probate cases such as
When a person passes away in BC, their family may need to go through a legal procedure called Probate in order to access the deceased’s estate. An Estate is defined as assets, including money and property, owned by the deceased person at the time of their death.
What do probate lawyers do? Assess the situation and provide legal advice as to whether a Grant of Probate or Administration is required for the estate. Streamline and accelerate the court’s processing of probate documents.
Probating is a complicated and often stressful process. Our estate lawyers at Specht and Pryer can help guide you through this difficult time.
A deceased person’s family may need to apply for a grant of administration in the following situations.
A Grant of administration allows administrators and executors to access the deceased person’s estate. Most financial institutions will require a grant of administration before releasing any funds over $30,000 to executors, administrators and/or beneficiaries.
Estate planning is not all about death, but rather about making decisions for the future.
What you can achieve with estate planning:
Wills can include:
*An Executor is a person who takes care of assets based on a will.
If you pass away without a will, your assets will be distributed according to the Wills, Estate and Succession Act of British Columbia.
We can help you plan your estate early to prevent confusion and to help alleviate stress from your beneficiaries.
A person you appoint to have Power of Attorney (POA) can make financial decisions and/or real estate transactions on behalf of you. To appoint someone you need to be mentally capable to make decisions. In many cases, people appoint their child or spouse as their POA. POA documents can also be revoked when they are no longer needed.
There are two types of POA:
If your family member becomes mentally incapable to make decisions and did not prepare a POA, Adult guardianship is another way to help manage his/her finances.
Adult guardianship is also known as committeeship.
When a person over 19 years old is not capable of making financial and/or health decisions on their own, family members or other persons can obtain adult guardianship to make decisions on their behalf.
If a person already has Power of Attorney, then the appointed person can make these decisions.
(Canada Border Services Agency or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)
Most of these letters require a response. Failure to respond or not responding correctly can be very damaging to your application or status.
For example, the letter may ask questions regarding:
If your visa application needs extra explanations and support, you can contact us for a support letter for IRCC.Immigration lawyers have specialized knowledge and expertise in immigration law, and their support can lend credibility to an applicant’s qualifications and suitability for immigration.
A support letter from a lawyer can be a valuable asset in an applicant’s immigration case, and it can increase their chances of success.
Past cases…
The Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) is a part of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Its primary function is to provide an avenue for individuals who have been denied permanent residency or received removal orders to appeal those decisions.
Our immigration lawyers at Specht and Pryer have successfully overturned IRCC’s decisions for many clients.
We may be able to help you if you:
A removal order is a legal document that orders an individual to leave Canada and prohibits them from returning for a specific period of time.
There are three types of removal orders:
Each order has different rules and requirements. Our immigration lawyer will help you understand your situations and rights. We also work to minimize the consequences for your future.
Canadian immigration authorities can deny entry to people who are deemed inadmissible.
Reasons for inadmissibility:
When you are found to be inadmissible, please come and talk to our immigration lawyer. If you have a strong reason why you need to stay in Canada, we can help you apply for a temporary resident permit.
Those who would experience undue hardship if they were to return to their home country might apply for immigration to Canada through a process known as a humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) application. Applications for H&C are meant to help those who are not eligible for other types of immigration status but would nonetheless experience severe hardship if they were to be expelled from Canada.
In order to apply for status in Canada with H&C, our lawyers need to show you have strong ties to Canada.
We work with businesses of all sizes, helping them to run more smoothly, efficiently and profitably. We provide effective and practical legal advice on a comprehensive range of business matters.
Our lawyers have extensive experience in personal injury law. We handle personal injury claims all over BC, and represent clients from all over the world.
