The breakup of a relationship is extraordinarily difficult on you, both emotionally and financially, but grown-ups and children alike can and do survive separation and divorce. The legal issues that arise are complex and important, involving choices and decisions—not the least of which involves selecting a law firm to represent you.

BOYNECLARKE's Family Law Team lawyers have a combined total of over 50 years of family law experience, including extensive trial practice at all levels of court. We have one of the highest-volume family law practices in Nova Scotia. We have five lawyers who work exclusively on Family Law issues, two paralegals, and four legal assistants.

We aim to resolve issues for families as quickly as possible, through either mediation collaborative family law, negotiation, arbitration,or litigation. One of our senior family law practitioners is trained in collaborative family law arbitration, and we are experienced in developing extensive agreements through non-confrontational means. In addition, our Family Law Litigation Team has no equal in the province.

Since its founding in 1972, BOYNECLARKE has maintained strong practices in both personal and business law. This enables us to provide specialized in-house services that are not generally available in Family Law practices. Most notably, our lawyers consult with lawyers in the Estates, Wills and Trusts, Corporate Commercial, and Residential Real Estate Teams. This BOYNECLARKE “family approach” to serving our clients is not only holistic, it also reduces turnaround times on resolving issues, thereby saving the client time and money.

If yours is a complex property case—for example, involving the transfer of a complicated piece of property tied into refinancing issues, buying out other people’s interests, or setting up trusts for your children—BOYNECLARKE specialists from down the hall will team with us to develop the optimum solution.

Our services include the following:

• Negotiation and preparation of Separation Agreements, Marriage Contracts, and Cohabitation Agreements
  
• Surrogacy
  
• Adoptions
  
• Divorce
  
• Child Protection
  
• Wills
  
• Estates
  
• Emergency Protection Orders under the Domestic Violence Intervention Act
  
• All Family Law matters related to same-sex couples
  
  Expertise in our Family Law Team includes:
  
  
• Member, Family Bench Bar Liaison Subcommittee of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society
  
• Member, Canadian Bar Association, Administration of Justice Subcommittee, Family Court Liaison
  
• Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary, Canadian Bar Association, Family Law Subsection (former)
  
• Presenter, Core Training for Social Workers, Presentation of the
  Children and Family Services Act
  
• Presenter, Training for Family Court Personnel, Presentation on the Children and Family Services Act
  
• Presenter, Non-Accidental Pediatric Trauma, Annual Scientific Meeting, Atlantic Provinces Radiologists
  
• Interviewed on CBC Newsworld, Proposed Changes to the Divorce Act