How the Divorce Act Amendments Affect Your Clients

4.29 (7 votes)

Recorded On: 04/30/2019

The amendments to the federal Divorce Act are expected to be passed soon, making divorce less of a battle zone; especially for parents. The key amendments of Bill C-78 are intended to:

Promote the best interests of the child, giving “primary consideration to the child's physical, emotional and psychological safety, security and well-being";
Do away with the word “custody” and replace it with the words “parenting”, “decision-making responsibility”, and “contact”;
Address family violence and its impact on a child’s best interests;
Reduce child poverty by providing amendments to enforcement of payment of support; and
Improve the accessibility and efficiency of the justice system by requiring parents to try and resolve their issues by engaging in family dispute resolution processes, such as mediation.

During this webinar, Marlene will discuss these amendments in more detail and link how these amendments will relate to financial professionals working with divorcing clients.

Marlene Kazman

LL.B.

Since being admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1993, Marlene has concentrated her professional practice on litigation, with an emphasis on family law. As a member of the family law team at Garfin Zeidenberg LLP, Marlene handles all aspects of family law matters, including child custody and access, child and spousal support, and property disputes. Marlene attends regularly at case conferences, motions and trials, and at mediations. In early 2019 Marlene was appointed Head of Legal Services at Divorce Solutions Group.