In The News

By Paul Russell, AdvocateDaily.com Contributor

Vesting orders can be valuable in divorce cases, especially in the hands of an experienced lawyer who knows how to properly use them, Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill tells AdvocateDaily.com.

“When you’re working for a client and trying to get what they’re entitled to under the law, every tool becomes critically important,” says Princewill, principal of AP Lawyers.

She says vesting orders allow the court to transfer the ownership of a property from one party to another.

“In family law, they are most commonly used when equalization and support payments are issues,” she says, “or if someone is not very co-operative.”

For those who have been anxiously hoping to bring a parent or grandparent into the country, now’s the time to apply, says Pickering family and immigration lawyer Angela Princewill.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that it will reopen expressions of interest at noon on Jan. 28 and will accept the first 20,000 individuals who submit a form online.

The Parent Grandparent Program (PGP), allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor family members for permanent residence.

“It’s now a first-come, first-served basis,” says Princewill, principal of AP Lawyers.

She tells AdvocateDaily.com that the government introduced a lottery system last year, which was intended to be fairer, but it abandoned that approach after receiving so many complaints.

By Rob Lamberti, AdvocateDaily.com Contributor
Couples undergoing separation or divorce should avoid conflict by focusing on the magic of the holiday season to ensure the well-being of their children, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.”

If it’s a high-conflict environment already, it’s probably best for the children if they just have that conversation with you now rather than later,” says Princewill.

“You could discuss holiday arrangements on any day of the year, and it would still be a bad time,” she says. “You have to do what is most comfortable for you, and when it comes to the children, you have to do what’s best for them, given your own particular circumstances.

“Don’t base your decisions on other people’s opinions. You know your situation, and you have to pick what works best for you and the children,” Princewill says.

By AdvocateDaily.com Staff
Extra costs are hard to avoid when the opposing party has no legal representation, Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill tells AdvocateDaily.com.

According to Justice Canada, provincial statistics suggest that somewhere between 64 and 74 per cent of parties are unrepresented at the time a family law application or action is filed with the court. That number falls slightly, to between 40 and 57 per cent, by the time they make an appearance in court.

By AdvocateDaily.com Staff
Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill says small tweaks to terminology in an updated Divorce Act will make a big difference to members of the family law bar.

Bill C-78, introduced in the House of Commons in May, marks the first major update to federal family laws in more than two decades and outlines the federal government’s intention to replace terms including “custody” and “access” with more child-focused ones such as “parenting orders” and “parenting time.”

By Rob Lamberti, AdvocateDaily.com Contributor
People in a committed common-law relationship should have a cohabitation agreement to protect their interests in case the relationship ends, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.

Love is the glue that keeps a couple together but it’s also important to set the parameters of what happens if the relationship falls apart, says Princewill, principal of AP Lawyers.

“There’s usually someone who is dissatisfied with the consequences of the breakdown of a relationship,” she tells AdvocateDaily.com.

“So, when things go wrong, it’s always nice to have the parameters already set and that certainty of outcome.”

By AdvocateDaily.com Staff
When relationships break down, common-law spouses don’t have the same rights as married couples, Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill tells AdvocateDaily.com.

“There are a number of differences, but the important ones would be the way parties are treated when it comes to dealing with the family residence, pensions and spousal support,” says Princewill, founding partner of AP Lawyers.

A family residence is only considered a “matrimonial home” when the couple is married and that designation gives it a “special quality” under Ontario’s Family Law Act, which makes dividing the asset easier, she says.

“Frequently, common-law spouses think their residence is a matrimonial home because they’ve been in a long-term relationship. But that’s not correct. The length of your relationship doesn’t matter. If the couple is not married, the family residence at the time of separation is not a matrimonial home,” says Princewill.

There are several reasons why January is the busiest month for family lawyers, says Princewill, principal of AP Lawyers.

Many couples consider splitting up during the month of January and talking to a lawyer can help people wade through this stressful and confusing period in their life, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.

A private members bill that would establish equal shared parenting as the default position in custody disputes would help even the playing field — especially for fathers, Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill tells Law Times.
Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm, welcomes the introduction of an equal parenting presumption.

“I don’t think it would be worse than the current system that we try to successfully navigate,” she says in the publication. “One of the strategies we see is to create a new status quo and leave the other parent fighting to explain why they should get 50-50. Someone is coming from the defence all the time.”

A marriage breakup later in life — known as a grey divorce — isn’t uncommon these days, but it does require some knowledge to successfully navigate the process, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.
“Some of the issues that come to bear with younger couples are the same in grey divorces but they can affect older people more acutely,” says Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm.

“The retirement dream that’s been planned has fallen apart. There’s not much time left for recovery. Each issue can become critical,” she tells AdvocateDaily.com.

By Kathy Rumleski, AdvocateDaily.com Contributor
There are many practical steps parents can take to ensure a split is less stressful on the children, but it is not solely their responsibility to keep the peace, she says.

“Don’t allow your relatives, neighbours or friends to say negative things about the other parent in front of the children,” Princewill tells AdvocateDaily.com.

The cost of going to court to decide custody issues goes well beyond the dollars spent on lawyers and experts, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill. “It’s never good for children to see their parents fighting it out in court,” says Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm. “It’s far better for everyone involved if the parents try to work together through mediation to resolve their issues based on what’s best for the children,” she tells AdvocateDaily.com.

There is a fine line between gathering evidence and invading privacy, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.
That was the hard lesson learned by a husband in a civil lawsuit that ended with a $15,000 damage award under the relatively new tort of “intrusion upon seclusion.”

As it stands, the law views pets strictly as property to be divided just as any other property from a marriage, says Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm.
Judges refuse to give pets the same treatment as children, shutting down motions to grant access and custody rights, as was the case in Henderson v Henderson, 2016 SKQB 282 (CanLII).

OTTAWA — Coveted spots for the parent and grandparent visa program will be awarded by lottery in 2017 after the federal Liberals have scrapped the old first-come, first-serve system that had raised concerns over people paying to be at the front of that line.

Applications for the always over-subscribed program had been accepted only via courier or mail at a single immigration office and since they were processed in the order received, couriers had been doing brisk business promising to be at the front of the line, in exchange for fees that could be as high as $400.

But that system has now been replaced by a random draw, the federal immigration minister announced Wednesday.

“Bad blood” between a parent and their in-laws should not prevent a child from seeing their extended family members, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.

Instead, angered family members should focus on the best interest of the child and the love they share for him or her, says Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm.

“I usually say, ‘We have a very lucky child here, and everyone is willing to go to such great lengths to be with him or her,’” she says. “I find it refocuses people.”

Panicked Americans looking to bail after Tuesday’s presidential election results may not find it easy to emigrate to Canada, says Pickering immigration and family lawyer Angela Princewill.

It’s a complicated process and those who are serious about moving should check with an immigration lawyer to determine if they qualify, says Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm.

Pickering family and immigration lawyer Angela Princewill is growing her firm with the addition of new associate Andreina Minicozzi.

“Andreina shares a vision of caring for our clients,” Princewill tells AdvocateDaily.com. “We know that our clients expect us to be competent, but as they come to us at such a sensitive time in their lives, we want to provide lawyers who are compassionate and caring, as well as being good at their job.”

Individuals who were divorced in a foreign country and are hoping to remarry in Canada must consult with a lawyer to verify their divorce documents, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.

“We often prepare opinion letters for persons with foreign divorces or annulments,” says Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm. “It is imperative that you provide your lawyer with the correct facts — otherwise you could risk getting into a marriage that could be void.”

Recently separated parents should plan custody arrangements well in advance of summer holidays – especially if they require a court decision, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.

“If the child lives with one parent and gets to see you once a week, you don’t have to be stuck with that schedule,” Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm, tells AdvocateDaily.com.

Because children don’t have to stick to a school schedule during the summer, access can be more flexible, Princewill says.

Nigerian-born lawyer Angela Princewill was called to the Ontario bar just hours before giving birth to twins, she tells AdvocateDaily.com.

“It was the only jackpot I’ve ever won,” says Princewill, a family and immigration lawyer and principal of A. Princewill Law Firm in Pickering, who remembers the moment she crossed the stage, heavily pregnant with her son and daughter as she officially became a lawyer.

Now, eight years later, Princewill works to make a positive impact for aspiring Canadians and divorcing couples at her own firm, which was recently named Top Family Law Firm in Durham Region.

A case involving a dowry dispute after a divorce serves as a lesson to the legal community to document the intent of premarital loans and gifts in writing, says Pickering family and immigration lawyer Angela Princewill.

In Abdollahpour v. Banifatemi, 2015 ONCA 834 (CanLII), a judge found a wife was entitled to keep her 50 per cent interest in an Ottawa home that was given to her as a dowry, even after their divorce.

Angela Princewill, Valencia’s attorney, said the parent and grandparent sponsorship program is “unfair on so many levels.” She intends to ask the immigration department to allow Cecilia Valencia to be named the principal applicant on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Princewill argued that the family wouldn’t be in such a tight spot if the government processed applications quicker. “If things moved a little bit faster, it’s easier to say, OK let’s withdraw and start over,” Princewill said, and “if you had processed their application faster, maybe (Valencia’s parents) would have even been here” before Leocadio received his cancer diagnosis.

Recent changes to Ontario’s business immigration program reduce the threshold international entrepreneurs and businesses have to meet before setting up shop in the province — a positive and encouraging move for all involved, says Pickering immigration lawyer Angela Princewill.

“Ontario was getting a little bit expensive,” Princewill, principal of A. Princewill Law Firm, tells AdvocateDaily.com. “This will make Ontario competitive again.”

Family members who don’t share the same religious beliefs should discuss their approach early on to avoid problems down the road when it comes to raising children, advises Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.

“While a family is together, the difference doesn’t matter as much. But upon separation, things change,” says Princewill.

Summer holidays can be stressful for separated parents, as custody agreements built around the schooling of children no longer work, but careful advance planning can help avoid conflicts, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.

“Parents don’t have much time to travel with their children during the school year, so when drawing up separation agreements, both sides really need to think about the summer months,” says Princewill, principal of AP Lawyers.

Flat-fee packages can help family law litigants take control of their legal costs, says Pickering family lawyer Angela Princewill.

Princewill, principal of AP Lawyers, tells AdvocateDaily.com she and her team were determined to come up with some fresh options after hearing ordinary consumers’ concerns about traditional billing, especially as average fees escalate beyond the reach of many middle-class Canadians.