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What to Expect at
Family Law Office

Many of our clients have never dealt with family law or other legal issues. Understandably, they can feel lost when they first contact us. Here are the steps we generally follow from the moment you call and until the end of our representation:

starting the race with Family Law Office

Stage 1

Initial Phone Call or Email

  • Greet you

  • Advise you of the Law Society Rules which require us to first check for conflicts of interest before having you speak about your matter with a lawyer

  • Listen to you give an overview of your matter and let you know whether it's something we can assist with.

  • Advise you of the initial consultation fees

  • Explain what you can expect at a first consultation

  • Book a consultation on a date and time that is mutually agreeable

  • We confirm your appointment via email

  • Ask that if you need to cancel, kindly provide us with at least 24 hour’s notice

Stage 2

Your Initial Consultation

  • You can choose to meet in person, via phone or a Zoom/Google Meet call

  • If you come to our offices, you will be greeted by our receptionist

  • You will sit in our beautiful lounge until the lawyer comes out to greet you

  • You and the lawyer will sit in his office, and you'll be offered spring water, still or sparkling

  • The lawyer will inform you that all communication is confidential and what he can help you with

  • The lawyer will first listen to everything you have to say, will ask for clarification questions and then will provide you with legal advice

  • The lawyer will identify the legal issues in your case and explain key legal terms

  • The lawyer will generally provide you with a roadmap of the steps ahead, your chances of success with your case and the options you have

  • The lawyer will advise you of how much we need as retainer and whether you would like to retain us

  • If you decide to retain the lawyer’s services, our office will provide you with a retainer agreement and policy on billing, which you will need to sign before representation will begin

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Lawyer robes and gown for appearance in Ontario courts

Stage 3

Representing You

Depending on the type of case you have, these are the general events that may or may not occur on your file:

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  • The lawyer will do an in-depth review of your file, the documents you have

  • The lawyer will write to you and confirm the steps ahead, and ask for your agreement to same

  • The lawyer generally will start communicating with the other side via a letter or a phone call. He or she will relay your position to the other side and ask for their response

  • If your case is already in litigation, the lawyer may start preparing litigation documents to protect you, or suggest mediation, negotiation or other ways of resolving your file

  • You and your lawyer will continue to communicate, consult with one another and move your file ahead.

  • Every step taken on your file will be confirmed with you. Most times every letter that goes out will first be confirmed with you in draft form

  • The lawyer will continue to advise you regarding your best course of action as your file proceeds

Stage 4

Concluding Your File

  • Most cases end either through voluntary settlement or consent, or by going to trial

  • Once your case is settled either through mediation, mediation-arbitration, negotiation, judicial dispute resolution, or trial, your lawyer will generally ask whether you would like to close your file with us

  • If the answer is yes, we close your file, write you a reporting letter, return you all the documents you have given us and refund any remaining retainer you have with us

  • We keep important documents on your file for at least 10 years

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Please Note: in some situations, you may wish to switch lawyers, not have lawyers represent you or be unrepresented. If that is the case, you will inform us of your decision and we will close your file and return your file contents/retainer as long as you do not have any outstanding accounts with us. If your file is in court, you agree to cooperate and sign court documents needed for us to withdraw from the official court record.

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We hope the above provides some clarity in the ever confusing and ever changing legal world we live in.

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To contact a divorce and family lawyer at Family Law Office, please call us at 519-660-0006 or get in touch by email at info@paonessalaw.ca. 

Conclusion of retainer with Family Law Office of Isaac Paonessa, photo credit ketut subiya people shaking hands
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