Starting a Family

Overview

Whether you are thinking of advancing a relationship through cohabitation or marriage, adding to your family through adoption or guardianship, or beginning the process of surrogacy or donorship, we provide compassionate and comprehensive solutions tailored to your unique family.

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Guardianship

For a number of reasons, a child's biological parents may not be in a position to care for their child. Legal Guardianship is a legal process confirming that the Guardian(s) will be responsible for raising and caring for the child. Once a person is granted legal Guardianship, they have the same responsibilities as a parent to that child. In many cases, the child's biological parents may still have a relationship with the child, but are no longer legally responsible for the child. Legal Guardianship does not terminate the biological parent's rights, which is important to note when estate planning. Our team is skilled and experienced in representing both prospective Guardians, as well as representing biological parents involved in a Guardianship process.

Adoption

The journey of adoption is a complex area of law. Adoption is a legal process where the adoptive parents assume all legal and financial rights and responsibilities to a child as if the child had been born to them, terminating the biological parent's legal rights. Whether you are a prospective adoptive parent, a birth parent, or an adult who is considering being adopted, our lawyers are experienced in helping clients understand their rights and obligations, and crafting a process that best fits each specific circumstance.

Surrogacy & Donorship

Advances in medical care have expanded the ways that families are created, offering options through third party reproduction. These advances have created complex areas in law for families. Whether you are an intended parent, a surrogate, an egg donor or sperm donor, our lawyers are here to advise clients as to their rights and ensure that understanding and transparency is prioritized throughout the legal process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few questions answered to get to know the process better. Feel free to email us if you have further questions.

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We can help you define your needs, and create a plan of action that's best for you and your family. Starting with an initial, no-commitment consultation, our lawyers will work with you to assess your needs, and gather the information necessary to make important decisions.

By contacting us at 204-942-7381, or through the contact us link, our staff will provide you with information about the consultation process and our lawyers’ rates. If you decide to proceed with a consultation, we will send you a consultation screening form for your completion, which will help us match you with one of our lawyers. We will then contact you to schedule an initial consultation, giving you an opportunity to meet personally, or virtually, with one of our lawyers to discuss your legal questions, and hear our suggested course of action, without any obligation to continue unless you choose.

We are committed to what matters most: Your Family, Your Future. We have the knowledge and experience to get you through the most difficult of legal issues, and we do it with compassion.

For your convenience, there is a public parking lot adjacent to and immediately to the North of our building on Main Street, and another immediately behind our building with access from Bannatyne, looking onto The Cube at Old Market Square, and beside Amsterdam Tea Room. Other nearby lots dot the neighbourhood. There is also street parking on Bannatyne Avenue and other side streets.