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The author is a Vancouver-based litigator, mediator, parenting coordinator and views of the child assessor who has practiced family law exclusively since being called to the British Columbia bar. This section contains an overview of this website, a few selected reviews from users of this website, and some additional information about the author. I. An Overview This website deals with almost every aspect of family law in British Columbia, from fundamental issues such as child custody and spousal support, to more unusual issues such property located outside the province and the psychological dimensions of separation, and does so in plain, easily understood English with a touch of humour. Common legal words and phrases in the text of the website are linked to helpful pop-up explanatory definitions, and a very basic but thorough introduction to the law and court system is offered in the chapter Family Law 101. The website features an extensive list of on- and off-line resources, including:
Each chapter of this site is updated as the law about marriage, separation and divorce continues to develop. While this website was intended primarily for the benefit of people who don't have the benefit of counsel, it is often used by in- and out-of-province lawyers, family justice counsellors and government bureaucrats as a concise summary of the law in British Columbia; in fact, the domain "gov.bc.ca" is among the most frequent users of this site, followed fairly closely by ".gc.ca." Irwin Cotler, the former federal Minister of Justice, has said this: "My officials have informed me of the high quality of the information provided on your Web site, including information on how to understand and apply the formulas for the spousal support advisory guidelines." Feedback from the users of this site is available in the Reviews & Write Ups section of this website. A. History This website was first published to the web in November 2001. Comprehensive, page-by-page updates are completed annually. In June 2004, a new section was added to deal with same-sex and transgendered issues in family law as a result of the legalization of same-sex marriage. In January 2006, a new chapter was added following the introduction of the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines. In January 2009 the website's companion blog was launched. The most recent comprehensive review of this site completed in July 2010 to reflect the coming into force of the Supreme Court Family Rules. The website continues to be updated as the law develops and government policy evolves. B. Cost, Client Recruitment and Financial Support This website is available to the public at no cost; the expenses associated with hosting and maintaining this site are borne by the author alone. The author does not accept clients from this website. Back to the top of the page. II. Selected User Reviews R from Vancouver, BC, says: I just want to thank you for this exceptional resource. I teach law to paralegals and I really don't know what I would have done to prepare for family law in BC without this site! Your site is exactly what we all hoped the internet would offer when it got going. Thanks so much! H from Sooke, BC, says: Simply an amazing resource to better understand the legal, financial and even emotional challenges of separation and divorce. P from Nanaimo, BC says: Wow. I just received a phone call from [a friend] who directed me to your site. This is excellent. I had to stop as it is overwhelming with the amount of information posted. Thanks for this awesome site. John Pavey, the director of the Salvation Army's British Columbia pro bono program, says: I have known about your website, but today was the first time I spent time going through it. Allow me to say that I am very impressed with the close attention you have given to providing relevant information in plain language. This is very excellent! L from Cyberspace, BC says: Your information was incredibly helpful. Your website is wonderful. Finally somewhere to go find answers that aren't in lawyer lingo. D from Abbotsford, British Columbia says: I have to admit, I was surprised and impressed to find such a great resource on the web. It has been the most straightforward information we've found in the last 7 months of researching on our own. M from Vancouver, British Columbia says: Thanks for the great info and particularly, the wonderful layout and images. I never thought I would laugh when I was researching my divorce proceedings! J from Richmond, British Columbia says: Great site... I've been a frequent flier in BC Supreme Court since 1997, acting in person since 1999. Wish your site had been around back then! I always meant to put something like this together to save other people the incredible headaches that go along with preparing for court. Glad someone beat me to the punch! It's nice to have a site with the process and documents laid out in an easy to understand fashion. P from Victoria, British Columbia says: I am very grateful for your service. I do not have the disposable income to hire a lawyer, so I am doing this on my own. Many people are in my situation and I am sure they too are also grateful for your advice. Back to the top of the page. III. The Author John-Paul Boyd is a family law litigator and family law mediator employed in private practice with the Vancouver family law firm Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger. He has practiced family law exclusively since being called to the bar in May of 2000, and is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Canadian Bar Association, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and the National Council on Family Relations. He is a director of the BC Hear the Child Society and the BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society, and is a fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. The author grew up in Toronto, Ontario and now makes his home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Mr. Boyd flunked out of high school, after which he attended the purgatory known as night school and received his diploma in fine arts from the Ontario College of Art, followed by his bachelors and masters degrees in philosophy from the University of Guelph. He received his LLB from UBC almost without incident. Mr. Boyd is the author of a number of articles on family law subjects published in The Lawyers Weekly, the UBC Law Review, and The Advocate, a journal for British Columbia lawyers and judges. He is a contributor to and author for the Continuing Legal Education Society, the Canadian Bar Association, the Trial Lawyers' Association of British Columbia, the Law Society of British Columbia, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the Legal Services Society on family law topics. He has served as an author and faculty member for LSS's Provincial Training Conferences, the Law Society's Professional Legal Training Course and, in differing capacities, as an author, chair and faculty member for innumerable CLE courses. He is a member of the editorial board for CLE's British Columbia Family Practice Manual. Mr. Boyd wrote, coded and designed the entirety of this website by hand. This website is written and maintained using the advanced technology of Microsoft WordPad®. Mr. Boyd is the recipient of the Canadian Bar Association's 2003 national Pro Bono Service Award, for this website and other pro bono work. In 2006, he received the inaugural National Pro Bono Distinguished Service Award for individual lawyers from Pro Bono Law British Columbia and Pro Bono Law Ontario. In 2008, he received the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the UBC Law Alumni Association and a Presidential Citation from the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia. To contact Mr. Boyd, please use the form provided in the Feedback chapter or give him a call at Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger at 604-689-7571. Back to the top of the page. Site Navigation
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