Shareholder Agreements Can Limit Wrongful Dismissal Damages

Written by: Matthew K. LeBlanc What happens when a company terminates someone who is both an employee and a shareholder? In Kirke v Spartan Controls Ltd, 2025 ABCA 40 (“Spartan Controls”), the Alberta Court of Appeal reiterated the distinction between a person’s employment rights and their shareholder rights, and held that the payments owed upon […]

In New Brunswick, Can You Make a Claim Against Your...

In a recent article, (In New Brunswick, When Do You Become “Common-Law”?), we discussed how long it takes to become common-law in New Brunswick.  In that article, we mentioned that common-law couples do not have the same rights as married couples, and there is no presumption of equal division of property on separation. However, you […]

This Month in New Brunswick Family Law – April 2023

GM v JG, 2023 NBKB 57 Justice Danys R.X. Delaquis Subject Matter: Parenting Orders | Jurisdiction The parties have a 5-year-old child, who was born in New York. The Applicant is a Canadian citizen living in Saint John and the Respondent is an American citizen living in New York. The child has dual citizenship. The […]

March 2, 2023

Did You Know: You May Be Able To Claim Family...

Tax season is upon us once again. Did you know that you could qualify to claim certain legal fees on your taxes? Be sure to speak with your family lawyer about providing you with a letter if you qualify. This could be a huge benefit or a missed opportunity if you do not have a […]

Mind your business: Business Assets, Professional Corporations & Divorce

Business owners or the spouse of a business owner encounter unique considerations when facing a divorce. The Marital Property Act’s Treatment of Business Assets The New Brunswick Marital Property Act, RSNB 2012, c 107 [hereinafter the “Marital Property Act”] exempts business assets from division with a spouse upon the breakdown of a marriage. Business assets […]

This Month in NS Family Law – October 2021

Richardson v. Richardson, 2021 SCC 36 Justices Wagner C.J. and Moldaver, Karakatsanis, Côté, Brown, Rowe, Martin, Kasirer and Jamal Issues: Best interest of the child | Custody The parties have a 16-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son. The dispute revolved around custody of the two children and whether it is in their best interests to […]

November 9, 2021

The Value of Domestic Contracts: Avoiding Costly Legal Disputes

It is no secret that family law disputes resolved using the court process come at great personal and financial expense. Being proactive with the use of domestic contracts ensures that both your family and business assets are better protected from costly legal disputes. What They Are Unfortunately, there is great stigma against pre-nuptial agreements because […]

This Month in NS Family Law – July 2021

S.S. v. J.G., 2021 NSSC 228 Honourable Justice Pamela A. Marche Issues: Shared custody v Primary Care | Best interest test | Retroactive child support | Voice of child report | s.7 Health Insurance Premiums | Child support At a variation application, the mother sought primary care and final decision making, and the father sought […]

Recent Developments in Retroactive Child Support

The recent decisions in Michel v Graydon, 2020 SCC 24 and Colucci v Colucci, 2021 SCC 24 have changed how the courts address applications for retroactive child support and the rescission of child support arrears. The new approach to retroactive child support intertwines the principles of leading cases to create a simplified framework. The framework […]

This Month in NS Family Law – June 2021

Colucci v. Colucci, 2021 SCC 24 Martin J., Wagner C.J. and Abella, Moldaver, Karakatsanis, Côté, Brown, Rowe and Kasirer JJ. Concurring Issues: Retroactive child support | Rescinding child support arrears This Supreme Court of Canada decision created a new approach to retroactive child support and arrears. The parties had a nine-year marriage. The mother has […]