British Columbia Law
Solving Your Problems Involving BC Family Law
Sea to Sky Law™ has decades of successful experience helping thousands of different people solve their family law issues.
Like our tagline states, we can help you with Strength, Strategies, Solutions — we support you with the Strength of our experience, we provide you with Strategies to address what can be a very stressful conflict, and we solve your problems with trusted legal Solutions for every dispute or legal issue.
Family law in British Columbia is governed by two pieces of legislation depending on whether you were married. If you were legally married, both the federal Divorce Act and the provincial Family Law Act (FLA) apply to you.
If you were in a common-law relationship — defined in BC as living in a marriage-like relationship for at least two consecutive years — then the FLA is your primary statute. Understanding which law applies, and how it applies to your specific facts, is the first step toward resolution.
What Family Law Actually Covers
Family law is much broader than most people realize. It is not just about divorce. Family law addresses:
- Parenting arrangements — who has Guardianship, Parenting Responsibilities, and Parenting Time under the FLA
- Child support — calculated under the mandatory federal Child Support Guidelines based on the paying parent's income
- Spousal support — assessed under the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (advisory, not mandatory)
- Division of family property and debt — governed by Part 5 and Part 6 of the FLA
- Protection orders — available under Part 9 of the FLA for family members at risk
- Agreements — pre-nuptial, cohabitation, separation, and parenting agreements
Each of these areas has its own rules, timelines, and legal tests. For example, under the FLA, family property is presumed to be divided equally — but "excluded property" (assets brought into the relationship, inheritances, and gifts from third parties) can be kept separate if properly documented.
The Importance of Individualized Legal Advice
One of the most common and costly mistakes people make in family law is relying on what happened to a friend, a news story, or an online calculator. The law applies to the facts — and the facts of every family are unique. A custody arrangement that worked for your neighbour may not reflect your children's best interests. A spousal support amount that seems fair may not match what the Guidelines actually require.
Andrew Liggett BA JD CD has over 35 years of experience advising BC families across every area of family law. He holds the Law Society of BC's Family Law ADR Professional designation — combining the Family Law Mediator and Family Law Arbitrator designations — which means he can represent you as your lawyer, guide both parties as a mediator, or act as a private arbitrator to make a binding decision.
Options Beyond the Courtroom
Court is not always the answer. Mediation, collaborative law, and arbitration can all resolve family disputes faster, at lower cost, and with less emotional damage than litigation. Sea to Sky Law™ encourages every client to consider these options first, especially where children are involved.
A negotiated parenting plan or separation agreement reached through mediation is more durable than a court order because both parties had a hand in crafting it.
We serve all of British Columbia. With virtual meeting technology, we can assist clients throughout BC — from Vancouver Island to the Peace Region — and even internationally, as long as your family law issue is governed by BC law.
If you are facing a family law issue, reach out to Sea to Sky Law™ for a consultation. Whether you need full legal representation, a limited-scope retainer, or simply a legal checkup to understand your rights, we are here to help you move forward with confidence.
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Meetings are by appointment only, by phone or secure video.