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The Justice Institute of BC offers a free, court-accepted online course covering the legal, emotional, and practical side of parenting through separation — a helpful first step before or alongside mediation.
Parenting, child support & custody — always guided by BC's best-interests-of-the-child standard
The Justice Institute of BC offers a free, court-accepted online course covering the legal, emotional, and practical side of parenting through separation — including how to reduce conflict and put your children's well-being first.
Wills, estates & probate — updated to reflect your family's new reality
35+ steps across wills, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, executor duties, and separation updates — with a live progress tracker.
A 5-minute scored assessment covering liability protection, contracts, shareholders agreements, succession planning, and business protection at divorce — with an instant risk score.
Our dedicated guide hub walks adult children through every stage — from a parent who won't make a will, to protecting them from financial abuse, to what to do when capacity is lost.
BC Real Estate Law — Practical Guides
Buying, selling, strata disputes, tenant rights — plain-language guides written for BC property owners and families navigating a transition.
Partnership agreements, buying or selling a business, non-competes, shareholder disputes — plain-language guides for BC business owners and their families.
Separation, custody, support, property — plain-language guides covering the situations BC families actually face.
Wills, probate, powers of attorney, executor duties — guides written for BC families at every stage of estate planning and administration.
How mediation works, what it costs, when to use it — and how it compares to going to court.
Most disputes in this area resolve through mediation or arbitration.
Andrew Liggett is designated by the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) as a Family Law ADR Professional — holding the LSBC Family Law Mediator and Family Law Arbitrator designations. ADR is faster, more private, and dramatically less costly than court — and it produces agreements that last.
Both lawyers at the table. A written commitment not to go to court. The four-way process explained.
High-conflict co-parenting disputes resolved fast — binding decisions under BC's Family Law Act s.15, without going back to court.
Phone and video meetings available across BC.
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Compassionate, strategic counsel for BC families at every stage of transition.
BC family law office interior — family lawyer consulting on divorce, child custody, separation and property division in New Westminster
Separation and divorce are among the most significant legal events in a person's life. They affect your children, your home, your business, your retirement — everything. Sea to Sky Law™ provides comprehensive family law counsel that addresses every dimension of family transition, with an unwavering commitment to resolution over conflict.
Andrew Liggett is designated by the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) as a Family Law ADR Professional — holding the LSBC Family Law Mediator and Family Law Arbitrator designations. We pursue mediation and arbitration in the vast majority of family matters — resolving disputes faster, more privately, and at a fraction of the cost of court. When litigation is necessary, we are prepared and experienced advocates.
British Columbia's family law framework is shaped by two pieces of legislation: the provincial Family Law Act (FLA) and the federal Divorce Act. Together, they govern how property is divided, how parenting arrangements are made, and what financial support flows between former partners — for married couples and common-law spouses alike. Understanding the interplay between these statutes is essential to achieving the right outcome.
Property division in BC begins from a presumption of equal sharing of all "family property" accumulated during the relationship — but excluded property (assets brought into the relationship, inheritances, gifts) is protected. For families with businesses, real estate portfolios, pensions, trusts, or significant investments, the classification and valuation of assets is the critical battleground. We bring the financial and legal expertise to navigate this accurately.
Parenting arrangements are governed by the best interests of the child standard — a multi-factor test under both the FLA and the Divorce Act. We help parents develop thoughtful, child-centred parenting plans that reflect their children's needs, working first through negotiation and mediation, and turning to the courts only when necessary.
Pet custody and care arrangements are increasingly recognised in BC family law. While pets are technically property under law, courts now consider the welfare of the animal, the emotional bonds family members have with the pet, and who provided day-to-day care. We help families negotiate pet care agreements that honour these bonds while protecting the pet's best interests.
Beyond the separation itself, we address all the legal consequences of family transition: updating your estate plan, resolving property transactions, protecting your business interests, and ensuring that every loose end is tied. Our clients receive seamless counsel across family law, estate law, real estate, and corporate law — under one firm.
Family Law Act — Part 2: Collaborative process & ADR
Wills, Estates & Succession Act (WESA) — on separation
BC Business Corporations Act — business valuation at divorce
Resolve family and related disputes without court — discreetly, efficiently, lastingly.
BC family law mediation session — mediator and parents discussing custody and property division outside of court
Sea to Sky Law™ is British Columbia's ADR-first family law firm. Andrew Liggett — designated by the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) as a Family Law ADR Professional — holding the LSBC Family Law Mediator and Family Law Arbitrator designations — has helped hundreds of BC families and businesses resolve complex disputes efficiently, confidentially, and on their own terms.
Mediation keeps you and your children out of the courtroom. It is typically resolved in weeks not years, costs a fraction of litigation, and produces agreements that are more durable — because you helped shape them. For high-conflict parenting disputes, asset-intensive divorces, and business separations, ADR is almost always the right first step.
Alternative dispute resolution is not a second choice — it is often the superior outcome. When you resolve a family dispute through mediation or arbitration, you retain control over the result, protect your children from prolonged conflict, maintain confidentiality, and avoid the enormous financial and emotional cost of contested litigation. For families with significant assets, business interests, or complex parenting needs, ADR is almost always the right path.
Andrew Liggett is designated by the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) as a Family Law ADR Professional — holding the LSBC Family Law Mediator and Family Law Arbitrator designations. His background as a litigator gives his ADR work strategic depth — he understands exactly what each side risks in court, and this knowledge produces realistic, durable agreements. His calm, structured, and solution-focused approach helps even the most conflicted parties move toward resolution.
Sea to Sky Law™ offers the full spectrum of ADR services for family and related matters: facilitative mediation (where the mediator helps parties find agreement), evaluative mediation (where the mediator provides a legal assessment), binding arbitration (where the arbitrator issues a decision), and med-arb (the powerful hybrid where the same neutral first mediates, then arbitrates if needed). Virtual mediation is available for clients across all of BC.
Like a judge, mediators and arbitrators are neutral. They cannot give legal advice to any party — and all parties must have independent legal advice (ILA) from their own separate lawyer. Each party should consult independent counsel before entering the process, and we always recommend that your own lawyer attends mediation with you to help you avoid making decisions under pressure. Your lawyer should also be consulted during negotiations to evaluate proposals, and before signing any agreement. Andrew Liggett acts as mediator or arbitrator OR as independent legal counsel — never both in the same matter. In mediation, parties in a dispute typically share the cost of their mediator, so both sides need to agree on which mediator to jointly retain. If you're interested in retaining Andrew Liggett as your mediator or arbitrator, discuss this idea with the other party first, then both of you should find a different lawyer to provide independent legal advice. If you retain us for legal advice, we can help you find a suitable mediator and approach the other party about a joint mediation process.
One of the most important things to understand about mediation: the mediator cannot give legal advice to either party. The mediator is strictly neutral — their role is to help both parties communicate, explore options, and reach an agreement. Because the mediator works for the process and not for either side, providing legal advice to one party would compromise that neutrality entirely. This is why each party in mediation should have their own independent lawyer — before entering mediation (to understand your legal rights and likely court outcomes), at the mediation sessions themselves (we always recommend that your own lawyer attends with you, to help you avoid making decisions under pressure), during the process (to consult privately on proposals), and before signing any agreement (to ensure it is fair and enforceable). Andrew Liggett acts as mediator or as independent legal counsel — never both in the same matter. If he is your mediator, you should retain separate independent legal counsel. Never sign a mediated agreement without independent legal advice.
The legal consequences of family transitions — estate updates, real estate transfers, business restructuring — can also be resolved through ADR. Our comprehensive approach means all connected matters are addressed together, efficiently, without multiple court proceedings.
BC Supreme Court Family Rules — Rule 7-1 (Mediation)
Divorce Act (Canada) — collaborative process provisions
Notice to Mediate (Family) Regulation (BC Reg. 296/2007)
Learn why arbitration and mediation work for dispute resolution
Comprehensive estate counsel — before and after death.
Last Will and Testament legal document with quill pen — BC estate planning, wills, probate administration, powers of attorney and healthcare directives
Sea to Sky Law™ provides complete estate law services covering both phases of estate work: pre-death estate planning — wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, trusts, and beneficiary structures — and post-death estate administration, including probate, executor duties, and estate distribution under BC's Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA). We also have particular depth in the estate consequences of family transition, because separation and divorce trigger immediate, mandatory changes to every aspect of an existing estate plan.
Estate law has two distinct phases. The first is planning: putting the right documents in place while you are alive and capable — wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, representation agreements, and trust structures. The second is administration: acting as or advising an executor after a death — applying for probate, notifying beneficiaries, paying debts, filing final tax returns, and distributing the estate. Sea to Sky Law™ provides both, under one firm and one retainer.
Beneficiary Designation Review (RRSP, RRIF, Insurance, Pension)
Trust Drafting — Living, Family & Testamentary Trusts
Probate Application (Grant of Probate — BC Supreme Court)
Estate law in BC covers two distinct phases — and most people need help with both at different points in their lives. The first phase is pre-death planning: putting the right legal documents in place while you are alive and capable of making decisions. This includes your will, enduring power of attorney, healthcare directive, and representation agreement — the four documents every BC adult should have. It also includes reviewing beneficiary designations on registered accounts (RRSPs, TFSAs, RRIFs, life insurance, pensions) and, where appropriate, trust structures that protect children's inheritances or minimise tax.
The second phase is post-death estate administration — everything that must be done after a person dies. This begins with determining whether probate is required (a BC Supreme Court application for a Grant of Probate, which confirms the executor's authority to deal with the estate). It then covers notifying beneficiaries and creditors, managing estate assets, coordinating the final tax return and any trust returns with a CPA, obtaining a CRA clearance certificate before distributing assets, and ultimately distributing the estate according to the will — or, if there is no will, under BC's intestate succession rules.
BC's Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA) creates a nuanced framework for both phases. One of the most critical — and commonly misunderstood — aspects: while a BC divorce automatically revokes gifts and appointments to a former spouse in a will, mere separation does not. Until your divorce is finalised, your separated spouse may still inherit. Updating your estate plan immediately at separation is not optional.
When estates are disputed — wills variation claims, contested probate, trustee disputes, or elder financial abuse — we represent clients effectively, beginning with mediation and escalating to litigation only when necessary.