Glossary
In Family Law
A motion is a court process a party uses to ask a judge to decide specific issues before a trial.
In Family Law
A motion to change is the court process you go through when you want a judge to change a court order or separation agreement that has been filed with the court. Sometimes a motion to change is also called a variation.
In Family Law
The moving party is the person asking the court to make an order after a motion.
In Family Law
Negotiation is the process of trying to agree with your partner. Both partners usually need to agree to something other than what they had first wanted, for them to agree. You can negotiate with or without a lawyer.
In Family Law
Net family property (NFP) is how much money a married partner is worth at the end of the relationship after taking into account what they brought into the marriage.
To calculate a married partner’s NFP, you usually add together all assets minus all debts that they had on the day they separated from their partner. Then you also subtract all assets minus all debts they had on the date of marriage.
Some assets or debts are treated differently in this calculation. For example, some gifts and inheritances are not included.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Family Law
A non-removal order is an order a court makes to prevent one or both parents from taking their child out of a specified area, for example, the country or province.
In Family Law
A notice from the government of Ontario that tells you how much child support must be paid. This is given to people who are able to use the online Child Support Service.
In Family Law
A notice from the government of Ontario that tells you how much child support must now be paid. This is given to people who are able to use the online Child Support Service to change child support in their separation agreement, court order, Notice of Calculation, or Notice of Recalculation.
In Family Law
An offer to settle is a written document that is sent by one party to the other party that says what they’re willing to agree to in order to settle all or part of the issues.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Family Law
The Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL) is the government-funded office that represents children under the age of 18 in some court cases.
The OCL is not automatically involved in court cases dealing with decision-making responsibility and parenting time, which used to be called custody and access. They have to agree to accept your case.
The OCL has clinicians and lawyers across Ontario. OCL clinicians, who are usually social workers, prepare reports about a child’s needs, views, and wishes. OCL lawyers represent children in court.