Family law
The first question isn’t who’s right.
It’s: which regime governs you. Since June 30, 2025 the answer has changed for a segment of Quebec couples, and many still don’t know it. Start there — the tool below asks for nothing identifying.
See which regime appliesGeneral legal information, not advice. Every file has facts that only a proper review will surface.
Which regime applies, and what is running
Three possible answers, and they have nothing in common. The tool asks for no name, no address, no amount — only dates, because dates are what decide.
This date is what triggers the parental union regime, not the date the couple got together.
The parental union regime applies.
It applied on its own, with no signature and no step taken, because your child was born or adopted on or after June 30, 2025 and you were living together as a couple. Family residences, household furniture and family vehicles form the parental union patrimony. RRSPs and pension plans are not in it.
What is running
35 days elapsed · 90 days
90 days from the birth or adoption to withdraw without the period counting. After that, withdrawal is still possible but the property must be valued and the accumulated value shared between the start of the union and the withdrawal.
A summary of the parental union regime (art. 521.20 ff. of the Civil Code, in force since June 30, 2025) and of the family patrimony. This tool gives general legal information, not advice, and accounts for no fact specific to your file — a contract, a gift, an agreement or a judgment can change everything. It creates no mandate.
What it costs, before we start
Article 99 of the Code of ethics requires a lawyer to give the client « all relevant information on the financial terms » before providing the service. It is an obligation, not a house policy — and almost no firm puts it on its website.
- First meeting, 60 minutes
- $175, fixed
- You leave with the regime that applies, the real options, and a written order of magnitude. If the file ends there, it ends there.
- Negotiated agreement, full file
- $2,400 to $4,500
- Agreement, support calculation, homologation. The range depends on the number of exchanges, not on the amount at stake.
- Contested file before the court
- Hourly, $240
- Nobody can honestly quote a contested file in advance. What we can do is a statement of account every two weeks and a call before any overrun.
- Family mediation
- Subsidized sessions
- Parents with a dependent child are entitled to mediation sessions paid for by the government. We tell you so even when it takes the file away from us.
No contingency fees in family law for anything touching support or custody. The amounts above are a fictional firm’s: they show what a fee page looks like, not what to charge.
What this site is not allowed to do
A lawyer’s site in Quebec is not a shop window. The Code of ethics removes most of the persuasion tools you see elsewhere. Here they are, with the article that forbids each — because a client who knows the rule can also spot the firm that ignores it.
art.145
No client testimonialsA « testimonial of endorsement or appreciation » is forbidden in advertising. It is the number-one trust element on any other service website, and it is illegal here. A firm showing five stars and client quotes is already telling you how it treats the rules.
art.10
No claim of specialtyOne cannot claim « particular qualities or abilities » without being able to justify them. So no « best firm », no « specialist » without the title, no success rate. What we can state is verifiable: the field of practice and the year of admission to the bar.
art.9
No follow-up campaignPressing or repeatedly urging someone to retain your services is forbidden. So there will be no second email, no automated reminder, no countdown pressuring you. You write when you are ready.
art.8
No exploiting a moment of weaknessThe Code forbids exploiting a vulnerable person. That is why this page has no flashing number and no « call now »: someone who has just separated is precisely the person that article protects.
Code of ethics of lawyers, CQLR c. B-1, r. 3.1. The Barreau du Québec keeps a public roll online: anyone can check in thirty seconds that a lawyer is registered and has no restriction on their right to practise.
Where files are heard
The judicial district depends on where you live, not where the lawyer’s office is. It decides the courthouse, the hearing delays and often the schedule.
- Québec CityCourthouseQuébec courthouse
- LévisCourthouseQuébec courthouse
- L’Ancienne-Lorette · Saint-AugustinCourthouseQuébec courthouse
- Sainte-Marie · BeauceCourthouseBeauceville courthouse
- Montmagny · L’IsletCourthouseMontmagny courthouse
- Baie-Saint-Paul · CharlevoixCourthouseLa Malbaie courthouse
- Saint-Joseph-de-BeauceCourthouseSaint-Joseph courthouse
- Thetford MinesCourthouseThetford Mines courthouse
First meeting
Sixty minutes, $175, in person or by video. At the end we tell you whether you need a lawyer — and sometimes the answer is no.
- Call
- 418 555-0146
- Member of the Barreau du Québec
- 580 Grande Allée Est, Suite 40, Québec, QC G1R 2K2