COVID-19 and Divorce

Our physical offices are not open but our business is still open.  The lawyers and staff have set up home offices.

We have been working from our home offices for many years. Basically, we use email, phone and a video conferencing app called Zoom to communicate with our clients. We can also accept and send faxes. All of our documents are saved in the cloud. Basically, we can do anything from our home office we could have done in the physical office. We just do not have face-to-face meetings now. Our next best thing to a face-to-face meeting is a meeting using Zoom or Skype or FaceTime. We are using technology to your advantage.

We have you covered. We have 14 lawyers so your case will be shifted to someone who is healthy and able to serve you. All the lawyers and staff have access to everything on every file remotely. We will do our best to make the  transfer of your case easy.

Yes. Every day new clients are contacting us and we are meeting with them. We can do the meeting by telephone or Zoom. We continue to serve all of our clients efficiently, effectively and compassionately.

We continue to negotiate and work with other law firms every day. We use technology. Sometimes a phone call is all that is needed. Otherwise, we can use email, Zoom and fax. Whatever communication method works, and is remote, we will use. We aren’t using carrier pigeon. We cannot buy any.

Zoom is just an internet-based video conferencing app. It is a way for you to communicate with your lawyer using live video. You and your lawyer see each other on the screen and can talk about your case. Your lawyer can also show you documents on the screen. Additionally, you could have a meeting with the other lawyer and your spouse. As well as, you could participate in a mediation. It is easy to use and free. All you need is a webcam. If you have a laptop, then there is a webcam built in. If you have a smart phone, then the camera on it works with Zoom. We will just send you a link. You click it and it will download some software. It is so easy. Here is a link to a video about how to use Zoom.  It is so easy.

Above all, we are focussed on keeping everything confidential and secure for our clients. We follow the best practices. We work with an outside consultant whose main responsibility is keeping our client’s information confidential. Nothing can be guaranteed 100% but we are doing whatever we can do to make our systems secure. We use the best virus-scanning software. We use dual authentication. Additionally, We have several back ups. We have everything saved on secure websites that are also backed up. We are doing everything possible to ensure everything is kept secure and confidential.

Yes. It is not hearing any cases unless they are urgent. If you feel your case might be urgent, then please contact us and we can discuss it with you. We can seek a court order if your case falls within the definition of urgency according to the court.

It will be up to a judge to determine whether a matter is urgent. Generally, cases where there is a threat of abduction, threats of harm or dire financial circumstances are considered urgent. During the pandemic, maybe the Court will be more willing to hear cases. We must see how they respond during this crisis.

You cannot get the actual divorce until the courts reopen. A divorce just lets you get remarried. We can try to get everything else resolved for you even though the court is closed. Several processes may work. Here is a chart showing various processes. Just court is not available.

To get in touch with Galbraith Family Law, you can fill in the contact form on our website or give us a call. If you live in the Newmarket area, call (289) 802-2433; if you’re in Barrie, call (705) 302-1102.