New information on Certificates of Divorce

Get help using Clicklaw, New on Clicklaw

CQ_iconWe’ve added a question to Clicklaw that gets asked quite often by people who visit our Courthouse Libraries – How can I get my Certificate of Divorce? Does it make my divorce official? What forms do I need?

Our new Common Question clarifies that you do not need a certificate to make your divorce legal, but that it can be useful in some cases.

If you want more info on the different ways you can apply for a certificate, you are directed to a brand new page of the JP Boyd on Family Law Clicklaw Wikibook (JPBOFL), which:

  • answers when you can get your certificate, and
  • gives 3 options for how you can apply for it: (1) at a Supreme Court Registry in person – if you have a lawyer, or (2) in person if you are doing it by yourself, and (3) via snail mail.

We also include tips on finding your court file number, and getting a copy of your divorce order.

What is a Clicklaw Wikibook?

Clicklaw Wikibooks is Clicklaw’s companion site – it provides plain language legal information and is a platform for lawyers and legal organizations in BC to publish and update legal information in a range of different digital and physical formats by editing a single source. I like to call it a curated wiki of BC law.

In addition to reading the Wikibooks online, you can find several of them in print at your local public library, through the LawMatters program. JP Boyd is a well-known family law expert and the founding author of this post’s featured Clicklaw Wikibook, which is updated by BC lawyers.

Other posts ft. JPBOFL

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Access Pro Bono – Wills Clinic Training

Events

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Are you a lawyer (or do you know a lawyer) interested in volunteering with the Access Pro Bono Wills Clinic (scroll to Wills & Estates Program), but don’t have much experience with drafting wills and personal planning documents? Access Pro Bono and Courthouse Libraries BC are hosting 2 training sessions to help you get started!

You can participate in these training sessions for free from anywhere in the province. In-person sessions will be held in Vancouver and Victoria, or you can watch the webinars from any place with a computer and an internet connection. Plus each session counts for CPD credit!

Find out more about the Access Pro Bono Wills Clinic and how you can volunteer here.

Enduring Powers of Attorney and Representation Agreements

This training session is designed for lawyers who have limited or no experience in drafting Enduring Powers of Attorney and Representation Agreements and who are interested in providing pro bono personal planning assistance to low income seniors and end-of-life clients. In this session, Joanne Taylor and Ron Usher of Nidus will introduce some of the types of documents that can be used to assist clients with personal planning. Participants may attend in-person at the Courthouse Libraries in Vancouver or by webinar. The Justice Access Centre in Victoria will also be hosting a group viewing of the webinar.

Participants in this course may claim up to 1.5 hours of CPD credit.

Date and time: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 from 1:00-2:30pm PST

Register here to attend in-person in Vancouver

Register here to attend at the JAC in Victoria.

Register here for the webinar.

Wills Basics

This presentation is targeted towards non Wills & Estate practitioners who are looking to get involved in providing pro bono will drafting for low income seniors and end-of-life clients. Nicole Garton of Heritage Law will share some of her knowledge and experience in drafting basic wills. Participants may attend in-person at the Courthouse Libraries in Vancouver or by webinar. The Justice Access Centre in Victoria will also be hosting a group viewing of the webinar.

Participants in this course may claim up to 1 hour of CPD credit.

Date and time: Friday, January 29, 2016 from 10:00-11:00am PST

Register here to attend in-person in Vancouver

Register here to attend at the JAC in Victoria.

Register here for the webinar.

For more information about our training programs, please contact us at: training@courthouselibrary.ca

Not a volunteer lawyer?

The Access Pro Bono Wills Clinics are offered to low-income seniors (55+) and people with terminal illnesses at physical locations in Vancouver (11:30am to 1:30pm at the Justice Access Centre at the Vancouver Courthouse, 800 Hornby Street), and also in Victoria and Nanaimo on a more limited basis.

Volunteer lawyers provide free legal help with simple wills and representation agreements. Please call the number or send an email to the address provided at the above link to make an appointment.