The Best Divorce Lawyers in Surrey and Fraser Valley
The best divorce lawyers in Surrey are not just found through Google ratings or looking up a divorce law firm’s website. We at YLaw did extensive research on the needs of divorcing couples in Surrey and then found the best lawyers who meet those needs.
The summary of our findings are both in this blog post and in this video:
Since my Best Family Lawyers in Vancouver Blog went viral a couple of years ago, I thought I would write this blog on our research and our findings on who the best Surrey Family Lawyers are.
Before opening up our Family Law firm in Surrey, we got very familiar with the needs of the Surrey and the South Surrey community, and then hand-picked our lawyers to serve them. We also dealt with lawyers from other firms. Here are our findings:
Table of Contents
What are the Family Law Needs of Separated Couples in Surrey?
We found that the majority of Surrey spouses going through a separation have some common characteristics. This doesn’t mean that everyone in Surrey shares them, just that the majority do:
- Surrey couples going through divorce appear to be generally older than those in Vancouver;
- Most couples are either employees or have local, family businesses. In Vancouver, a lot of the couples have corporate jobs or jobs in the tech industry;
- The major assets of Surrey couples are real estate, family homes and savings. In Vancouver, many couples have corporations or shares, stocks, etc.
- Surrey couples tend to experience more economic disparities. This means there are more traditional roles in the family (i.e. one person staying at home to care for kids and the other working);
- Surrey couples enjoy having larger families and support base than those in Vancouver;
- The population of Surrey includes more Indian couples than in Vancouver; and
- There are more cultural issues in Surrey than in Vancouver given that Surrey enjoys a very multicultural population.
The Best Surrey Family Lawyer Qualities
When picking the best family lawyer for your case in Surrey and surrounding areas, look out for these qualities:
- It is best if the lawyer is a resident of Surrey or South Surrey (or the surrounding areas). This is because that lawyer knows the other lawyers in the community and can work better with them.
- The lawyer should be experienced in handling different cultural issues arising from people who are separating but come from different countries or backgrounds, like Punjabi or Hindu people.
- The lawyer should be experienced in handling asset division, and have good knowledge of taxes on sale of real estate and other assets.
- The lawyer should be experienced in dealing with domestic issues arising from disparity in family dynamics such as spousal or family violence towards (mainly) women and children.
- The lawyer should be comfortable at dealing with family members who have concerns/questions – mostly about custody of children.
- The lawyer should be comfortable dealing with high-conflict cases but keep an eye out for collaborative and settlement-oriented divorces.
YLaw’s Surrey Lawyers
A YLaw, in order to implement the above qualities, we did the following:
- We picked lawyers who are residents in Surrey and its surrounding areas:
They know almost all divorce lawyers in Surrey and work well with them.
- As for being able to deal with different cultures:
- Jasmeet speaks fluent Hindi and Punjabi;
- Susan speaks fluent Ordu, Hindi and Punjabi;
- Ari is Jewish and helps many people from Jewish backgrounds.
- As for experience dealing with assets/income:
- We trained all the above lawyers in Vancouver to deal with complex asset division issues including:
- Division of Real Estate
- Division of Family Business
- Division of pensions, stocks, etc.
- We trained all the above lawyers in Vancouver to deal with complex asset division issues including:
- As for dealing with high-conflict and collaborative cases:
- All the above lawyers obtained years of experience dealing with high-conflict cases including custody;
- All the above lawyers have trained in collaborative, settlement-oriented family law approaches and are able to both litigate or settle, depending on the case.
Who are the Best Family Lawyers in Surrey, South Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford?
Based on our experience and dealings with various Surrey divorce lawyers, here are our recommendations:
Paul Mann – Grandview Law
Paul mainly serves the Indian community in Surrey. He is very personable and easy to deal with. He has been counsel on several important family law decisions out of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. He is reasonable when it comes to settlements and generally works well with other opposing lawyers. You can reach him by clicking here.
Ari Wormeli – YLaw
Since Ari works for YLaw, we have personal knowledge of the quality of his work. He works on extremely complex cases and has a wealth of knowledge in family law that is generally unmatched by other lawyers. He is a mentor to numerous family lawyers in town and is one of the smartest individuals we know. You can read about Ari by clicking here.
Suzan Justice – YLaw
Suzan is passionate, compassionate and loves doing family law. She speaks Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu and is has a solid presence in the Surrey family law community. You will find her easy to deal with, very attentive to your file and always taking a holistic approach when it comes to your family law goals. You can learn about Suzan by clicking here.
Renee Aldana – South Coast Law
Renee is extremely professional, has a wealth of family law experience and works very well with other lawyers. I have had a few cases with her and it has always been a pleasure. She takes a constructive approach to family law and tries to resolve her cases in a healthy way while at the same time maximizing her client’s interests. You can read about her by clicking here.
Please note, the above-noted recommendations reflect my personal views and arise from my personal experiences with these lawyers. They don’t mean these lawyers are the ‘best’ compared to other lawyers in Surrey. You should always do your own research to find a suitable lawyer. The above should be taken as helpful guidance, and not a ‘statement of truth’ 🙂 – Leena Yousefi