Our Calgary family law litigation lawyers represent clients in urgent applications, contested parenting, support, disclosure, property and enforcement proceedings. Court is sometimes the only realistic way to obtain information, protect a child or asset, enforce an obligation, or secure a decision when agreement has failed.
Good litigation is not conflict for its own sake. It identifies the order you actually need, builds a reliable evidentiary record and keeps settlement available where it can produce a better result. Review the practical court guide below, compare mediation and arbitration, or request a free 15-minute consultation.
"I can not thank you enough for making this process easier then anticipated. You are genuine and lovely and I appreciate your professionalism and also they way you have eased my fears when I shared them to you."
I had an outstanding experience working with my lawyer Brandi Aymont. With the assistance of her paralegal Devonna McFarlane, they prepared my cohabitation agreement. They were knowledgeable, professional, and took the time to explain everything clearly, making what could have been a stressful process feel straightforward and comfortable…
“I want to thank you. I hired you because you emphasized mediation, and I kept on hiring you in the face of one of my brothers and one of my friends insisting I hire a "bulldog" to counter (my ex’s) "bulldog." I'm glad I ignored their advice.”
Brandi took very good care of me all the way through the whole process. She is extremely knowledgeable in her field and made every effort to make sure my son was taken care of and we got a fair deal. I have recommended her to several friends and will continue to recommend her.
I can't say enough wonderful things about the team at Fraese Aymont Family Lawyers. Over the years, Brandi, along with her staff and associates, has provided exceptional support, guidance, and professionalism. Their knowledge, compassion, and dedication have made a real difference during challenging times…
Brandi was very thorough and professional. I felt she did everything she could for my case and was very sympathetic to my issues and very happy with the results.
"The child support calculator provided on line through this firm is awesome. We have a long standing support agreement and we use this annually to update the child support amounts based on our T4's. Thank you for providing this great tool online which allows you lawyers to focus on cases that really require your help rather than simple accounting annually for us folks long through the process."
Current legal informationReviewed through July 2026This guide provides general information, not advice about a specific matter.
These worksheets help you identify the decision a court can actually make, organize the evidence behind it and set boundaries around cost and escalation before the litigation begins to drive the file.
Connects each requested order to the right court, existing file, pre-court step and missing information.
Use it when: before filing, responding to a new claim or deciding whether an interim application is needed.
Download the worksheetTurns allegations and documents into a short chronology tied to the exact interim order requested.
Use it when: before drafting or responding to an affidavit for an interim family-law application.
Download the worksheetSets objectives, milestones, settlement checkpoints and proportionality limits for the next 90 days.
Use it when: at the start of litigation and revisit it after disclosure, an interim order or a major settlement proposal.
Download the worksheetA form should do more than collect facts. These notes explain the hidden issue each worksheet is intended to surface, using concrete examples rather than a generic list of legal topics.
A family dispute may contain several problems but no single application that can fix them all. We separate the order needed now from the final outcome, identify the legislation and existing file, and test whether disclosure, dispute resolution or another pre-court step must happen first.
For example: A parent may need a defined school-week schedule now, updated child support after disclosure and a final property division later. The immediate parenting request, financial information process and property claim may have different records, timing and procedural paths.
An affidavit is easier to understand when every important fact has a job. We connect the proposed order to a fact, the fact to its source and the source to a dated event. Anything that does not assist that chain is tested for relevance before it increases the record and the cost.
For example: Instead of attaching months of parenting messages, identify the three missed exchanges affecting the proposed schedule, provide the complete exchanges with dates, and connect them to a precise pickup term that would prevent the problem from repeating.
Court files become expensive when each new message becomes a task and no one stops to ask what has changed. We use decision points: what the next step should accomplish, what it is expected to cost, which fact would change the strategy and when settlement should be revisited.
For example: A disclosure application may be worth pursuing if the missing corporate records could change support by thousands of dollars. The plan should also say what happens when the records arrive: update the calculation, make a proposal and reserve a hearing only for the issues the documents did not resolve.
Going to court does not mean every issue must be fought to trial. Family litigation is a structured way to obtain disclosure, an interim arrangement, enforcement or a binding decision when voluntary steps have not produced one. A focused application can sometimes create enough certainty for the rest of the case to settle.
The first strategic question is not whether you are willing to fight. It is what decision is needed, why it cannot safely or realistically wait, and what evidence allows a judge to make that decision. Those questions keep the process connected to your family’s practical needs.
A client may understandably begin with “I need the court to make the other parent cooperate.” A court order must be more precise. The immediate request might instead be a defined parenting schedule, responsibility for a medical decision, a communication method and a deadline for exchanging travel information.
That translation matters. It tells the lawyer which facts belong in the affidavit, which records are relevant and whether the request is suitable for an interim application. It also reveals parts of the dispute that may not need a judge at all.
The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta handles divorce and family-property proceedings. Parenting and support claims may arise in King’s Bench under the Divorce Act or in the Alberta Court of Justice under the Family Law Act, depending on the relationship, the relief requested and whether a proceeding or order already exists.
Some remedies belong in King’s Bench. The correct route also affects the forms, filing process, scheduling and procedural rules. Starting in the wrong place can create delay and expense, so identify the governing legislation, every existing court file and the precise order sought before filing.
Alberta’s Family Justice Strategy requires many Calgary family-law litigants to complete steps before seeking court relief. Depending on the court and claim, those steps can include Parenting After Separation, financial disclosure, a family court counsellor meeting for a self-represented party with children and participation in an appropriate dispute-resolution process.
The Court of King’s Bench Family Focused Protocol took effect across Alberta in January 2026. It uses an intake and triage process to identify immediate needs and move the case onto an appropriate path. Protection orders, urgent matters and certain filings are excluded from some pre-court requirements. Do not assume either that every step applies or that urgency removes every requirement; check the current notice and protocol against the relief you need.
A situation can feel urgent without meeting the court’s test for an urgent application. The record should identify the specific harm, when it may occur, what has already been done to manage it and why the ordinary process cannot provide an adequate response.
Possible urgent issues include immediate child-safety concerns, family violence, a threatened removal of a child, dissipation of significant property or another consequence that cannot realistically be repaired later. A measured chronology and reliable supporting record are usually more persuasive than a long collection of hostile messages.
An interim application asks the court to decide what should happen while the case continues. It may address parenting time, decision-making, support, disclosure, possession of property, preservation terms or compliance with an existing obligation.
The request should be workable until the next meaningful step. That means proposing dates, exchange details, payment mechanics and review triggers—not merely asking for a broad declaration that one party should behave reasonably. An interim result can influence what follows, so short-term relief still deserves careful evidence and drafting.
A judge begins without your history. A useful affidavit connects each requested term to admissible facts: a dated event, the person who observed it, a document that confirms it and an explanation of why it matters to the order requested.
Volume is not the same as proof. Twenty pages of messages may establish less than a school attendance record, a bank statement or a short exchange tied to the disputed decision. Preserve original records, keep context and avoid editing a document in a way that makes its source or completeness uncertain.
Parenting evidence should help the court understand the child’s circumstances: the actual care pattern, school and activity schedule, health needs, relationships, each parent’s ability to meet those needs and any safety concern. A proposal becomes more useful when it explains transportation, holidays, communication, decisions and how future disagreements will be handled.
High conflict does not make every detail legally important. Keep a record of consequential events, comply with workable parts of existing arrangements and communicate as though the exchange may later be read in court. The objective is a safer, clearer parenting structure—not a complete archive of everything the other parent has done badly.
Support and property decisions depend on a reliable financial record. Tax returns and notices of assessment may be only the beginning where income comes through a corporation, expenses are paid personally by a business, compensation varies or property moved between accounts.
Organize the request around the decision. If the issue is guideline income, identify the income source and adjustment in dispute. If the issue is family property, create an asset-and-debt inventory at the legally relevant dates and show what value, ownership or exemption evidence remains missing. A targeted disclosure request is easier to enforce and less expensive to review than an undifferentiated demand for everything.
A reported case is not a prediction that another family will receive the same result. Its value is in showing which legal test was applied and which facts changed the analysis. That helps turn a general position into a question that can be proved or answered.
For example, retroactive support and variation disputes often require a careful payment, income and disclosure history. Imputed-income cases require evidence about earning capacity, available work, business choices or the reliability of reported income. The practical lesson is to build the chronology and financial record before treating a calculator result as the answer.
Fraese Aymont practises family law exclusively. Brandi Aymont brings more than 20 years of courtroom experience, including contested parenting matters before both Alberta trial courts. Heather Fraese’s practice includes complex property, support, family-business and income issues. The wider team handles negotiation, mediation, arbitration and court proceedings across the ordinary life of a family file.
That combination matters because a case rarely stays in one process. A disclosure application may lead to a negotiated production schedule. An interim parenting order may create the stability needed for mediation. A settlement proposal may resolve most issues while one defined question proceeds to hearing. The work stays organized around the remaining decision rather than the drama surrounding it.
Most family cases resolve without a trial, including cases in which one or more applications were necessary. Preparation improves settlement when it identifies the disputed facts, produces the missing information and gives each party a realistic view of the possible legal range.
Use settlement checkpoints after meaningful events: once disclosure is complete, after an interim order, when expert evidence arrives and before the next major hearing cost is incurred. A proposal should state what it resolves, how it will be implemented and what remains for decision.
Being served does not mean the requested order has already been granted. It means the procedural clock may now be running. Early organization protects the time available for a considered response.
You do not need to arrive with a finished legal theory. A useful first meeting should identify the immediate risk, the order or information needed, the likely procedural path and the next piece of evidence worth the cost of obtaining.
Laws, court procedures and the application of legal tests can change. Obtain advice about the facts, deadlines and documents in your matter.
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