Leanne Townsend is the founding partner of Townsend Family Law. Each month, our team sends out a newsletter full of helpful tips, advice and insights to help you navigate through family law and fertility law challenges.
NEW FIRM LAUNCH
Townsend Family Law — affordable legal services for families navigating separation and divorce
NEW FIRM LAUNCHLeanne Townsend is thrilled to announce the launch of Townsend Family Law, a holistic family law practice based in Toronto, Ont.
The boutique firm offers a full range of legal services to families going through separation and divorce — with a plus. It also boasts an expansive network of trusted professionals — therapists, real estate agents, financial experts, business valuators and others — to help clients navigate every aspect of their journey.
“Divorce is a legal process, but it impacts every aspect of a person’s life — their finances, where they live and their mental health, among other areas. During the 25 years I’ve been practising, I have developed an incredible network of professionals who I trust to take care of my clients’ needs, whether it’s selling their home, providing financial advice on a complex divorce settlement or coaching them on a pivot in their careers,” says Townsend.
With Townsend Family Law, clients benefit from the experience of a Bay Street lawyer with the personalized service of a boutique firm.
“In a larger organization, there’s a significant amount of overhead and lawyers always have to be conscious of their billable targets. With my own firm, I set the targets, so if I choose to deliver a certain level of service and it takes more time, I can do that,” Townsend explains.
If you have a legal matter and would like to schedule a consultation with Leanne, reach out to her here.
Reasons people may stay in verbally abusive relationships
Verbally abusive relationships are grounded in an imbalance of power.
Often, the person being abused is more invested in making the relationship work than the abuser, writes Peg Streep in a recent Psychology Today column.
But why do some people see red flags in a partner’s behaviour and run for the hills while others stay put? Streep says that people who stay in verbally abusive relationships are not gluttons for punishment; the reasons are more complex.
For starters, she says many people don’t recognize that they’re being talked down to, marginalized or gaslit because they grew up in a home where that kind of behaviour was normalized.
“They’re likely to deny the impact of words — ‘they’re only words, not fists’— and to make excuses for the abuser,” Streep writes.
Click here to learn four other reasons people may stay in an abusive relationship.
Why co-owning the matrimonial home after divorce is a terrible idea
In many divorces, the fate of the matrimonial home is at the heart of the most important decisions couples will face. For many people, a home is their largest asset, but unlike furniture, vehicles and other assets, a home comes with significant emotional attachment.
In some cases, this leads divorcing couples to decide to keep the marital home for the sake of the children, and continue to co-own the property after the divorce.
That’s the kind of “terrible decision” that divorcing people make when they are thinking emotionally, rather than financially, says Jeff Landers a certified divorce financial analyst.
In a recent column, Landers says that couples who continue to live in the same home after they divorce could find it exacerbates the issues that caused their marriage to break down in the first place.
Highlights from Divorce Explained
Every week, Leanne Townsend co-hosts an Instagram Live show with family lawyer Steve Benmor, where they discuss issues on the minds of those who are divorced or divorcing. Here are the topics from a couple of recent shows. Click on the photo to check out the full episode.
How a declining real estate market may impact your divorce
House prices are dropping, making it even more challenging for divorcing parents to figure out what to do with the family home. We break down everything you need to know in this episode.
Can a spouse be compensated for domestic violence?
In a landmark decision earlier this year, an Ontario judge awarded $150,000 in damages to a woman for the abuse she endured over a 17-year marriage. In this episode, we discuss what makes this case unique.
Looking for more information?
Looking for more information on what to expect during a divorce, abusive relationships, love and money, life after divorce or other family law topics?
Check out the In the News and Blog sections of my website where there’s a wealth of great content to get you up to speed on everything you need to know.
Partner, Brauti Thorning LLP
Brookfield Place161 Bay Street,
Suite 2900,
Toronto, ON M5J 2S1
