Two Days Before “I Do”: Are Marriage Agreements Enforceable in BC?
What Dhaliwal v. Dhaliwal and the leading cases tell us about when a BC court will hold you to your prenup — and when it will not. By George Lee, Barrister & Solicitor | 李广田律师 Picture the scene. The wedding is on Friday. The hall is booked, the relatives are already in the air, the […]
A Two-Step Map for Setting Aside Separation Agreements
Schrader v. Schrader, 2025 BCCA 50 By George Lee, Barrister & Solicitor 1. Is a Signed Separation Agreement Ever Really Final in BC? A separation agreement is supposed to be the end of the story. Spouses sign it, often after months of negotiation, sometimes with counsel and sometimes without, and they expect the page to […]
To Buy, or Not to Buy: When a BC Home Floods Before Closing
Lessons from Cheung v. Lin, 2026 BCSC 596 — for buyers, sellers, and counsel Nine days before she was supposed to take possession of a $2.65 million Richmond home, a buyer’s father walked into the kitchen and saw hot water bubbling up through the floor near the island, saturated with mud and sand. Floors were […]
Can You Sue Your Spouse for Cruelty?
Intentional Infliction of Mental Suffering in BC Family Law By George Lee George Lee Law · 李广田律师事务所 The question always begins the same way. A client sits across the table. The family file is open. There is a parenting application, a support claim, maybe a property dispute. On paper, the case looks ordinary. Then they […]
When Words Cost $40,000: Spousal Defamation Issues in BC
In a high-conflict separation, the spouse who controls the story often thinks they control the case. They are wrong — and the cost of being wrong has gone up. In a high-conflict family dispute, many spouses choose to defame the other. They spread rumours through mutual friends and extended family. They post on social media. […]
When a Spouse Becomes a Spy
Email Snooping, Hidden Cameras, GPS Trackers — Privacy Damages and Property Consequences in BC Family Law By George Lee | George Lee Law | 李广田律师事务所 1. A Real Case A client walks into my office. He has just discovered that during the months before separation, his wife was quietly logging into his Gmail and reading […]
Working While You Wait
An Open Work Permit Q&A for Inland Spousal Sponsorship Couples George Lee · Barrister & Solicitor · George Lee Law Mei arrived in Vancouver on a closed work permit. She married her Canadian partner six months ago, and last week they filed her inland spousal sponsorship application together. Her work permit still has eight months […]
Intimate Partner Violence Now Has a Civil Remedy in Canada
What Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16 Means for Survivors in British Columbia By George Lee, Barrister & Solicitor Vancouver, BC · May 2026 Two Survivors, Two Doors That Used to Be Closed Picture two women I might meet in my office on a Tuesday morning. The first, Anna, has been married for fifteen years. […]
Is Your Excluded Property Really Protected?
How BC’s Court of Appeal Is Using Reapportionment to Reach Excluded Assets — and What It Means for You George Lee • George Lee Law • gleelaw.com Family Law | Property Division | BC You Did Everything Right — and It Still Wasn’t Enough Imagine this. You inherited $2 million from your parents. You kept […]
“My Parents Gave Me the Money” vs. “I’m Just Holding It for My Parents”
The Critical Difference Between Parental Gifts and Property Held in Trust Under BC’s Family Law Act George Lee • George Lee Law • gleelaw.comFamily Law | Property Division | BC Two Families, Two Very Different Outcomes Here’s a situation I see regularly in my practice. Two couples are separating. In both families, the parents were […]