Family Law Sourcebook for British Columbia - Print

The efficient way to find key principles and cases in BC family law

This publication is essential for: all lawyers who need to understand and keep current on family law in BC

Current to: October 15, 2025

Need to know the current state of the law on an issue in your family law file? Turn to the Family Law Sourcebook for British Columbia first to get a complete understanding of the legal principles and leading case law on all of the issues you face in BC family law. For over 25 years, this is the trusted resource that the BC bench and bar keep at their finger tips.

With this resource, you will be able to:

• easily find the current law on issues such as care of children, child support, property division, pension division, spousal support, adoption, and child protection
  
• quickly go to the leading cases so you can spend more time looking for specific decisions suited to your facts
  
• understand the relationship between specific issues in the BC family law context

Buy today and save time finding your way through BC family law! View a sample from this book!

Highlights of the 2025 Update include:

• new case law and updated discussion on the intention to separate, jurisdictional issues, adultery, invalid marriages, and the tort of conspiracy
• updated analysis and new cases on parenting issues, including guardianship, immunization decisions, past conduct, reunification programs, habitual residence, and relocation
• updated analysis and case law on child support issues, such as lawful tax deductions, imputation of income, s. 7 expenses, and retroactive support
• extensive updates to the property law chapter, including new commentary and case law on "pre-existing proceedings," separation and reconciliation, tax issues, treatment of gifts, tracing, and valuation dates
• updated analysis and case law on spousal support issues, including marriage-like relationships, compensatory support, retroactive support, departure from Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines' ranges, re-partnering, and termination of support
• new case law on pension division in family law matters, injunctive relief (including possession of laneway homes), evidence (including expert reports and surreptitious recordings), procedural alternatives (including parenting coordinators, judicial case conferences, applications to strike, and severance), and death of a child's guardian
• substantially reorganized discussion on costs, including new case law on offers to settle

Note that as of the 2024 update, the content on property division under the former Family Relations Act is no longer updated, given the time that has elapsed since the introduction of the Family Law Act and the increasingly fewer cases to which the Family Relations Act could apply. The existing content is preserved only as reference material for counsel for those matters still being decided under the repealed legislation.

Discover all of our Family Law resources here

CLEBC Legal Editor
Edie Ryan
eryan@cle.bc.ca

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