St. Albert & Sturgeon County
St. Albert Family Lawyers for Full-Service Legal Help
- St. Albert
- Sturgeon County
- Morinville
Expert Legal Services for St. Albert and Sturgeon County
Bhardwaj+Co serves St. Albert, Sturgeon County, and Morinville from our Edmonton office, twenty minutes from Grandin. Our Edmonton family lawyers run files end to end, and every lawyer here belongs to the Law Society of Alberta.
Founder
Meet Your St. Albert Family Lawyer
Puneet Bhardwaj founded Bhardwaj+Co to make legal services readable to the people paying for them. He practises family law with a preference for negotiated outcomes, backed by a file organised well enough to go to court if negotiation fails.
20 Minutes
From Grandin to our Edmonton office, with consultations available by phone or video when a drive does not fit the week.
Book Your St. Albert Case Review
You meet the lawyer running your matter. Not a coordinator.
Timing
When to Contact a Family Lawyer in St. Albert
Call a family law lawyer when any of these apply:
- You have separated, or one of you has raised it
- You have been served with a court application or a draft agreement
- Support has stopped, or the amount no longer matches the income behind it
- A parenting schedule is being ignored
- You are about to sign a prenuptial agreement or cohabitation agreement
Bring what you have to that first meeting:
- Any court documents or a draft agreement you have been served with
- Recent pay stubs and tax returns for both households
- A rough list of assets, debts, and pensions
- The parenting schedule you are actually running
Our V.I.P. Service is one hour with a lawyer, a full review of your situation, and a written memo afterwards. You keep the memo whether or not you retain us.
Divorce & Separation
Divorce and Separation in St. Albert
Married couples divorce under the federal Divorce Act, which recognises one year of separation, adultery, or cruelty. Almost every file uses the one-year ground. Common law couples separate under Alberta's Family Law Act as adult interdependent partners, and the property rules differ from married spouses in ways people rarely expect.
Our St. Albert divorce lawyers file the application, serve it properly, and deal with the parts that shape your year: parenting and support.
Your Options
Contested, Uncontested and Mediated Divorce
An uncontested divorce is available once you agree on everything, and Alberta processes most of them as a desk divorce with no hearing. We charge a flat fee for it.
A contested divorce means litigation in the Court of King's Bench, because each disputed issue needs evidence. Mediation and collaborative family law resolve most files first, faster, and for less. Arbitration binds; mediation does not. Our divorce mediation work readies you for the session and turns agreement into an order.
On Paper
Separation, Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
A separation agreement records parenting, support, and property in one enforceable document. A postnuptial agreement lawyer drafts the equivalent for couples who are staying together, and a prenuptial agreement or cohabitation agreement does the same work before one starts.
A separation agreement lawyer on our team also reviews the other side's draft and gives independent legal advice when you have been handed one to sign.
Children
Children, Parenting and Support
Parenting
Child Custody and Parenting Arrangements
A child custody lawyer can help settle issues related to school pickup, summer, Christmas, and who books the dentist. Our family law team builds parenting arrangements and a parenting plan around the schedule your household already runs, then writes it so a court can enforce it.
Support
Child Support and Spousal Support
Child support follows the Federal Child Support Guidelines: payer income and number of children. A child support lawyer spends most of the effort on disclosure, because self-employment income and bonuses are where files stall.
A spousal support lawyer argues against the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines, which give a range rather than a figure. Relationship length, both incomes, and who stepped back from work. Our family lawyers run claims and defences through our spousal support practice.
Property
Property Division for St. Albert Families
Alberta's Family Property Act presumes an equal division of property built during the relationship. Exemptions cover gifts, inheritances, and property you brought in. Those exemptions are argued, not assumed.
What We Divide
Our property division work covers matrimonial property, pensions, investments, and a family business where one exists. Negotiation settles most of it. A court application handles what it cannot, and a settlement reached early usually beats one reached on the courthouse steps.
Talk to a St. Albert Family Lawyer
Call (780) 222-2386 and speak with a lawyer. Consultations run by phone or video if that is easier.
Beyond Family Law
Other Legal Matters We Handle in St. Albert
Wills & Estates
Wills, Estates and Business Law
Bhardwaj+Co also covers wills and estates for St. Albert clients. A family law lawyer will usually flag these the moment a separation starts:
- Estate planning and a new will, because the old one still names an ex-spouse
- Power of attorneys and personal directives, which a will does not replace
- Probate and estate administration after a death in the family
- Real estate questions when the matrimonial home is sold or transferred
Business
Our business and corporate lawyers handle incorporation, shareholder agreements, and business law for owners in St. Albert and Sturgeon County. One St. Albert law firm relationship, so a separation and a company reorganisation stay on one strategy.
St. Albert Lawyers: Common Questions
Family files are billed hourly against a retainer we draw from and account for. Uncontested divorces and wills carry a published flat fee. We quote the structure in the first meeting.
Our guide to family lawyer costs explains what drives the number.
It depends on the issue. The Alberta Court of Justice handles many parenting and support applications. Divorce, larger property claims, and matters involving the matrimonial home go to the Court of King's Bench in Edmonton, where a Statement of Claim starts the file. We confirm the forum before filing.
Only when a hearing requires it, and we attend most of those for you. Meetings run by phone or video. Our office is a short drive down St. Albert Trail if you would rather come in.
Ask who runs your file, how you are billed, and what the legal process looks like from here. A collaborative family lawyer suits a cooperative separation. A litigator suits a file already heading to court. The family law lawyers you interview should say plainly which one you need, and a good family law firm will tell you when you do not need them at all.
Get in Touch With Our St. Albert Family Lawyers
Let's talk solutions. Call (780) 222-2386 or email hello@bhardwajco.ca to book a confidential consultation.