By Neta, founder of SortMyDivorce · 14 guides
The first job is not replying. It is working out what the letter actually asks, which deadline in it is real, and which is somebody else's preference dressed as a rule.
Something came in the post or by email and there is a clock on it. Use the deadline tracker — free, no signup, nothing leaves your device.
What a letter from your spouse's lawyer actually asks of you, how long you have to reply, and how to answer without conceding anything you did not mean to.
Deadlines Hidden Inside Lawyer LettersLegal deadlines rarely appear in headings. They sit mid-paragraph in ordinary prose. Here is how to find every one and tell the real from the invented.
How Long Do You Have to Respond to Your Spouse's Lawyer?There are two different questions here with two very different answers — one has a real deadline behind it and the other usually does not.
Why “without prejudice” does little in the US, what Rule 408 actually protects, and why mediation confidentiality is usually the stronger shield.
Can Your Spouse's Lawyer Contact You Directly?If you have a lawyer, the other side's lawyer must go through them. If you don't, they may write to you, but owe you three things.
Discovery Questions in a Divorce: Handling What ArrivesHow to sort, date and track discovery questions, interrogatories or a document demand you've received in a Canadian separation.
How to Answer Interrogatories in a Divorce (US)Written questions answered under oath, usually within 30 days. What the federal rule requires, how four big states differ, and how to answer well.
Request to Admit in an Ontario Family Case: 20 DaysWhat a Request to Admit is, why 20 days of silence admits every fact and document in it, how to answer with Form 22A, and the US equivalent under Rule 36.
Served With a Divorce Application in Ontario: The 30 Days30 days to serve and file an Answer, 60 if served outside Canada or the US. What the Application asks, what an Answer contains, and what else is due.
Served With a Notice of Family Claim in BC: The 30 DaysRule 4-3 gives 30 days after service to file a Response to Family Claim. What silence costs, the counterclaim window, and when Form F8 is due.
Served With a Statement of Claim for Divorce (Alberta)20 days if served in Alberta, one month elsewhere in Canada, two months abroad. Statement of Defence, Demand for Notice or counterclaim, and what you file.
What Is an Undertaking in Family Law? (Canada)A lawyer's undertaking is personally binding and enforceable by the law society. What it means in Canada — and why the word means something else abroad.
When Correspondence Comes Directly to YouWhat to forward, what to answer, what to leave alone — and how to pull the genuine content out of a four-page email that is mostly grievance.
“Without Prejudice” in a Divorce Letter (Canada)What settlement privilege protects in Canada, why the label is not what creates the protection, and what it means for the letters in your file.
These guides are general information, not legal advice. Laws change and differ by jurisdiction — confirm specifics with a local family lawyer or your court's official website.