Divorce Lawyers in Surrey BC

On 57 Avenue: the Provincial Court. Its Family Law Act powers cover guardianship, parenting arrangements and contact, support for a child or a spouse, and orders protecting against family violence. Section 193 takes property division (a companion animal aside), pension division and children’s property out of its hands, and it has no power to grant a divorce.

Outside Surrey: the Supreme Court. Every Family Law Act order is within its reach, and a divorce can come from no other court. The provincial courthouse directory (updated October 1, 2026) lists Surrey as a Provincial Court location only. Supreme Court registries near Surrey include the New Westminster Law Courts at 651 Carnarvon Street (about 7.5 km by road from Surrey City Hall, against 11.6 km to the Surrey courthouse), the Vancouver Law Courts at 800 Smithe Street, and Port Coquitlam on Mary Hill Road.

No rule in the Supreme Court Family Rules sends a Surrey resident to a particular registry. The notice of family claim names a place of trial, and the trial is held there unless a judge moves it. New Westminster is closest by road, which is a practical reason to choose it, not a legal requirement.

The two courts can run side by side. Section 194 of the Family Law Act allows a Provincial Court case and a Supreme Court case between the same people, unless the order sought has already been granted or refused in the other court. A parent might start a parenting application on 57 Avenue while a property claim goes ahead in New Westminster. Two cases mean two sets of filings and appearances, so it is worth asking early whether a single Supreme Court case could deal with everything.

The Justice Access Centre, third floor

The Provincial Court Family Rules list Surrey in Appendix 1 as an early resolution registry. The Surrey Justice Access Centre, on the third floor of the courthouse at 14340 57th Avenue, provides the early resolution services for that registry, without charge, at the counter or remotely. It also runs a staffed self-help resource room with computer terminals and a printer for legal documents.

Before applying for a Provincial Court family order in Surrey, and unless a rule creates an exception, the applicant has four tasks: filing a Form 1 notice to resolve and delivering a copy to the other party; meeting a family justice counsellor for a needs assessment; completing a parenting education course; and attending at least one consensual dispute resolution session, such as mediation. The person who receives the notice faces the same three steps, after the notice itself, before a reply can be filed.

The steps are not a barrier to urgent help. None of them is needed for an application limited to protection, priority parenting, relocation, enforcement, case management or an order both sides consent to, and protection or priority parenting applications may go in before the steps are complete. The rules also let the needs assessor waive the course or the session in listed situations, for instance where the course was done recently or a session would not be safe. Safety worries belong at the start: tell the counsellor and tell us.

Our role at this stage is advice ahead of the assessment, preparation for mediation, and a check of any proposed agreement before anyone signs. Some families prefer a private mediator to the Centre, or use both; our family mediation lawyers can attend with you.

Property, support and the two-year limit, in brief

These rules are the same everywhere in BC, so the detail is on our topic pages. From the date of separation, each spouse holds a half interest in family property and half the responsibility for family debt, unless an agreement or order says otherwise. Property owned before the relationship, inheritances and gifts from third parties can be excluded, though growth in their value during the relationship is shared, and the Supreme Court can order an unequal split where an equal one would be significantly unfair. See property division and inheritance and divorce.

The amount of child support is set under the Federal Child Support Guidelines, and the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines are used to help set the amount and length of spousal support once entitlement is shown.

Timing matters. The Family Law Act (s.198(2)) gives a married spouse two years from the divorce order to start a claim to divide property, family debt or a pension, or for spousal support. For a marriage-like relationship, the two years run from the date of separation. The clock is paused (s.198(5)) while the spouses are in family dispute resolution with a family dispute resolution professional, or in a prescribed process. Record when those sessions start and end, and check with a lawyer before counting on the paused time. A separation can also undo parts of a will: our estate lawyers for Surrey can review yours.

Our family lawyers

• Judith A. Janzen, who leads the family law practice as principal lawyer (BC bar, 2000)
• Rupinder Shoker, associate counsel since her 2011 call, a trial lawyer at all three levels of BC court
• Susan Kim (associate counsel, 2000), whose practice spans family law and estate litigation
• Rasjovan Dale (associate counsel, 2018)
• Katya Richardson (associate counsel), for full representation or an unbundled retainer
• Shivleen Sidhu and Mason Heller, associate lawyers called in 2019
• Louisa Ledesma, associate lawyer in family law and estate litigation

Every lawyer at the firm is listed on the team page.

Common questions

Can I get divorced at the Surrey courthouse?

No. The Surrey courthouse is a Provincial Court, and only the Supreme Court grants a divorce. The claim is filed at a Supreme Court registry; New Westminster is the closest to Surrey by road, and Vancouver and Port Coquitlam are other options.

How long do I need to have lived in BC before filing?

At least one year. One spouse must have been habitually resident in BC for the full year immediately before the case starts. Six months is not enough.

Is the Justice Access Centre a required first stop?

For a Provincial Court application, generally yes: the notice to resolve, needs assessment, parenting program and a dispute resolution session come first. Urgent protection and priority parenting applications, and the other listed exceptions, can go ahead without them.

Can parenting be decided in Surrey while property is dealt with in New Westminster?

Yes. The Family Law Act allows cases in both courts, unless the same order has already been granted or refused in one of them. Whether that is wise depends on the file.

How do I book, and how are fees charged?

Phone (604) 900-2538 or book through the contact page. Family work is billed by the hour, and the cost of the first meeting is explained when you book.