DIVORCEmate News & Views
Issue 57 - January 2007 www.divorcemate.com sales@divorcemate.com (416) 718-3461

For almost 20 years, our DIVORCEmate News & Views newsletter has been an important source of information for our 7,000+ software users - product news, productivity hints, seminar schedules, updates and new product announcements, Judicial quotes, Family Law and technology information, humour and more. Please ensure that this e-mail is circulated to all family law professionals including: lawyers, judges, mediators, professors, accountants, law clerks, support staff and students. We will no longer mail a printed blue newsletter.

DIVORCEmate One 2007 Now Available

The First DIVORCEmate One Update of 2007 includes:

Tools One 2007: income tax brackets and credits, CPP and EI changes; "2007" reference dating in all Tools One printouts; new Children's Fitness Credit; changes to: CCTB amounts, GST credits, Age Credit, Universal Child Care Benefit, Canada Employment Credit; updated interest rates.

Forms One 2007: updated Nova Scotia forms; new and amended Ontario forms including an amended for 2007 Continuing Record Cover; updated B.C. Bill of Costs tariffs; a number of minor additions, fixes and enhancements.

Precedents One 2007: a number of minor additions, fixes and enhancements. Our major Precedents One update will come in March of 2007. We will be adding a major new precedents document to Precedents One during 2007.

Additional Feature: we have introduced a more automated updating process for 2007.

Why Update: We are constantly improving our DIVORCEmate One software. We continually fix, enhance and add features on an ongoing basis. As tax rules are finalized and implemented, we update Tools One; as family law forms change, we update Forms One. As precedent setting cases are released, we update our Precedents One separation agreements. It is imperative that you update your DIVORCEmate One software on a regular basis throughout the year.


This golf tip helped Mark's game...

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Who Can Update: The DIVORCEmate One 2007 update is available to all DIVORCEmate Annual Subscribers and all Pay Per Use customers.

How To Update Your DIVORCEmate One Software: If you have not updated your DIVORCEmate One software in the last 7 days, please do so immediately. Our current version number is 2007.0116.

Start your DIVORCEmate One, and then click "Setup"; under DIVORCEmateLive, click on "Software Updates"; click "Next" and then click "Download" and follow along. In most cases, updating takes less than 2 minutes!

Note: if you do not have access to the Internet, you MUST request a 2007 DIVORCEmate One CD. There will be an additional charge for quarterly update CD's in 2007.

2007 DIVORCEmate One Annual Subscriptions Coming Due Soon

Over the next three months many of you will receive your DIVORCEmate One Annual Subscription invoice. Although the "Annual Subscription" is an excellent plan, we recommend that you seriously consider our "Pay Per Use" option; it has many advantages!

With Pay Per Use, you pay no annual subscription fee (your Annual Subscription invoice will be cancelled and you will be given a pro rata credit for the balance (if any) of your Annual Subscription to be applied to your Pay Per Use account); you get unlimited computer licenses, access to all DIVORCEmate One software modules, three free uses per client*, free software updates, free new modules (Yes, NEW SUMmate Quantum vs. Duration Analyser software is FREE!) and free technical software support... (And, if you don't like the Pay Per Use option, you can easily switch back to your Annual Subscription.)

As a previous Annual Subscriber, all of your existing Client Files will be automatically activated.

This is the "Pay Per Use" option in a nutshell!

You only pay a fee when you activate a NEW Client File. This activation fee gives you unlimited access to all DIVORCEmate products and modules for that one client for as long as needed, over and over again... open, amend, save as many forms and calculations (and separation agreements) as you need for that one client.

AND this Pay Per Use fee may be billed as a disbursement to your client. Your DIVORCEmate One software actually costs your firm nothing!

* SPECIAL BONUS FEATURE: During an initial client consultation, you may use DIVORCEmate One up to three (3) times with that client without incurring an activation fee. This means that you may use DIVORCEmate One to do a preliminary Tools One calculation, or start a financial statement. If the client returns, you pay the fee; if the client goes somewhere else, there is no cost to you!

General Information About Pay Per Use

  • The cost is as follows: $100 per Client File + taxes (BC, ON); $50 per Client File + taxes (other provinces). There is an initial, non-refundable deposit of $350 for BC, ON and $175 for all other provinces. This deposit is used to pay for your first 3 new Client Files.
  • You must activate a minimum of 3 Client Files per year.
  • You must have access to the Internet (yes, dial-up is OK, but not optimal) and you must have an e-mail address. All credit card and activation transactions are handled over a secure Internet connection.

Switching From "Annual Subscription" to "Pay Per Use" Is Simple

The best time to switch is before you renew your 2007 Annual Subscription (although you can switch at any time and a pro rata credit for the balance (if any) of your Annual Subscription will be applied to your Pay Per Use account).

If you would like to try Pay Per Use, please call or email Michael Perlman at 1 800 653-0925 x446 or mperlman@divorcemate.com. It takes less than 3 minutes. (And remember, if you don't like the Pay Per Use option, you can easily switch back to your Annual Subscription.)

So, why not join the hundreds of Canadian law firms who currently enjoy the full use of every DIVORCEmate One product and software module FREE! Consider the Pay Per Use option and save! Pay Per Use or Annual Subscription... It's Your Choice!

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DIVORCEmate Gaining Momentum on the East Coast

One of the very cool aspects of being on a DIVORCEmate road trip is that you get to see our beautiful country and meet many different Canadians. In late October, DIVORCEmate travelled to the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. It was a wonderful business experience.

We started in St. John's NL on Oct 23 at the Fairmont Hotel. Our two sessions were just about filled to capacity as a result of the Newfoundland and Labrador Judiciary making use of our Tools One software.

Then off to Halifax and the Lord Nelson Hotel, where we had a judicial training in the morning, followed by a full house of lawyers and law clerks in the afternoon.

Next day we drove to Prince Edward Island, via the Confederation Bridge (an engineering marvel). We were the invited speakers at the Charlottetown CBA family law subsection luncheon. We entertained the largest gathering that the PEI subsection had ever mustered (24 family lawyers!). We showed Tools One and explained its ability to calculate the CSG and SSAG amounts and analyse cash flow. The group was attentive and focused.... we ended the session with a number of draws and giveaways. Thank you to Brian Waddell of Stewart McKelvey - an awesome host!

Next we were off to Moncton NB where we did two training sessions. Both sessions were well attended. Michael Perlman did his first solo Tools One training session, and the crowd (and I) enjoyed every minute!

On October 30th, we pulled into Fredericton NB for a session with the New Brunswick Judiciary. Our session took place in a beautiful old courthouse, in a thoroughly modern courtroom updated with the latest in high tech gear! To our delight, attendees included New Brunswick Chief Justice The Hon. E. Drapeau, Court of Appeal Justices Hon. W. Turnball, Hon. M. Larlee, and Hon. J. Robertson, and Madame Justice C. M. d'Entremont of the Family Court. Based on the number of insightful and thought provoking questions raised, I believe that we wowed them. DIVORCEmate wishes to thank all the justices for their time and hospitality. And a special thank you to Tammy Ross.

Our last stop was the city of Saint John NB... again a full house with Michael doing the two sold out training sessions from beginning to end.

Oh, did I mention the side trip to St. Andrews by the Sea, NB... small fishing village, loads of craft shops and galleries, not a big box store or franchised location in sight (yes, there are good coffee shops with fresh baked cinnamon buns!), lots of Acadian charm, colourful little houses on hills right down to the ocean, loads of seafood, the 5-star Fairmont Algonquin Hotel and a wonderful 18 hole CPGA track within 3 minutes. And you can get ready to make a visit to this town... I hear it is the leading contender for the summer 2008 National Family Law Conference. It gets my vote, for sure.

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A Must Read...
2006 Family Law Year End Review

Carswell (a Division of Thomson Canada Ltd.) has generously provided DIVORCEmate customers with a link to the "Epstein and Madsen's This Year in Family Law" newsletter. The newsletter summarizes many important family law cases that were decided during the last 12 months and it includes: Themes, Trends and Challenges; Practice Points; Cases to Keep up your Sleeve; and Quotes of the Year.

Carswell is also offering our customers a 30-day, no cost, no obligation trial subscription to their popular FamilySource TM online research service.

To read this Year in Review newsletter, please click the link below. http://www.westlawecarswell.com/familysource/thisweekspecial

To take advantage of the 30-day trial subscription offer to FamilySource TM, simply click the "Free for 30 days" button.

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Did You Know...

  • DIVORCEmate (and DOCUdavit Scanning Solutions) will be at the Annual Institute in Toronto on February 5th (Family Law Day). Please drop by our new booth as we have some fun giveaways and other software promotions.
  • Make sure you sign up for the February 5th Family Law Dinner and award night. The featured speaker is our "old" friend Lonny J. Balbi, Q.C. Lonny is an entertaining Alberta lawyer who has played an active role in shaping family law across Canada. With the seriously comedic Grant Gold as dinner chair, you can expect some surprises!
  • Mark Harris recently presented "60 DIVORCEmate One Tips in 60 Minutes" to a packed OBA Family Bar subsection in Toronto. In fact, we were told that it was the first family law dinner where no one left until it was over!

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Staff Changes at DIVORCEmate Software Inc.

We are pleased to welcome Naomi Cooper as our new Manager of Accounting and Administration. Naomi has an extensive background in customer care and administration. If you need Naomi, she can be reached at 416 718-3461 x416, ncooper@divorcemate.com.

Michael Perlman moves from Accounting and Administration to Sales and Marketing. Michael will handle our sales in Central and Eastern Canada and will co-ordinate our national marketing campaigns. Michael can be reached at 416 718-3461 x446, mperlman@divorcemate.com.

Steve Krieger, our BC sales representative, will take on the added responsibility of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Steve has done an excellent job with the sales and promotion of DIVORCEmate in BC. He looks forward to showing DIVORCEmate One to family law professionals in these new provinces. Steve can be reached at 604 222-3582, or skrieger@divorcemate.com.

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Sid Soil leaves DIVORCEmate for DOCUdavit

As many of you are aware, Sid Soil has been running our sister company, DOCUdavit Solutions Inc. for the past 2 years. However on December 22nd, he officially moved his physical office out of Eugene St. and over to the secret DOCUdavit location.

We will miss Sid's presence... Sid was up for any task, and no sales goal was unattainable. He went about his work with a quiet confidence and a "c'est la vie" attitude that we all appreciate (and wish we had).

We look forward to Sid dropping by the Eugene St. office. So it's not "good bye"... it is just see you later and thanks!

DOCUdavit Can Help You So Many Ways:

  • LAO and Litigation Support Costs: DOCUdavit has provided scanning services and litigation support software for many cases funded by Legal Aid Ontario. Please contact Sid for a quotation; he will help you submit it to your LAO Area Director for approval.
  • Law Society of Upper Canada Practice Tip: As long as there is no legal or regulatory obligation to maintain paper original or copies of file documents, closed client files may be scanned and converted to electronic format for ease of storage, provided the format maintains the trustworthiness, readability and accessibility of the information.
  • Recall and Permanent Removal Fees: A number of our clients have been able to permanently remove old files from storage with Recall without paying additional fees. Please call DOCUdavit for details.
  • Did you know that Iron Mountain has recently experienced fires at two storage facilities? DOCUdavit provides a more secure, efficient and cost effective method of retaining your closed client files. DOCUdavit scans all of your closed files, installs a copy on your computer (you have instant access to all client documents) and then retains backup copies. And the cost is significantly less than the endless charges for storage in a traditional file storage facility.
  • Here is what clients have recently said about DOCUdavit:

    "Sid, your service helped immensely. Having multiple boxes of paper disclosure, well organized and instantly and easily accessible on my laptop, kept me three steps ahead of the other side at all times."
    - Brian Ross, Pinkofskys

    "We are more than pleased with the return-on-investment associated with your services....The services provided by DOCUdavit have allowed us to free up considerable valuable space and have also enabled our staff to be more productive and client responsive...Your company has delivered quality outputs, on a timely basis, with easy to use software – keep up the good work."
    - Stacy Mitchell, C.A. – SLF LLP, Chartered Accountants
  • Do you know a retiring family doctor? DOCUdavit can help a retiring doctor close his or her practice with a minimum of fuss. Please contact Sid if you know a physician who may be in this position.

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What The Judiciary Has Been Recently Saying About DIVORCEmate...

"... According to the figures provided by counsel (based on the Supportmate Maintenance Planner -- 2005), the net result of the application of the Advisory Guidelines would be ..." N. (M.L.) v. N. (D.), 2006 CarswellBC 3043 (B.C.C.A.), per Levine J.A., Low J.A., and Prowse J.A.

"Counsel for Mr. Smylie produced a number of calculations under the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines and calculations using the Supportmate software. ... The Supportmate calculations indicate that ..." Smylie v. Smylie, 2006 CarswellOnt 7456 (Ont. S.C.J.) per Shaw J.

"I have considered the Chequemate Spousal Guidelines for what an appropriate amount of spousal support would be, based on the figures outlined in paragraph 16." Soper v. Soper, 2006 CarswellOnt 7496 (Ont. S.C.J.) per Matheson J.

"Encouraged by the Court of Appeal in Redpath (para. 20, above), I have processed a SSAG analysis with the assistance of DIVORCEmate software." Bos v. Bos, 2006 CarswellBC 2834 (B.C. Master) per Master Baker

"I have used the Divorcemate software to try to estimate the net day care cost to be shared by the parties." H. (M.G.) v. H. (S.), 2006 CarswellBC 3158 (B.C. S.C.) per Joyce J.

"Plaintiff's counsel submitted several "Support Mate" calculations based on varying levels of income. The "with child support" calculation, most reflective of my findings, is based on a gross income for the plaintiff of $80,000 and for the defendant of $275,769." Galloway v. Galloway, 2006 CarswellBC 2758 (B.C. S.C.) per Macaulay J.

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NEW SUMmate Quantum vs. Duration Analyser Very Popular

SUMmate has taken off like a rocket... family lawyers from St. John's to Victoria have been ordering and using this innovative and creative software tool.

Not only does SUMmate provide a range of lump sum values for spousal support, it is the only software to allow the trading of duration for quantum or quantum for duration when the appropriate family law situation arises.

For atypical short and medium term marriages, or clean break solutions, SUMmate can help!

SUMmate is an add-on to our CHEQUEmate Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines Calculator.

SUMmate gives you the information you need to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement, based on either, an amount of spousal support paid over a period of time, or one lump sum payment.

SUMmate considers the following information:

  • The calculated net after-tax benefit to the Recipient, and net after-tax cost to the Payor of a particular support payment.
  • The SSAG recommended duration of the payment or a proposed duration or a single lump sum.
  • The cost of money over time.

SUMmate is the "missing link" in the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines that makes unusual SSAG recommendations turn into reasonable solutions.

Pricing:

Annual Subscribers: The cost of adding an original SUMmate license to your Tools One is $149 + GST and PST, plus $29.80 + taxes for each additional computer license. (Note: the number of licenses is dependent on the total number of Tools One licenses held by your firm.)

To order SUMmate, please visit our website, or email Michael Perlman at mperlman@divorcemate.com, or fax in your order to 416 498-0059.

Pay Per Use: New SUMmate is automatically included in each new and existing Client File. There is no additional cost for Pay Per Use users and you simply update your software to receive SUMmate.

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DIVORCEmate in Your Palm - Update

Our Flloyd Morgan has been working on improving the beta version of our "CSG Table Calculator" for Palm and other handheld devices. We are improving the speed and ease of inputting. Please contact Flloyd at fmorgan@divorcemate.com if you want a free copy.

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DIVORCEmate One Quick Tips From Our Tech Support Desk

Forms One: Never turn the shading off while you are completing a court form. The shading shows you where we have formatted the input area in order that it breaks across pages and keeps together appropriately. You will never have missing paragraphs or odd page breaks! NOTE: Use our DIVORCEmate printer button on our Toolbar for printing... it was designed to remove the shading, recalculate if necessary, print the form and turn the shading back on!

Forms One: If you notice that sometimes your law firm ends up acting for the Respondent instead of the Applicant, or visa-versa.... you probably did not set your law firm up under "Firm Lawyers" and instead have your firm listed under "Other Lawyers". To fix: start DIVORCEmate One and click "Lawyers" button; make sure you have your law firm name listed under the "Firm Lawyers" tab; and make sure that your firm is NOT listed under the "Other Lawyers" tab. For family support workers, enter "Self Represented" or "Not Represented" as the name of the lawyer under the "Firm Lawyers" section.

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