Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m M A r C h 2 0 1 5 41 Whatever the reason, the numbers in the 55-plus group are up, says Rick Peticca of Shulman Law PC. "If I think of my cases at least 40 to 50 per cent of them are the grey divorces," he says. "Usually it's that they've grown apart or there is that one unresolved issue they have let fester. They've stuck it out for the kids but there's been a problem that was never resolved and they let it fester in a silent fashion. You know that old advice that suggests if there's a problem you should talk about it and not go to bed angry? The grey divorce can't be any better example to support that." While few women or men let their hair go grey anymore, the "grey divorce" phenomenon is a category that is a tick- ing time bomb, says Benmor. "There will be more people divorcing after the age of 60 — the kids are out of the house and parents are looking at each other, contemplating their retirement and one wants to travel and the other wants to stay home and knit sweaters," he says. Karon Bales, of Bales Beall LLP, says it reminds her of a joke that goes like this: "It's like the old lawyer who keeps going to the office and says to their spouse: I may have married you for life, but not for lunch." Bales sees women making the decision to divorce more often these days and it can come as a shock to their spouses who didn't see it coming. It can also mean the shock of selling the family home and dividing the RSPs that have been built up over the years. "I did a divorce for a couple in their 70s in December. They had been separated for six years and just couldn't figure out how to divide everything. In another one the couple had just sold the family business and she decided she wanted out — it took him completely by surprise." Others jokingly point to Cialis and Viagra as the culprit — men decide they want a second chapter with some- one new. On the flip side, women are in the workforce longer and have their own income and decide they don't have to stay in an unhappy marriage. "My grandmother was a grey-haired lady at 76. My mother at 76 still works," says Cheryl Goldhart, of Toronto family law firm Goldhart & Associates. "This is probably the first generation of women who don't have to stay in a marriage." Divorce presents financial challenges I dId a dIvorce for a couple In theIr 70s In december. they had been separated for sIx years and just couldn't fIgure out how to dIvIde everythIng. KAron BALeS, Bales Beall LLP Essential Tools for Family Law Professionals For more information, visit www.divorcemate.com 1.800.653.0925 x407 | sales@divorcemate.com NOW AVAILABLE! ADD FREEDOM & FLEXIBILITY TO YOUR PRACTICE DM Tools Cloud Work anywhere, anytime, on any device. For child and spousal support calculations. Available for PC, Mac, tablets and smartphones. ntitled-5 1 2015-02-09 10:22 AM ntitled-1 1 2015-02-09 9:06 AM

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