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;certificate of fees:A document endorsed by a master or registrar stating the amount a client owes to their lawyer, issued following a hearing to "assess" or "tax" a lawyer's bill and determine what portion of the lawyer's bill was reasonable and is properly owed to or refundable by that lawyer. See "account."
;Certificate of Pending Litigation:A document filed in the office of the Land Title and Survey Authority against the title of real property, stating that the property is the subject of a court proceeding and that ownership of the property may change as a result; formerly called a ''lis pendens''. In family law, a CPL is used to protect the interest of a party in a piece of property by notifying potential purchasers or mortgagees about the court proceeding. See "clear title," "encumbrance," and "real property."
;''Charter of Rights and Freedoms'':Also known as the ''Charter'', the part of the ''Constitution Act, 1982'' that sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms enjoyed by all Canadians, including the freedoms of religion and expression and the rights to life and liberty. Neither the federal nor the provincial governments can may pass laws or act in ways contrary to the ''Charter''.
;chattel:Personal property; an item of property other than real estate. See "real property."
;child:A person who is younger than the legal age of majority, 19 in British Columbia. See "age of majority."
;construction:In law, the interpretation of something, like a document or a set of circumstances, so as to give it meaning. For example, if a separation agreement stated that one guardian "will have the children on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday" but didn’t say anything about the other guardian, the agreement would be ''constructed'' to mean that the other guardian would have the children on the days that weren't mentioned.
;contact:Under the ''Family Law Act'', a term that describes the time a person who is not a guardian of a child, including a parent who is not a guardian, has with that child. Under the ''Divorce Act'', a term that describes the time a person who is not a married spouse has with a child. See "guardian" and "parental responsibilities."
;constructive trust:In family law, the finding by a court that a person holds a portion of their assets for the benefit of the other party without an express agreement to that effect between the parties. See "resulting trust," "trust" and "trustunjust enrichment."
;contempt of court:Doing something or failing to do something that impairs the administration of justice or respect for the court’s authority, such as bribing a witness, disobeying a court order, or misleading the court. Contempt of court can be a civil offence as well as a criminal offence.
;contingency fees:A fee arrangement whereby a lawyer is paid by taking a percentage of the money awarded to their client by the court or a settlement. Contingency fee agreements are not allowed in family matters, although sometimes a lawyer will agree to be paid from the assets held by a party following the final resolution of an action, such as the proceeds of the sale of a family asset. See "account," "lawyer's fees," and "retainer."
;contract:An agreement between two or more people, giving them obligations towards each other that can be enforced in court. A valid contract must be offered by one person and accepted by the other, and some form of payment or other thing of value must generally be exchanged between the parties to the contract.
;contract law:The branch of law dealing with the interpretation and enforcement of contracts. The principles of contract law are usually, but not always, applicable to family law agreements.
;corollary relief:In a court proceeding for divorce, this term refers to all relief claimed under the ''Divorce Act'' apart from the divorce order itself, specifically claims about custodyfor parenting orders, accesschild support orders and spousal support orders. See "action" and "relief.";corollary relief proceeding:A court proceeding under the ''Divorce Act'' in which a spouse seeks claims for parenting orders, child support and orders or spousal supportorders. See "action" and "relief."
;corporal punishment:In family law, the physical punishment of a child by a parent, guardian, or other authorized person. Corporal punishment is permitted under the ''Criminal Code'', but only to a limited extent and only by certain persons, including parents and teachers.
;costs:In law, a calculation of the allowable legal expenses of a party to a court proceeding, as determined by the Supreme Court Family Rules. The party who is most successful in a court proceeding is usually awarded their "costs" of the proceeding. See "account," "bill of costs," "certificate of costs" and "lawyer's fees."
;Crown:In law, (1) the federal and provincial governments and their departments and agencies, or (2) lawyers employed by the federal and provincial governments to prosecute criminal offences.
;cruelty:In family law, the physical, verbal, emotional, or mental abuse of one married spouse by the other. Proof of cruelty is grounds for an immediate divorce, providing that the other spouse has not forgiven the cruelty. See "condonation" and "divorce, grounds of."
;custody:In family law, an antiquated term used by the old ''Divorce Act'' to describe the right to possess a child and make parenting decisions concerning the child's health, welfare and upbringing. Replaced in the new ''Divorce Act'' with the term ''decision-making responsibility." See "access," "decision-making responsibility" and "parenting time."
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