CLEVER 101

Outsmart Conflict

Work Together - Do It Right - Follow a Plan

Ontario's Financially-Smart Divorce Solution

Our Story

Before we ever helped couples separate, our journey began in Ontario’s financial services sector. We heard the same heartbreaking story over and over: families spending tens of thousands on legal divorce only to feel emotionally and financially devastated. That’s when we asked—isn’t there a better divorce process?

Our Raison d’Être

Our founders—including Canadian financial expert Gail Vaz-Oxlade—set out to change how divorce happens in Ontario. By collaborating with lawyers, mediators, therapists, and money experts, we created a more supportive separation service rooted in dignity, clarity, and financial wisdom.

Our Mission

We help clients through one of life’s hardest transitions. Divorce doesn’t have to be destructive. With the right financial guidance during separation, people can preserve what matters, make informed decisions, and build strong futures. That’s what our divorce support team delivers—every day.

Our Team's Magic

Divorce is hard. But the right team makes it manageable. Our family mediation experts walk alongside you, grounded in values like compassion, professionalism, balance, and clear communication. Our company culture is different—and you’ll feel it in every interaction.

Our 10 Steps Make The Common Sense Divorce a
SMART SOLUTION

For most folks, the legal process feels confusing, overwhelming—and expensive. What comes first? What do you need? And how do you avoid a courtroom battle?

At The Common Sense Divorce, things are done a LOT differently.

Our approach is designed for Ontario families who want clarity, stability, and support—not conflict. We’ve developed a guided 10-step process that replaces the traditional lawyer-led model with something smarter: a team of specialists working together to help you plan, negotiate, and finalize your divorce with confidence.

And, believe it or not, our entire process is conducted virtually. From start to finish. This allows our team to help any family, no matter where they are in Ontario, Canada.

Whether you’re just starting to research separation, or you’ve decided to just get this party started, this roadmap shows you how we’ll help—every step of the way.

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Get a customized Divorce Triage Report tailored specifically to you…

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Take this guided journey through unfamiliar terrain...
mapped with care, led with experience...

No-Fee Consultation

Even the most formidable journey starts with a single step. This expedition starts with a bite-sized conversation. We’ll take a quick measure of your story, assess how we can assist your family, and provide guidance on what to expect next. You can call individually or with your spouse.

The Discovery Session

You wouldn’t wander into the woods without knowing where you’re going, and divorce is no different.

The Discovery Session is perhaps the most important meeting of your separation—because mapping out your quest in advance will make all the difference to your journey. In the Discovery Session (conducted with just you or with you and your spouse), we’ll take a couple of hours to understand more of the intricacies of your story, help you understand how the divorce process works in Ontario, including your rights, responsibilities, and negotiation options.

We’ll get you thinking about your financial plan, instruct you how to organize your documents, and put a financial protection plan in place. Once you understand the road ahead you make the decision about how to proceed.

Financial Disclosure & Analysis

Before you build, you must gather everything you need.

Wise financial strategy begins with preparation. This step is about gathering the documents that will allow our team to best support you—income records, assets, pension and business valuations, debts, and key financial statements.

Our Client Care Team will help you organize everything with care, precision, and efficiency. While it may feel like a behind-the-scenes task, this is the structural foundation of your entire process—helping you move forward with clarity, confidence, and fewer surprises along the way.

The Parenting Plan

When the path ahead involves your children, every step matters.

Creating a Parenting Plan is about more than schedules—it’s about protecting your children’s sense of home, safety, and belonging. In this session, we guide you and your spouse through calm, thoughtful conversations that help map out the road ahead as co-parents.

With guidance and structure, this becomes a plan not just for today—but for the many seasons of parenting still to come. A well-made Parenting Plan reduces future conflict and builds lasting confidence in how you’ll move forward together, even while living apart.

Financial Strategy Session

From above, the landscape becomes clear.

At this stage in the journey, it’s time to gain perspective. Financial decisions made during divorce can have long-lasting effects—so we help you rise above the fog and take a broader view.

Together with our Divorce Financial Specialist, you’ll explore the landscape of your family’s finances with precision and foresight. We’ll run through tax scenarios, division strategies, and future planning—all through the lens of protecting your long-term financial wellbeing.

With an eagle-eye view, you’ll make smarter, clearer decisions. This session is where your financial plan begins to soar.

Negotiation Sessions

When it’s time to find common ground, everyone takes their place around the circle.

This is where the real work of resolution begins. Guided by your mediator, you and your spouse will engage in focused, practical conversations to settle the matters that must be addressed—support, property, parenting time, pensions, the family home, and more.

Each person comes to the table with their own priorities, questions, and concerns. Your mediator’s role is to ensure those voices are heard, that nothing important is missed, and that the solutions you reach are balanced, thoughtful, and built to last.

This is your opportunity to shape the next chapter of your life with dignity and intention.

Drafting Session

Every expedition leaves a trail behind—a record of where you’ve been and how far you’ve come. In this session, we put your journey into writing.

Now that key decisions have been made, your mediator will carefully document the terms you’ve agreed upon in a memo of understanding. That document is passed to an independent family lawyer, who formalizes it into a legal Separation Agreement.

This written Agreement becomes the official record of your path—thoughtfully constructed, legally sound, and ready for the final steps ahead.

Independent Legal Review

As your journey nears its end, precision and clarity become crucial. This step ensures that the legal foundation of your Agreement is just as strong as the emotional resilience and financial structure you’ve worked hard to establish.

An independent family lawyer will carefully review your draft Separation Agreement—ensuring it’s legally sound, enforceable, and reflective of your true intentions. They’ll guide you through the fine print, protecting your rights and ensuring nothing has been overlooked.

It’s the quiet watchfulness of this review that brings confidence. You’ll leave this step knowing that your Agreement can support whatever the future holds.

Signing Session

At last, the water is still.

This final step marks a quiet but meaningful departure. With everything agreed upon, we’ll coordinate with you and your spouse to sign your formal Separation Agreement—a document that carries the weight of your journey and the clarity of your intentions.

You’re each heading into the next stretch of life’s current—no longer bound, but still shaped by the voyage you shared.

Once signed, your Agreement becomes a legal compass: a tool to apply for mortgages, file with the court, or simply move forward with peace of mind.

Uncontested Divorce Decree

Ahead, the path levels out—wide, open, and entirely your own.

After the long journey—navigating tangled paths, forging new trails, and crossing unseen bridges—you reach the final threshold. With your Separation Agreement signed and a year behind you since your official separation, the Uncontested Divorce brings legal closure.

This is not an ending. It is an emergence.

You’ve done the hard work—with steady guidance beside you. Our team has walked this path with countless others before you, and now, we’ve helped you reach the clearing.

The view ahead is open—bright with possibility, steady beneath your feet, and fully your own.

Now that you’ve seen the path, meet the guides who will walk it with you.

Introducing Our Team

Divorce is rarely simple. But with the right plan, the right support, and the right people beside you, it can be navigated with clarity, dignity, and confidence.

Now that you’ve seen the 10 steps that make The Common Sense Divorce a smart solution, meet the team who helps guide families through this process every day—with professionalism, care, and winning mix of combined insight.

We’re not just professionals—we’re your guides, your sounding board, and your partners through each step of the journey.

Gail Vax-Oxlade
Co-Founder

Darren Gingras
Executive Director

Mary-Anne Popescu
Family Mediator

Dina Simone
Financial Services

Sarah Balram
Financial Services

Kathy Andrews
Financial Services

Liza Fouad
Client Care Team

Jessica Grace
Client Care Team

Janice Hoover
Client Care Team

Ken Murphy
Operations

Brendan Horton
Dispute Resolution Technologies

Josh Morrison
Legal

Joel Capitao
Home Services

Jason Emata
Home Services

Moises Rophie
Home Services

Jesse Abrams
Home Services

Geoff Rabideau
Real Estate Law

Steve Altwerger
Estate Lawyer

Neeraj Goel
Family Lawyer

Ryan Osbourne
Family Lawyer

Sydney Bunting
Family Lawyer

Madison Howell
Family Lawyer

Sean Valentine
Family Lawyer

Daniel Goldgut
Estate Lawyer

BTW Gail says, "Hang in there, sweetie...
you don't have to navigate this blindly."

My team at The Common Sense Divorce has guided thousands of Canadian families through the wild.

DIVORCE WITHOUT A PLAN IS A RECIPE FOR REGRET
A clear, step-by-step process keeps you focused, organized, and protected — legally, financially, emotionally. With the right people guiding you, you avoid court, cut the drama, and make smarter decisions for your future.

Our 10 Steps Make The Common Sense Divorce a SMART SOLUTION

Take this guided journey through unfamiliar terrain...mapped with care, led with experience...