Ryan Kniznik - Family Lawyer

Happy to announce that my firm was ranked and recognized by Best Lawyers as one of the best family law firms in Ontario, and I only opened 7 months ago!!!

https://www.bestlawfirms.com/firms/kniznik-family-law/105309/CA

In order to see results on a case, you don't need to come at the other side with anger and insults.

You need strategies, to take proactive steps, and be able to know what is a practical and realistic outcome.

The anger and insults are usually a sign of someone who doesn't have a strong case.

A client needs to feel comfortable talking to their family lawyer.

Family law issues are emotional, important, and life changing for people. They are sharing details of their lives, and many are going through a hard time.

As a family lawyer, it's important to create a comfortable and safe space for the client to speak with you.

If you want to see movement on family cases, you need to take proactive steps.

Things don't just happen. It also takes time to get in front of a judge, mediator, arbitrator etc. Always taking steps to advance a case forward is needed to get a case to the finish line.

Clients want progress and action.

Using insulting, aggressive and combative language isn't a good strategy for family law cases.

This can harm the client's case:

1. It escalates the conflict;
2. Can shut down negotiations;
3. Lead to the other side being more difficult to deal with.

The way a lawyer communicates on a file makes a big difference.

Proud to be recognized in the Best Lawyers in Canada for Family Law, especially in my first year of opening my own firm!!

Ryan Kniznik - Toronto, ON - Lawyer | Best Lawyers Ryan Kniznik is a Family Law attorney in Toronto, ON. Read Ryan Kniznik's profile to learn more about them and discover their Best Lawyers rankings.

Some people are worried about the perception of making the first move to settle a case that's in litigation.

They think this will show weakness. It doesn't. Making the first move to try and keep control over the outcome, save costs, time, and reduce uncertainty are good things.

Family law issues don't need to be all or nothing.

Approaching issues with an open mind allows more opportunities to be creative in getting to a desired outcome.

Rather than shutting down negotiations at the outset, keeping the lines of communication open helps achieve positive results.

People need to feel comfortable asking questions and talking to their family lawyer.

This can be done by not making someone feel like it's a chore to answer them or that the lawyer is too important to give them time.

Dealing with legal issues isn't fun for people. Making them comfortable can help the process be a bit easier on them.

When issues get heated on a family law case, neither party usually walks away feeling better.

Issues can be emotional, which is understandable. Important and sensitive matters are being addressed.

One valuable thing a lawyer can do is to try and keep the temperature down when discussing these issues. This can be done by using neutral language, staying on point, and not insulting the other side.

Family law cases don't need to be long drawn-out battles.

People generally want quick closure, not prolonged conflict and arguments. There is a way to get there through focused communication, thinking about resolution, and putting energy into productive steps.

The separation process can be approached in a way to be smoother, less stressful and with less conflict.

Having a working relationship with opposing counsel is a good thing.

Many people think that to get ahead on a case, lawyers need to be fighting with each other all the time. This isn't needed. The issues exist. The role of the lawyer is to address them in a productive way.

When a working relationship exists, the issues can be addressed faster, with solutions that both parties can get on board with.

You don't need to speak the loudest to succeed on a family law case.

Actions taken are more impactful then the volume of your voice. Also, conduct matters. These are factors, beyond the case law, that make a difference in how things will go.

One measurement of success on a family law case is whether the parties were able to resolve the case without a judge weighing in.

Not every case will settle, and some issues require a judge to make a call. However being able to get a solution, especially with high conflict dynamics, without the need to throw things up to a judge can be considered a success.

Trying to keep the parties in control of the outcome requires hard work, solid communication skills, and creativity.

Advancing a family law case forward doesn't require making the other side's life miserable.

Being argumentative and combative isn't effective advocacy. It's just being difficult without gaining ground.

It's a much nicer experience when issues are addressed with respect and sensitivity.

Getting mad at the other side in a family law case can happen.

People try to do things on purpose to throw you off.

One way to move past this is to focus on positive progress. This lessens the impact of certain conduct and keeps things going forward.

Making the first offer to settle or initiating resolution talks isn't a sign of weakness.

It's a way to try and address issues efficiently, settle a case or narrow the outstanding matters.

If you wait for the other side to go first you may never get that offer or negotiations going.

Keeping conflict down in a family law case helps speed up bringing issues to a conclusion.

Having a difference of opinion on a position is fine. How that difference is communicated and handled has an impact on the level of conflict.

Being able to contain and minimize the conflict while handling the issues is a way for people to have positive forward movement.

Every communication in a family law case doesn't need to be an argument.

Resolutions are easier to reach and the overall process is smoother, when people can talk out the issues without arguing all the time.

Outline the ask, why it's being made, and see if there is traction to get somewhere.

When the family lawyers get along, the clients benefit.

Progress isn't made with angry communications or yelling. It's done when people can talk to each other, hear the other side, and propose solutions.

Resolutions are easier to reach when productive talks can take place.

Having a family lawyer that other's like and want to talk with is a big value add to the case.

This opens up opportunities to talk settlement, can reduce conflict and stress, and can speed up the time it takes to complete the case.

When the lawyers are on positive speaking terms this can benefit the clients.