Hannah Rubenstein, Associate

Hannah works as a family lawyer on the Lenehan Musgrave team. She enjoys working closely with clients to resolve their family law issues both within and outside of the Court process. She focuses on family law matters, including litigation in high conflict cases both in the Supreme Court (Family Division) and Provincial Family Court. In addition to private family law matters, Hannah also represents parents and Litigation Guardians in child protection proceedings.

Hannah was called to the Nova Scotia bar in June of 2018. Prior to joining Lenehan Musgrave as an associate, Hannah articled and worked as a family lawyer in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Hannah has an interest in helping individuals in crisis, she has worked with clients at Dalhousie Legal Aid and has volunteered with the Elizabeth Fry Society, researching the prisoners’ conditions of confinement and educating them on their rights while incarcerated.

Hannah is committed to guiding her clients through the complexity of family law matters. She understands that each client is different, and tries to find the process and solution that works best for them.

What constitutes common law?

A common law relationship is simply the act of living together in a marriage-like relationship without actually being legally married. It does not require any kind of legal process to create a common law union. The definition of common law partnership also differs depending on the laws applied. For example, the Canada Pension Plan states that two people are in a common law relationship after a year of cohabitation. The Parenting and Support Act, on the other hand, requires two years of cohabitation before a relationship can be described as common law.