Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers

27 lawyers · Established 1998 · Algoma District, Calgary Region, Durham Region, Wellington County (Guelph), Halton Region, City of Hamilton, Frontenac County (Kingston), Lambton County (Sarnia), Middlesex County (London), Niagara Region, City of Ottawa, Peterborough County, City of Toronto, Waterloo Region, York Region

One of 31 law firms listed in Sault Ste. Marie, and one of 13 handling Family Law.

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About Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers

One of the highest-rated law firms in Waterloo, going by its Google reviews.

Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers is an Ontario firm that handles family law and nothing else. It opened in 1998 as Russell Alexander Family Lawyers, and it has grown into a team of more than twenty lawyers working from offices across the province, with a location in Calgary too. The work runs from separation and divorce through parenting time and decision-making, child and spousal support, property division, and marriage and cohabitation agreements. Adoption, child protection, and Family Responsibility Office matters are part of the practice as well.

Collaborative practice and other out-of-court routes are a core focus, and the founder is a fully trained Collaborative Practice lawyer. Each file is staffed with one lawyer and one law clerk, so clients work with a consistent pair rather than a rotating group. Alongside the casework, the firm runs FamilyLLB, an Ontario divorce education resource, and Family Law Now, a podcast on family law questions. The Waterloo office at 180 Northfield Drive West is one stop in that province-wide network, not the head office.

Practice areas

Milestones & recognition

  • Founded in 1998 as Russell Alexander Family Lawyers, and now practising as Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers.
  • The founder holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto (1993) and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School (1996), and is trained in Collaborative Practice.
  • The founder is a faculty member of the American Bar Association TECHSHOW and has written on family law and on AI and the legal profession.
  • The firm is dedicated exclusively to family law.

In the community

  • Through a Giving Fund, the firm has supported local organizations since 2009 across community development, arts and culture, sports, education, and health and human services.
  • Supported causes include women's shelters and support centres such as The Denise House, Bethesda House, and Luke's Place Support and Resource Centre for Women and Children.
  • The firm runs a Pro Bono Day and offers the Russell Alexander Law Scholarship.

Good to know

A person using a wheelchairWheelchair accessibleA rainbow pride heartLGBTQ+ friendlyA gold parking sign with a green checkmarkFree parkingA laptop showing a video callVirtual appointmentsA calendar with a checkmark beside a clockBy appointmentAn office interior with a desk and chairsIn-person services

This firm’s lawyers at a glance

Called to the bar
2002–2025 · median 15 years in practice 14 of 27 lawyers
Law schools
Osgoode Hall Law School (4), University of Leicester (4), University of Windsor (4), Queen's University (2), Bond University, Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, Lakehead University and 9 more 25 of 27 lawyers
Languages on the roster
French, Korean, Spanish

Offices 22

123 March St #202, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2Z5

144 4 Ave SW Unit 2114, Calgary, AB T2P 3N4, Canada

903 8 Ave SW #900, Calgary, AB T2P 0P7

225 Railway St E Suite #170, Cochrane, AB T4C 2C3

191 Edwards Way SW #202, Airdrie, AB T4B 3E2

21 Simcoe St S, Oshawa, ON L1H 4G1

7 Edinburgh Rd S, Guelph, ON N1H 5N8

4145 N Service Rd 2nd floor, Burlington, ON L7L 6A3

21 King St W, Hamilton, ON L8P 4W7

189 Kent St W, Lindsay, ON K9V 5G6

221 Queen St, Kingston, ON K7K 1B4

136 Christina St N, Sarnia, ON N7T 3X4

and 10 further locations listed on the firm’s own website.

The neighbourhood

The Waterloo office sits at 180 Northfield Drive West, on a corridor of offices and businesses in the city's north end. It's a satellite of a firm whose roots are farther east, in the Kawartha Lakes area, where the founder belongs to the Kawartha Collaborative Practice group and the firm's giving has long backed local shelters and youth sport. So the point of the Waterloo address is a practical one. It puts a family-law-only practice inside Waterloo Region for clients in Waterloo, Kitchener, and the surrounding townships, without asking them to travel to the firm's other locations. Meetings here cover the same ground the firm handles everywhere, from separation and parenting arrangements to support and property questions.

Frequently asked questions

Does Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers handle divorce and parenting arrangements?
Yes. The firm practises family law only, covering separation and divorce, parenting time and decision-making, child and spousal support, property division, and marriage and cohabitation agreements.
Can the firm help me settle without going to court?
That's a core focus. The firm offers collaborative, out-of-court negotiation along with family mediation and other alternative dispute resolution options.
Is the Waterloo location the firm's head office?
No. It's one of several offices across Ontario, with a Calgary location as well. The firm has practised since 1998, and the Waterloo office at 180 Northfield Drive West is one part of that network.
Who will actually work on my file?
The firm assigns one lawyer and one law clerk to each file, so clients work with the same pair from start to finish.
Does the firm handle adoption or child protection matters?
Yes. Along with divorce and support work, the firm handles adoption and child protection proceedings, including Children's Aid Society matters.
Does the firm take cases outside of family law?
No. It's dedicated exclusively to family law and doesn't take other kinds of cases.

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Listing compiled from the firm’s public website in July 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗