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
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.
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.
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
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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