Elm Law
18 lawyers · Durham Region, Simcoe County
One of 48 law firms listed in Whitby, and one of 22 handling Family Law.
About Elm Law
Clients rate this firm highly on Google.
Elm Law is a Whitby, Ontario firm that practices exclusively in family law and estate litigation. Lawyer Amelia Yiu founded the firm after nine years in practice, having started in 2007 as an associate at a small Toronto litigation firm. Yiu opened Elm Law in Whitby to serve Durham Region with family law, estate litigation and elder law work. Yiu received a Bachelor of Laws from Queen's University in 2006, was called to the Ontario Bar in 2007, and is a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and a former Chair of the Elder Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association.
The firm has grown into a team of lawyers, articling students and clerks working out of three offices in Whitby, Oshawa and Barrie. Elm Law does not offer a free initial consultation; a first meeting with a lawyer is billed at that lawyer's hourly rate, with no obligation to retain counsel afterward. As Yiu puts it, "What motivates me every day is being able to help clients navigate through complicated matters to reasoned solutions."
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Amelia Yiu received a Bachelor of Laws from Queen's University in 2006 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2007.
- Yiu is a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and a former Chair of the Elder Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association.
- Yiu has appeared before the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court and the Superior Court of Justice.
- The firm's website states that 94% of its cases were won in court from 2016 to the present.
- The firm's website describes a family law trial in which it secured $90,000.00 in costs payable to its client.
In the community
- Several lawyers at the firm volunteer with Luke's Place, a Durham Region nonprofit that supports women leaving abusive relationships, including service on its legal advisory board.
- The firm's blog has covered niche subjects such as the legal test for capacity to marry and considerations for serving LGBT2SQ clients as they age.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleFees & payment
HourlyLawyers 18
Amelia Yiu
Lawyer, LL.B., T.E.P.
Wills, Estates & TrustsFamily Law
Brittany Blainey
Lawyer
Family Law
Dana Hogarth
Lawyer
Family Law
Frank Perruccio
Lawyer
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Jacqueline Eboh
Lawyer
Family Law
Lauren Wianecki
Lawyer
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Lidia Mariam Benoji
Lawyer
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Lorissa Jaipaul
Lawyer
Family Law
Melissa A. Belliveau
Lawyer & Mediator
Family LawEmployment & Labour Law
Melissa Berardi
Lawyer
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionFamily Law
Miranda Lall
Lawyer
Family LawBusiness & Corporate Law
Misha Leslie
Lawyer
Family Law
Morgan McEachen
Lawyer
Family Law
Osman Hasan
Associate Lawyer
Family LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Richard Campbell
Civil Litigator
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionInsurance Law
Sarah Goulbourne
Lawyer
Family Law
Stephanie Ostrom
Lawyer
Family Law
Tharani Prapaharan
Lawyer
Family Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2007–2025 · median 8 years in practice 11 of 18 lawyers
- Law schools
- Queen's University (4), University of Windsor (3), University of Kent (2), Cardiff Law School, Indian Law Society's Law College, Pune, India, Osgoode Hall Law School and 3 more 15 of 18 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, Hindi, Malayalam
Who handles what
Offices 3
The neighbourhood
Elm Law is headquartered in Whitby, in Ontario's Durham Region, with a second Durham office in Oshawa and a third office well to the north in Barrie. The Oshawa office sits close to the Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel S. Sharpe Courthouse at 150 Bond Street East, which handles Durham Region's court matters, including family law cases, useful ground for a firm built around family law and estate litigation.
The Barrie office is a satellite, a considerable drive north of Durham Region in Simcoe County. It extends the firm's family law and estate litigation practice to clients there rather than reflecting long local roots in that city.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Elm Law handle anything besides family law and estate litigation?
- No. Elm Law practices exclusively in family law and estate litigation, covering matters like custody and access, support claims, property division, will challenges and power of attorney disputes.
- Is the first meeting with an Elm Law lawyer free?
- No. Elm Law bills its initial consultation at the lawyer's hourly rate rather than offering it for free, and there's no obligation to retain a lawyer afterward.
- Can Elm Law help me challenge a will in Ontario?
- Yes. Will challenges and defences are a core part of the firm's estate litigation practice, alongside power of attorney disputes and contested passing of accounts.
- My parent is being isolated by a family member. Does Elm Law handle elder abuse cases?
- Yes. Elder law, including elder abuse, gray divorce and disputes about an older adult's care, is one of Elm Law's named practice areas.
- Where are Elm Law's offices and what are the hours?
- Elm Law has offices in Whitby, Oshawa and Barrie, Ontario, open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. It asks clients to call ahead to book an appointment.
- Will my family law matter go to court, or does Elm Law do mediation too?
- Both. Elm Law says it works collaboratively through mediation and other dispute resolution methods, but its lawyers are also experienced litigators in the court system.
Similar firms in Durham Region
Sage Law Group, formerly AGS Professional Law Corporation, is a family law firm based in Barrie that serves clients across Ontario by phone, video, and in person. It handles divorce and separation, parenting arrangeme…
Family Law
Legal Aid
McCague Borlack LLP is a civil litigation firm founded in 1994, with offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener, Barrie, and London. It focuses on insurance defence and insurance coverage litigation, and its lawyers also r…
Insurance Law
Personal Injury
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Business & Corporate Law
Epstein & Associates is a full-service law firm founded in 2005, with offices in Newmarket, Barrie, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Oshawa, and Aurora. Its lawyers handle family law, real estate, wills and estates, corpor…
Family Law
Real Estate Law
Wills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate LawListing compiled from the firm’s public website in September 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗