Stephen Durbin & Associates
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.10 lawyers · Halton Region, City of Toronto, City of Hamilton and 6 more locations
One of 105 law firms listed in Burlington, and one of 27 handling Family Law.
About Stephen Durbin & Associates
Stephen Durbin & Associates is a family law firm that guides people through divorce and separation, child custody, support and other family matters, with its team based in Burlington. Beyond Burlington, clients can meet the firm at locations including Hamilton, Barrie, Kitchener and Waterford in Norfolk County, each of which sees clients by appointment only.
Stephen Durbin founded the firm. Called to the bar in 1984, Durbin spent the early years of practice in general practice with a concentration in family law. A philosophy degree from York University came first, then law at the University of Ottawa, and accounting studies at university gave Durbin a deeper grasp of complex matrimonial finances. For some years Durbin also taught negotiation, trial tactics and professional ethics in the Law Society of Upper Canada's Bar Admission Course.
Lisa K. Stern is the firm's senior counsel and its Director of Business & Marketing. Stern earned a civil law LL.B. at Université de Sherbrooke and a J.D. at Queen's University, was called to the Ontario Bar in 2001, has practised in Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton, and has served the Burlington community since 2010. Nicole Paldino started at the firm as a summer law student, articled there and is now one of its associates.
Clients here don't have just one lawyer. A team supports each matter from the beginning, and the firm's collaborative model is designed to give clients the benefit of the whole team at the rate of a single lawyer. Afnan Arshad appears regularly in both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice. The firm also keeps a 24-hour response policy, with priority for matters in court and those involving children.
Practice areas
Property and complex finances
On equalization files the firm brings in appraisers and accountants to get the numbers right, and it advises across Ontario on constructive trust and joint family venture claims. Associate Zehra Karagoz articled and then practised corporate and tax law at a large Toronto firm before joining.
Our guide: How to Get a Divorce in Ontario
Support enforcement
The firm helps clients register support orders, watches whether payments arrive and acts when they don't, and it brings in specialists such as accountants to check financial information. Nazifa Islam articled at Ontario's Family Responsibility Office and later worked there as Crown counsel.
Family arbitration
The firm recommends that a lawyer, its own or another, help pick a family arbitrator. It can walk a client through the arbitration itself, file the award with the court, or help vary or set aside an award.
Collaborative family law
In collaborative cases the firm works with financial and parenting specialists and other family professionals as needed. Lisa K. Stern offers collaborative law alongside a litigation practice and is a member of Collaborative Practice Peel Hamilton Halton.
Marital fraud
When someone may have been married under false pretences, the firm looks at whether the facts could support an annulment or whether a divorce is the better route.
Grandparents' contact
The firm acts for grandparents asking the court for parenting, access or contact orders so they can see their grandchildren.
Relocation disputes
In mobility cases it represents parents who want to move with a child as well as parents opposing a proposed move.
Local issues by region
In Norfolk, the firm's net family property work takes in farmland, livestock and quota rights. For Kitchener-Waterloo clients, it understands the equity compensation and tech-sector employment issues common in that region, and its Ottawa lawyers know their way around government pensions and security clearances.
Good to know
Accessible parking
By appointmentHow Stephen Durbin & Associates works
Before a new client comes in, the firm reviews the matter and pairs that client with the lawyer who fits it. As a matter of policy, it aims to keep every exchange between the parties cost-effective, secure and amicable, and its case assessments and legal opinions are meant to show clearly whether a matter is worth pursuing.
On mediation, the firm recommends a consultation first, since the process may not be needed and could prove too costly. Inside the office, the team works on a "Think Tank" model, trading information, raising questions and testing strategy with nearby teammates on the spot.
Milestones & recognition
- Jeff Behrendt is the author of several family law books and has taught paralegal students family law at Herzing College.
- Mackenzie Sutherland holds two law degrees: a Canadian J.D. from the University of Windsor and an American J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy.
In the community
- Lisa K. Stern's volunteer work spans Grimsby Minor Hockey, Grimsby Youth Soccer and the Burlington Lions' Optimist Hockey Association.
- Stephen Durbin has volunteered with the Toronto Food Bank.
- Elgin Tagle, a student-at-law at the firm, has volunteered with Lawyers Feed the Hungry.
Affiliations & connections
- Halton County Law Association: Sean Johnson and Nazifa Islam are members of the Halton County Law Association.
- The Advocates' Society: Stephen Durbin and Jeff Behrendt are both members of The Advocates' Society.
- AFCC Ontario: Afnan Arshad is a member of the Ontario Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.
- Ontario Justice Education Network: Nazifa Islam has volunteered with the Ontario Justice Education Network.
Lawyers 10
Afnan Arshad
Associate Lawyer
Jeff Behrendt
Senior Associate Lawyer
Family Law
Lisa K. Stern
Senior Counsel / Director of Business & Marketing
Family Law
Mackenzie Sutherland
Associate Lawyer
Melissa Fedsin
Senior Associate Lawyer / Managing Lawyer
Family Law
Nazifa Islam
Senior Associate Lawyer
Family Law
Nicole Paldino
Associate Lawyer
Sean Johnson
Senior Associate Lawyer
Stephen Durbin
Owner
Zehra Karagoz
Associate Lawyer
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2001–2022 · median 14 years in practice 2 of 10 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School (3), Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University, Queen's University, University of Toronto, University of Windsor 7 of 10 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- Bangla, English, Hindi, Spanish, Urdu
Who handles what
Offices 12
Show all 12 offices
The neighbourhood
The Burlington office is at 5500 North Service Road, Suite 903, right at the QEW and Burloak, and easy to reach from Highway 403. It serves Burlington, Hamilton, Oakville and nearby Halton Region communities. Burlington borders Hamilton to the south and Oakville to the northeast.
In Toronto, the office is at Bay and Bloor. In Vaughan, the Highway 7 office serves Woodbridge, Thornhill, Maple and Concord.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Stephen Durbin & Associates connected to the website stephendurbinllp.com?
- No. stephendurbinllp.com has no connection to this firm.
- Can I speak with someone at Stephen Durbin & Associates in Spanish, Hindi, Urdu or Bangla?
- Yes. Stephen Durbin speaks Spanish, Afnan Arshad speaks Hindi and Urdu, and Nazifa Islam speaks Bangla.
- Who handles family law matters at the Ottawa location on Ogilvie Road?
- Jeff Behrendt is the firm's Ottawa senior associate, working with the firm in association, and has practised family law in Ontario since 2000. The Ottawa office is at 1980 Ogilvie Road, Suite 208.
- How does the articling program at Stephen Durbin & Associates work?
- The firm takes up to two articling students a year. Applicants send a cover letter showing their interest in family law and in the firm, plus a resume and both undergraduate and law school transcripts. Sean Johnson was the firm's first articling student, helped develop the program and stayed on as an associate after being called to the bar.
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Family LawThis listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on the firm’s own website. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
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