Beesley Gahrns

About Beesley Gahrns

Beesley Gahrns is a small family law firm in Ottawa, Ontario. Two lawyers, Susan Gahrns and Raquel Beesley, work from an office on West Hunt Club Road, and their approach leans toward mediation, collaborative family law, and negotiated separation agreements, so a divorce doesn't have to end up in court. The firm also handles real estate transactions and wills, powers of attorney, and estate administration, plus marriage and cohabitation agreements for couples getting ready to marry or move in together.

Susan Gahrns has practiced law for close to 30 years and was a founding member of Collaborative Practice Ottawa, later serving as past president of the Ottawa Chapter of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation. Raquel Beesley has practiced family law since 2000 and has focused on mediation, collaborative law, and cooperative negotiation since 2012, and has also served that chapter as past president and Collaborative Practice Ottawa as a panel member. Legal assistant Anne Guillet has worked alongside Susan Gahrns for more than 25 years, giving the small office some long institutional memory.

For an uncontested divorce, Beesley Gahrns handles the process through paperwork instead of a court appearance, whether the application is filed by one spouse or jointly.