Ottawa West Family Law

About Ottawa West Family Law

Ottawa West Family Law is a solo family law practice based in Kanata, in Ottawa's west end, at 1000 Innovation Drive. Fan MacKenzie opened the firm in 2021 to practice family law exclusively. MacKenzie was called to the Ontario Bar in 2013, articled at the Law Offices of Audra Bennett, and earned a law degree from the University of Ottawa. Before opening this practice, MacKenzie worked at Lyon Family Law from 2013 to 2020. Undergraduate studies, a B.Sc. in psychology with a focus on child development, were completed at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, after MacKenzie transferred there from UCLA.

The practice covers separation agreements, divorce, parenting and support arrangements, property division, and prenuptial and cohabitation agreements, and family court matters, including high conflict cases. For high conflict matters, the firm's approach is to use a lawyer as a go-between for the parties, which can reduce conflict and move a case toward resolution faster than direct negotiation. Property division matters can involve complications such as pensions, exaggerated debts, inheritances, gifts, and hidden assets, in addition to determining the fair market value of an asset. Ottawa West Family Law favors collaborative family law and mediation over litigation when that fits a client's situation, and offers limited scope retainers for clients who need help with part of a matter rather than a full engagement. Initial consultations are conducted virtually, and the firm serves clients in Ottawa as well as Pembroke, Perth, Brockville and Petawawa.