Chapman Steffler LLP

About Chapman Steffler LLP

Chapman Steffler LLP is a family law firm in Barrie, Ontario, with three lawyers who handle separation, divorce, custody, parenting time, and support matters, along with real estate and wills and estates work for clients across Simcoe County, including Orillia, Bracebridge, and Collingwood. The firm started in 2017 as Chapman McAlpine Law and was later renamed Chapman Steffler LLP. Co-founder Kara-Lynne Chapman studied forensic anthropology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, trained at Osgoode Hall Law School, and worked at a family law firm in Barrie before opening the practice. Co-founder Colin Steffler grew up in Barrie, graduated from Brock University and the University of Western Ontario law school, and joined the firm shortly after being called to the bar in June 2018.

The firm bills most family law matters hourly but charges a flat fee for uncontested divorces, and it also takes on limited scope retainers, where a client pays for specific tasks such as document preparation, coaching, or a single court appearance rather than full representation. Its real estate practice gained decades of local experience in 2025, when Cindy Vair joined as head real estate clerk. Vair began a legal career as a receptionist at a Barrie law firm in 1985, moved up to legal assistant work specializing in real estate law, and founded a title search company, C.L.V. Legal Services Inc., in 1992.