Allen & Malek LLP
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.2 lawyers · Established 1985 · City of Toronto
One of 2,272 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 508 handling Wills, Estates & Trusts.
Free consultation
Free consultationAbout Allen & Malek LLP
Allen & Malek LLP is a Toronto practice devoted to estate and business law. It plans estates and administers trusts for individuals and families, and it's been looking after the legal needs of Ontario businesses for more than 35 years. The firm has served the Toronto region since 1985, and it practised as Allen & Allen before taking its current name.
The practice is led by partners John Allen and Adam Malek. John Allen's work spans estate, business, securities and real estate law. Adam Malek covers estate, business and employment law, with a practice centred on estates and corporate matters, and holds a philosophy degree from Bishop's University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Manitoba.
John Allen was called to the Bar in 1991 and clerked at the Ontario Superior Court before joining Bill Allen, John's father, in practice in 1992. Alongside arts, science and law degrees, John earned a Master's and a PhD in law at Osgoode Hall Law School while working full time at the firm. John has also acted as counsel to, and sat as a director of, private and public companies, two of them TSX Venture Exchange listed businesses, one in real estate investment and one in energy resources.
Both partners write about the law they practise. Together with Brian Quinlan and Dickson Lai, they published How to Administer an Estate in Ontario, and Adam Malek has written articles on new estate reporting obligations and on crowdfunding prospectus exemptions under the Securities Act. Clients deal with a lawyer for every communication, and the firm commits to returning calls and emails by the next business day and to not charging for short phone calls. The first consultation is free.
History
The firm's roots run through three generations of Allen lawyers. Bill Allen was called to the Ontario Bar in 1954 and started out in practice with Jack Allen, Bill's father, and John Bamber Allen, Bill's brother, who went on to become a Provincial Court Judge in Orangeville. Once Jack retired, Bill spent roughly seventeen years at Lang Michener, then in 1985, at 57, opened a firm that later took the name Allen & Allen. Two of Bill's sons followed: Thomas Allen, later a law professor at Durham University in England, and then John. Bill Allen died on April 30, 2015, aged 86.
Over the years the firm's lawyers have included Gaylanne Phelan and Paul Doucette. Adam Malek joined in 2015, and on October 15, 2020, Allen & Allen became Allen & Malek LLP, a limited liability partnership formed under the Partnerships Act and the Law Society Act.
Practice areas
Estate planning
Allen & Malek prepares wills and testamentary trusts, sets up revocable and irrevocable trusts, and handles incapacity planning, powers of attorney among it. The planning work also takes in prenuptial and domestic partnership agreements and ways to reduce probate fees and estate taxes, with estate documents written in plain language.
Estate administration and disputes
For estate trustees, the firm interprets wills and trust documents, prepares and files probate applications, and handles preparing and passing accounts. When an estate turns contentious, it acts on dependant support claims and beneficiary disputes, and on both bringing and defending challenges to a will.
Business and corporate
The business practice runs from incorporations and amalgamations through to dissolutions, and covers leasing, buying and selling businesses, shareholder and partnership agreements, and distributorship and franchise arrangements. It also handles intellectual property registration and business litigation.
Securities
John Allen practises securities law, and for six years John wrote the Quicklaw / LexisNexis "Allen securities netletter".
Good to know
Accessible parkingFees & payment
Free consultationHow Allen & Malek LLP works
Plain language is a working habit at Allen & Malek, and it started with Bill Allen, who championed clear writing in wills, contracts and client letters and steered away from dense legalese. The firm still holds to that today. Estate documents are drafted plainly so clients understand their own plans, and business clients first talk through the company's structure, control and growth before their documents are drafted in everyday terms.
The firm's view is that a client's goals and concerns matter as much as the legal question itself. It commits to drafting documents and getting them back to clients quickly, and when a business file calls for it, it brings in a network of accountants, tax advisers, other lawyers and insurers.
Milestones & recognition
- 2004: Bill Allen received the Ontario Bar Association's Award of Excellence for lifetime contributions and achievements in trusts and estates law.
- Estate Planning Handbook: Bill Allen co-wrote the 1985, 1991 and 1999 editions (Carswell); John Allen co-wrote the 3rd edition with Bill Allen and the 4th and 5th with chartered accountant Brian Quinlan, and Adam Malek contributed to the 5th edition (2019).
- John Allen sits as a part-time deputy judge of the Ontario Small Claims Court, a court with jurisdiction up to $50,000.
- John Allen co-writes the annual Handling Provincial Offence Cases in Ontario with Justice Libman of the Ontario Court of Justice.
Affiliations & connections
- Queen's University Faculty of Law: John Allen of Allen & Malek has taught law at Queen's University's law school in Kingston.
- Toronto Metropolitan University: John Allen has taught law in Toronto Metropolitan University's business program.
- Humber Polytechnic: John Allen has taught law in Humber's paralegal degree program and its post-graduate business program.
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1991 · median 35 years in practice 1 of 2 lawyers
- Law schools
- University of Manitoba 1 of 2 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Allen & Malek's office is Suite 205 at 350 Wellington Street West in downtown Toronto. Wellington Street starts at Church Street, crosses the downtown core by way of the Financial District, and finishes at Strachan Avenue. The street most likely takes its name from Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Allen & Malek send me a written estate planning recommendation and quote, with no obligation, before I decide?
- Allen & Malek sends a recommendation letter and a quote for your estate plan, with no obligation attached, once you fill in its estate planning intake form.
- I've been named an estate trustee. Can Allen & Malek help me prepare and pass the estate accounts?
- Allen & Malek helps estate trustees prepare and pass accounts, and it makes an Excel estate accounting sample, with and without worked examples, available on its site. Its partners also co-published How to Administer an Estate in Ontario, a handbook for people appointed as executors in Ontario.
- Does Allen & Malek's estate planning cover business succession and buy-sell agreements?
- Allen & Malek includes business succession planning and buy-sell agreements in its estate planning services, alongside wills, trusts and powers of attorney.
Where to find them
350 Wellington Street West, Suite 205, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3W9 · 416-865-0303
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Real Estate LawWills, Estates & TrustsThis 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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