Arkin Furrow Estate Law LLP
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.8 lawyers · Established 2019 · City of Toronto
One of 2,276 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 508 handling Wills, Estates & Trusts.
About Arkin Furrow Estate Law LLP
Arkin Furrow Estate Law is a Toronto firm whose lawyers take on one kind of work: estate, trust and capacity disputes, for clients anywhere in Ontario. It acts in negotiations, mediations and appeals over wills, estates and trusts, and in conflicts over guardianship and powers of attorney.
Benjamin Arkin and Matthew Furrow set up the firm together in 2019. Arkin, called to the Ontario bar in 2006, has spent more than fifteen years resolving fights over wills, trusts, incapacity and related issues, and holds a J.D. from the University of Toronto and a mechanical engineering degree from Queen's University. Furrow was called in 2010, spent five years at a national firm on Bay Street, then practised estate litigation at another Toronto firm for over three years before the two joined forces. Furrow has argued for clients at every level of Ontario's courts.
C. David Freedman is counsel to the firm. Freedman litigates and mediates estate, trust and guardianship disputes, and is a tenured academic at Queen's University's Faculty of Law. The associates bring a wide mix of backgrounds: Tori Joseph studied psychology at Western, Corinne Doroszkiewicz holds two neuroscience degrees from the University of Toronto, Daniel W. Boucher worked in trust administration for a Cayman Islands firm, Shawnee Matinnia handled civil work ranging from product liability to class actions, and Rachel Quinby once coordinated a home care program for older adults. Law clerk and office manager Marylin Tait has more than 35 years in the legal profession.
The firm's office is Suite 520 at 65 Queen Street West in Toronto. A first call covers how Arkin Furrow works and what it charges, and ends with a meeting booked with one of its lawyers.
Practice areas
Estate and trust disputes
Arkin Furrow acts for any party in disputes over wills, estates and trusts. That includes dependants' support claims under the Succession Law Reform Act, fights over who owns a joint bank account or home after a death, applications to remove or replace executors and trustees, and court applications to interpret, rectify or vary a will or trust.
Capacity, guardianship and power of attorney disputes
The firm represents people whose capacity is in question, along with family members, attorneys and guardians for property or personal care, and others concerned with an incapable person's well-being. Its cases include applications to appoint or remove a guardian and court disputes between attorneys.
Accounting disputes
Arkin Furrow advises everyone with a stake in a fiduciary's accounts, from executors, trustees, attorneys and guardians to beneficiaries. It prepares and reviews accounts, handles objections raised by beneficiaries and others, and takes on disputes over how much an executor, trustee, attorney or guardian should be paid.
Uncontested matters
Not every file is a fight. The firm also handles uncontested guardianship applications, accounts passed without opposition, and unopposed court requests to change, correct or interpret the wording of a will or trust.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentHow Arkin Furrow Estate Law LLP works
Arkin Furrow's policy is to settle almost every file through negotiation or mediation, while preparing for trial from the first day, on the view that a fair settlement depends on being ready to go to court. In most capacity and guardianship conflicts, the firm looks for practical, out-of-court solutions that serve the interests of the incapable person, and it often builds a care plan alongside care providers, needs assessors, financial advisors and trust companies.
Being a small firm with lower overhead lets Arkin Furrow charge lower rates, and it uses technology and sound business practices to keep a client's costs under control. When a file needs outside expertise, the firm draws on a network that includes forensic accountants, capacity assessors, psychiatrists and business valuators, along with lawyers in other fields.
Reported cases
-
Neuberger v. York, 2016 ONCA 191
A motion judge had dismissed challenges to the wills of Chaim Neuberger on the grounds of estoppel by representation and estoppel by convention; the Court of Appeal allowed the appeals and set that order aside. Benjamin Arkin was one of three counsel for the appellant Adam Jesin-Neuberger, and later appeared for Adam Jesin-Neuberger under the name Arkin Estate Law when the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed a leave application from the decision.
Decisions where the firm's lawyers appeared as counsel, from public court records. Past cases don't predict future results.
Milestones & recognition
- Best Law Firms, ranked by Best Lawyers, places Arkin Furrow in Tier 2 for Trusts and Estates in Toronto.
- C. David Freedman, counsel to the firm, is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Estates & Trusts Law.
- Freedman is a past Editor in Chief of the Estates, Trusts & Pensions Journal, and a 2007 article Freedman wrote for that journal won the Widdifield Prize.
- The Court of Appeal for Ontario has cited, with approval, a paper co-written by Matthew Furrow.
In the community
- C. David Freedman regularly takes assignments through the Law Society's Coach and Advisor Network, helping less senior lawyers with complex matters.
- Matthew Furrow has volunteered with the Law Help Ontario program, helping people without a lawyer understand how to move their litigation forward.
- Benjamin Arkin regularly chairs, writes for and speaks at professional development programs for lawyers and other professionals.
Affiliations & connections
- Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Canada: C. David Freedman, counsel to Arkin Furrow, is a member of STEP.
- Uniform Law Conference of Canada: C. David Freedman chairs the conference's Intestate Succession Working Group.
- Ontario Bar Association: Benjamin Arkin and Matthew Furrow have both served on the executive of the OBA's Trusts and Estates Section.
- The Advocates' Society: Daniel W. Boucher, Shawnee Matinnia and Tori Joseph are members of The Advocates' Society.
Lawyers 8
Certified Specialists
A designation granted by the Law Society of Ontario, not a self-declared area of focus.
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2006 · median 20 years in practice 1 of 8 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, French, Polish
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
The office sits on the 501 Queen streetcar route, and both Osgoode and Queen subway stations are about five minutes away on foot. For drivers, City Hall parking is the closest choice, entered from the south side of Queen Street West while heading east.
Osgoode station takes its name from nearby Osgoode Hall, which honours William Osgoode, the first chief justice of Upper Canada. Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square are among the other landmarks close to the station.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Arkin Furrow advise a surviving spouse on electing to equalize net family property after a death?
- Arkin Furrow's Benjamin Arkin practised family law before moving to estate work, and advises where the two fields meet: equalization elections when a spouse dies, domestic agreements, and spousal and child support.
- What happens in Arkin Furrow's 90-minute first consultation?
- Arkin Furrow consultations usually run about 90 minutes. You explain what's happened, and the lawyer gives you a view of the case, your options and the likely time and cost. If you decide to go ahead, the relationship is set out in a retainer agreement.
- Can Arkin Furrow ask the court for an Estate Trustee During Litigation while a will dispute drags on?
- Arkin Furrow handles applications to appoint an Estate Trustee During Litigation, acting for proposed ETDLs, the executors a will names, beneficiaries and other parties.
- My elderly parent is being taken advantage of by a caregiver. Can Arkin Furrow step in?
- Arkin Furrow's capacity cases include protecting vulnerable older adults from abuse by predators, among them caregivers and neighbours.
- Can I work with an Arkin Furrow lawyer in French or Polish?
- Arkin Furrow's Daniel W. Boucher, who's originally from Montreal, is fluent in English and French, and Corinne Doroszkiewicz is fluent in English and Polish.
- Does Arkin Furrow represent lawyers whose handling of an estate file is being disputed?
- Arkin Furrow partner Matthew Furrow represents other lawyers when their conduct in an estate matter is in dispute.
Where to find them
65 Queen St. West, Suite 520, Toronto, ON, M5H 2M5, Canada · 416-583-3731
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Wills, 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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