Bales Beall LLP
12 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 579 handling Family Law.
Virtual appointmentsVirtual appointmentsAbout Bales Beall LLP
Bales Beall LLP is a small law firm in downtown Toronto, with its office on Adelaide Street East at Yonge, in the Dynamic Funds Tower in the city's financial district. Karon C. Bales and Charles E. Beall founded the firm in 2005 and it still carries both of their names. About a dozen lawyers now work across three connected areas: family law, wills and estate planning, and the litigation and mediation that can follow when either one turns into a dispute.
The firm keeps a narrow focus rather than a general practice. Its lawyers handle domestic contracts, custody and support matters, estate administration and planning, and higher net worth family and estate disputes that often involve business succession or trusts. One of the firm's lawyers is a Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist in both Estates and Trusts Law and in Family Law. Canadian Lawyer Magazine named Bales Beall one of Canada's Top 5 Wills, Trusts & Estates Boutiques in 2021, and the firm has also appeared in Canadian Lawyer's rankings of Best Law Firms for Wills, Trusts, and Estates for 2025 to 2026.
Milestones & recognition
- Karon C. Bales and Charles E. Beall founded Bales Beall LLP in 2005.
- Canadian Lawyer Magazine named Bales Beall one of Canada's Top 5 Wills, Trusts & Estates Boutiques in 2021.
- The firm appears in Canadian Lawyer's 2025 to 2026 rankings of Best Law Firms for Wills, Trusts, and Estates.
- Karon C. Bales received an individual ranking in the 2022 Chambers High Net Worth Guide for Canada, in Private Wealth Disputes and Family/Matrimonial (High Net Worth), Band 2.
- One of the firm's founding partners has been recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada since 2006.
In the community
- Founding partner Karon C. Bales serves as a Governor of the Stratford Festival of Canada and as Chair of the Board and a Trustee of the Seeing Eye Organization (Canada), and previously chaired the board of Nightwood Theatre and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
- Founding partner Charles E. Beall is a director and past Chief Commander of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, sits on the North York General Hospital Foundation board, and has served as a Governor of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
Virtual appointments
By appointment
In-person servicesLawyers 12
Alexander Turner
Managing Partner
Wills, Estates & TrustsFamily Law
Charles E. Beall
Partner
Wills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate Law
Gila Gabay
Associate
Wills, Estates & TrustsFamily Law
Hugh Fisher
Associate
Family Law
Jessica Feldman Chittley
Partner
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Julia Volpe
Associate
Wills, Estates & TrustsFamily Law
Karon C. Bales
Partner
Family LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Katherine Holden
Associate
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Katie Morris
Associate
Wills, Estates & TrustsFamily Law
Lauren Degabriele-Sharma
Associate
Family Law
Richard Diamond
Partner
Family LawCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Samuel Rabinovitch
Associate
Wills, Estates & Trusts
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
- 1979–2025 · median 7 years in practice 12 of 12 lawyers
- Law schools
- University of Ottawa (3), Osgoode Hall Law School (2), Queen's University (2), Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario and 2 more 12 of 12 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Bales Beall's office sits in the Dynamic Funds Tower at Yonge and Adelaide, right at the edge of Toronto's financial district. It's a stretch of downtown built around banks, pension funds, and accounting firms rather than retail or residential blocks, and the building itself is anchored by tenants like OPSEU Pension Trust and the accounting firm MNP. For a firm whose estate and family law work often touches business succession and private wealth, working out of a tower full of financial services neighbours fits the practice more than it would a general storefront office.
The address is a short walk from Toronto's old core around King and Yonge, an area shaped as much by nineteenth century banking as by the condominiums that have gone up around it since. It's dense with office towers and transit rather than the kind of neighbourhood landmarks a suburban firm might anchor a story to, which suits a firm built around a small number of lawyers handling a narrow set of matters rather than a storefront practice serving walk-in local clients.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Bales Beall handle divorce and custody disputes?
- Yes. Family law is one of the firm's three core areas, alongside wills, trusts and estates, and the litigation and mediation that can follow either one into a dispute.
- Can Bales Beall help me draft a will or set up a trust?
- Yes, wills, trusts and estates work is a core part of the practice, covering planning and administration as well as the disputes that can follow. One of the firm's lawyers is a Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist in Estates and Trusts Law.
- My family is in a dispute over an estate. Can Bales Beall represent us?
- Estate and trust litigation is one of the firm's stated areas of work, including disputes tied to family owned businesses, succession, and higher net worth estates.
- Does Bales Beall offer mediation instead of going to court?
- Yes. The firm's lawyers conduct mediations in family law and estate matters as an alternative to a full trial, aimed at reaching a negotiated resolution rather than a contested court decision.
- How long has Bales Beall LLP been practising in Toronto?
- The firm was founded in 2005 by Karon C. Bales and Charles E. Beall and has practised from downtown Toronto since.
- Where is Bales Beall's office located?
- The firm is at 1 Adelaide Street East, Suite 2501, in the Dynamic Funds Tower at Yonge and Adelaide in Toronto's financial district.
Where to find them
1 Adelaide Street East, Suite 2501 Toronto, ON M5C 2V9 · 416-203-8591
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Wills, Estates & TrustsFamily LawListing compiled from the firm’s public website in July 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗