Bales Beall LLP
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.12 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,276 law firms listed in Toronto.
Virtual appointmentsVirtual appointmentsAbout Bales Beall LLP
Bales Beall LLP is a downtown Toronto firm for family law and estate planning, and for the disputes that can follow either one, from fights over powers of attorney and guardianship to contested estates. Its founding partners are Karon C. Bales and Charles E. Beall, and several of its lawyers take on cases where family law and estate law cross, including family disputes tied up with trusts and estate issues and family or estate matters involving partnerships, corporations and commercial questions.
Karon Bales is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in both Estates and Trusts Law and Family Law. Alexander Turner, a managing partner, regularly acts as lead counsel in estate trials and applications in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and handles matters before the Court of Appeal.
The firm's work has drawn notice in its field. Best Lawyers chose Bales Beall as its 2023 Law Firm of the Year for Trusts and Estates, Canadian Lawyer named it a finalist in the Top Family Law Teams program, and the Ontario Bar Association gave Karon Bales its 2026 Award of Excellence in Trusts and Estates Law.
Since August 7, 2026, the office has been at 390 Bay Street, Suite 601, on the northwest corner of Bay and Richmond, and the premises are accessible. Bales Beall's lawyers are licensed to practise in Ontario, and for a matter in another province or country the firm may be able to refer you to a lawyer there.
History
Bales Beall was founded in 2005 by Karon C. Bales and Charles E. Beall, and the firm still carries both names. In 2007 it practised from Suite 1550 at 11 King Street West. Karon Bales was the firm's managing partner in 2017, and by early 2019 the practice had grown to nine lawyers. Today Alexander Turner is a managing partner.
Practice areas
Family law
Family clients come to Bales Beall for separation and divorce, parenting and support disputes, property division and domestic contracts, including cases with complex financial issues. Richard Diamond, Lauren Degabriele-Sharma and Hugh Fisher are among the lawyers who handle this work.
Estate planning and administration
Jessica Feldman Chittley prepares wills, trusts and powers of attorney for both property and personal care, advises on cutting tax at death, and takes executors through every step of their duties. Katherine Holden's practice is also given over to planning and administration, and Karon Bales advises on domestic and offshore trusts and on succession for owners of family businesses.
Estate litigation
Alexander Turner has acted in will challenges and interpretation proceedings, dependant's relief claims and guardianship disputes under the Substitute Decisions Act, both at trial and on applications. Samuel Rabinovitch's estate litigation work also takes in power of attorney disputes and guardianships.
Where family law meets estates
Katie Morris works on estate, trust and capacity litigation and on files where family and estate law meet, for instance an election for equalization of net family property. Founding partner Charles E. Beall concentrates on resolving disputes over estates, family wealth and family-owned businesses.
Mediation and arbitration
Karon Bales has run private mediations for over 20 years in family law and estate litigation, most often where the two overlap, and Charles Beall is a trained mediator. Lauren Degabriele-Sharma resolves family matters through negotiation, mediation and arbitration as well as by taking claims through court.
Civil and business litigation
Litigation at Bales Beall reaches business disputes as well as family and estate cases, and Richard Diamond practises civil litigation alongside family law.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
Virtual appointments
By appointment
In-person servicesHow Bales Beall LLP works
Bales Beall's family practice aims for a fair resolution rather than a contest over who wins, with the client's future well-being in view. The firm favours negotiated settlements where they can settle issues fairly, since staying out of a trial can save more than time and money, and Richard Diamond's family work leans heavily on negotiation and other alternatives to court.
Collaborative, comprehensive and caring are the firm's watchwords. In estate planning, the aim is that whatever a client has built, through a will or a family trust, ends up arranged exactly as they intend. Bales Beall also commits to responding to feedback about its accessibility services within two business days, not counting weekends and holidays, though that first reply may simply confirm the feedback arrived.
Milestones & recognition
- Canadian Lawyer Magazine picked Bales Beall as one of its top 10 Wills, Trusts and Estates boutiques for 2018.
- In 2021 Canadian Lawyer Magazine named the firm one of Canada's Top 5 Wills, Trusts & Estates Boutiques.
- Chambers High Net Worth 2025 Guide ranked the firm in Private Wealth Disputes.
- In 2026 Bales Beall was a finalist in Canadian Lawyer's inaugural Top Family Law Teams program, in the category for teams of seven to 10 lawyers.
- Doyle's Guide 2026 recognized Bales Beall among Toronto's family and divorce law firms.
- Karon Bales received the Ontario Bar Association's 2026 Award of Excellence in Trusts and Estates Law, celebrated on June 9, 2026 at One King West in Toronto.
- Karon Bales is a past president of the Canadian Chapter of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and an Academician of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law.
- In April 2021 the Ontario Family Law Reporter published Karon Bales's article Estate Freezes and Family Law (34 O.F.L.R. 117).
In the community
- Charles E. Beall is a past chair of the North York General Hospital Foundation board and a past Governor of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
- Karon Bales once chaired the board of Nightwood Theatre and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where Jessica Feldman Chittley now holds an adjunct professorship.
- The firm has published articles for the public, among them a February 2019 newsletter on common executor questions and an April 2020 piece on how Ontario's courts were running during the COVID-19 emergency.
Affiliations & connections
- Ontario Bar Association: Lawyers at Bales Beall, including Alexander Turner, are members of the Ontario Bar Association.
- The Advocates' Society: Alexander Turner and other Bales Beall lawyers belong to The Advocates' Society.
- Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP): Karon Bales, Jessica Feldman Chittley and Gila Gabay are members of STEP Worldwide.
- International Academy of Family Lawyers: Karon Bales is a Fellow of the Academy's Canadian Chapter, and Richard Diamond is a Parliamentarian of the Academy.
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts: Richard Diamond is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.
Lawyers 12
Alexander Turner
Managing Partner
Charles E. Beall
Partner
Gila Gabay
Associate
Hugh Fisher
Associate
Jessica Feldman Chittley
Partner
Julia Volpe
Associate
Karon C. Bales
Partner
Katherine Holden
Associate
Katie Morris
Associate
Lauren Degabriele-Sharma
Associate
Richard Diamond
Partner
Samuel Rabinovitch
Associate
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
- 2009 · median 17 years in practice 1 of 12 lawyers
The neighbourhood
Bales Beall's office is in the Munich Re Centre at 390 Bay Street, a WZMH Architects tower completed in 1973. Its corner of Bay and Richmond once held the Temple Building, finished in 1896 as the world headquarters of the Independent Order of Foresters, a friendly society that doubled as a fraternal order and a financial institution. That building came down in 1970 to make room for the Queen-Bay Centre, which still occupies the site.
The tower sits in downtown Toronto's financial core, and the underground PATH walkway links it to Queen subway station.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Karon Bales mediate or arbitrate my estate dispute virtually?
- Bales Beall's founding partner Karon Bales can mediate estate disputes virtually, or arbitrate procedural issues in them privately, at a reduced hourly rate, and is also available on family law matters.
- An estate I'm involved in has assets outside Ontario. Can Bales Beall help the trustees or beneficiaries?
- Bales Beall's Alexander Turner advises both trustees and beneficiaries on difficult probate and estate asset problems, particularly where assets sit outside Ontario. The firm's lawyers are licensed to act in Ontario, and they may be able to refer you to a lawyer in another jurisdiction if you need one.
- An estate I'm dealing with has unusual assets and a family law claim running alongside it. Can Bales Beall help?
- Bales Beall's Alexander Turner has particular experience in complex estate files where the assets are unusual or where a family law claim is running in parallel.
Where to find them
390 Bay Street, Suite 601, Toronto, ON M5H 2Y2 · 416-203-8591
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