Coutts Crane
5 lawyers · Established 1949 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 794 handling Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
About Coutts Crane
Coutts Crane is a downtown Toronto law firm founded in 1949 by Elgin Coutts, Q.C. Coutts retired from the firm in June 2009, on the 60th anniversary of Coutts's call to the bar, and the firm marked its own 75th anniversary in 2024 and 2025. Partners who have practised at the firm over the decades include Ronald Crane, Donald Day Carrick, Q.C., A. Peter Nasmith, Tom O'Connor, Terry O'Connor, Dennis O'Connor, and J. Douglas Crane, and the firm has also been associated with Arthur Maloney, B. Clive Bynoe, and Robert Mark. The firm still describes its founding values as service, integrity, and the highest professional and ethical standards.
Today the firm has five lawyers working from an office at 480 University Avenue in downtown Toronto. The practice covers business and corporate law, civil litigation, construction law, employment law, family law, real estate law, and wills, trusts and estates. One partner heads the real estate group, joined the firm as an articling student in 1997, and is fluent in Greek; other lawyers at the firm speak Urdu, Hindi, and conversational Punjabi, which comes in handy for clients who'd rather not do business only in English.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Coutts Crane was founded in 1949 by Elgin Coutts, Q.C., who retired from the firm in June 2009, on the 60th anniversary of Coutts's call to the bar.
- The firm marked its 75th anniversary in 2024 and 2025.
- Partners who have practised at the firm include Ronald Crane, Donald Day Carrick, Q.C., A. Peter Nasmith, Tom O'Connor, Terry O'Connor, Dennis O'Connor, and J. Douglas Crane, and the firm has also been associated with Arthur Maloney, B. Clive Bynoe, and Robert Mark.
- A partner who now heads the firm's real estate group joined Coutts Crane as an articling student in 1997 and was called to the Ontario bar in 1999.
In the community
- A partner at the firm was President of the Rotary Club of Toronto in 1998 and 1999, and another partner held the same role in 2019 and 2020; both received the Rotary Foundation's Paul Harris/William Peace Award.
- A partner served as President of the Rotary Club of Toronto and co-chaired the 2018 Rotary International Convention held in Toronto.
- A partner chaired the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy from 2007 to 2010 and has served on the boards of the International Churchill Centre and the Rotary Foundation (Canada).
- A lawyer at the firm articled at Jane Finch Community Legal Services (Legal Aid Ontario), assisting low income clients with housing, employment, and social assistance matters, and now coaches for the Pickering Baseball Association.
- A lawyer at the firm volunteered with Queen's Legal Aid and the Correctional Law Project during law school and has provided pro bono advice to community members on small claims, provincial offences, and landlord and tenant matters, and raises funds each winter for care packs for people living on the streets of Toronto.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleFees & payment
Flat fee
HourlyLawyers 5
Caitlin Dale
Associate
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionFamily Law
Daniel Ahmed
Associate
Real Estate LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Harry Polizos
Partner, Head of Real Estate Team
Real Estate LawBusiness & Corporate Law
Kevin Power
Partner
Wills, Estates & TrustsCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Robert O'Brien
Partner
Wills, Estates & TrustsFamily Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1983–2014 · median 27 years in practice 3 of 5 lawyers
- Law schools
- Bond University, Osgoode Hall Law School, Queen's University, University of Western Ontario 4 of 5 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, Greek, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
The firm's office sits inside 480 University Avenue, known as Global House, an International style office tower designed by WZMH Architects and built in 1968 for developer Olympia & York. It stands on a stretch of University Avenue that Toronto planned as a ceremonial boulevard, with a landscaped median of gardens and memorials running down the middle, near the Toronto courthouse that also sits on the avenue. For a firm whose work leans on civil litigation and family law, being close to that courthouse is a practical convenience as much as a scenic one.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Coutts Crane handle divorce and child custody matters?
- Yes. The firm's family law practice covers separation and divorce, custody disputes, and support issues, along with preparing cohabitation agreements, marriage contracts, and separation agreements.
- Can Coutts Crane help me buy or sell a home in Toronto?
- Yes. The firm handles residential and commercial real estate transactions, including property purchases and sales and mortgage financing, and one partner leads its real estate group.
- I'm starting a business in Toronto. Can Coutts Crane help incorporate it?
- Yes. The firm's business law practice covers business formation and maintenance, contract drafting, and shareholder meeting matters, alongside corporate work like business purchase and sale agreements and joint ventures.
- Can Coutts Crane prepare my will and powers of attorney?
- Yes. The firm prepares wills and powers of attorney and handles estate administration, including probate assistance and help with distributing assets.
- Does the firm handle construction liens and disputes with contractors?
- Yes. Coutts Crane's construction law practice covers liens, contract negotiations, debt collection, and dispute resolution between builders, contractors, and property owners.
- How long has Coutts Crane been practising in Toronto?
- Since 1949. Elgin Coutts, Q.C. founded the firm that year, and it marked its 75th anniversary in 2024 and 2025, still practising from a downtown Toronto office at 480 University Avenue.
Where to find them
480 University Avenue, Suite 700 Toronto, Ontario M5G 1V2 · 416-977-0956
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Wills, Estates & TrustsListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗