Deborah Graham
1 lawyer · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 579 handling Family Law.
About Deborah Graham
Deborah Graham is a solo family law practice in midtown Toronto, on Merton Street near the Davisville subway station. Graham has practiced family law exclusively for almost thirty years, and the practice works entirely through Collaborative Process and mediation rather than litigation, helping couples negotiate separation and divorce outside the courtroom. Graham also runs The Settlement Clinic and, with mediator Christine Kim, The Mediation Training Centre, which trains other collaborative and mediation professionals. A commerce degree gives the practice a grounding in owner-operated businesses and franchises, and Graham has built working relationships with a network of corporate lawyers, accountants, valuators and financial planners so that settlements come out practical and tax efficient.
Graham's other undergraduate major was psychology, paired with advanced training in negotiation, mediation, arbitration and collaborative practice. Graham was adjunct faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School teaching Collaborative Lawyering, and is still a guest speaker in Osgoode's LLM program and its Certificate in Family Law program, and is a faculty member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. In 2017 Graham received the Ontario Association of Collaborative Professionals' James MacDonald award. Beyond family law, Graham has written the memoir Dance Me Beautiful, the children's book The Magic Comes Back, and an earlier guide for separating couples, A Guide to a Sensible Divorce.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Deborah Graham has practiced family law exclusively for almost thirty years, working entirely through Collaborative Process and mediation.
- In 2017, Graham received the Ontario Association of Collaborative Professionals' James MacDonald award.
- Graham served as adjunct faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School teaching Collaborative Lawyering, and continues as a guest speaker in Osgoode's LLM program and Certificate in Family Law program.
- Graham is a faculty member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
- Graham was on the board of directors of the Ontario Collaborative Lawyer's Federation, chairing its Outreach Program, and previously sat on the board of Collaborative Practice Toronto, chairing its Professional Development Committee.
- Graham founded The Settlement Clinic and co-founded The Mediation Training Centre with mediator Christine Kim.
- Graham is the author of the memoir Dance Me Beautiful, the children's book The Magic Comes Back, and A Guide to a Sensible Divorce.
In the community
- Graham's Introductory Collaborative Practice Training program set up four diversity scholarships for its 2020 offering, funding two directly and partnering with Our Family Wizard on two more, and drew 15 applications in its first year.
- Graham teaches a 35 hour Collaborative Practice course for professionals working with families going through separation and divorce.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentLawyers 1
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
The office is in Davisville Village, a mostly residential midtown pocket, in a small five storey building at 124 Merton Street that its owner, architectural interior designer Vivian Reiss, redesigned with an upscale lobby, a rooftop vegetable garden and a second floor courtyard patio. It's one block from the Davisville subway station. For a practice built around Collaborative Process and mediation rather than courtroom appearances, that quieter, design forward setting suits meetings that are meant to feel more like a negotiation table than a waiting room.
The building has attracted a loyal group of professional tenants across a variety of fields, along with some international companies, rather than a typical downtown law firm floor, which fits a practice that spends its time in settlement meetings rather than at the courthouse.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Deborah Graham represent clients in family court?
- No. The practice works exclusively through Collaborative Process and mediation, negotiating separation and divorce settlements outside of litigation.
- What's the difference between Collaborative Process and mediation at this firm?
- In Collaborative Process, each spouse has their own collaborative lawyer and both sides sign a retainer that rules out going to court if talks break down, with settlement meetings involving both spouses and lawyers together. In mediation, a mediator helps the couple negotiate directly, with or without lawyers in the room, and independent legal advice is required before any agreement is finalized.
- My ex and I own a business or franchise together. Can Deborah Graham help sort that out?
- Yes. The practice has experience with owner-operated businesses and franchises and complex property settlements, and works with a network of corporate lawyers, accountants, valuators and financial planners to help make settlements practical and tax efficient.
- Does Deborah Graham train other mediators or collaborative professionals?
- Yes. Graham runs The Mediation Training Centre with mediator Christine Kim, offering courses such as Fundamentals of Family Mediation and Advanced Family Mediation, and also teaches a 35 hour Collaborative Practice course.
- Where is the office and how do I get there?
- The office is at 124 Merton Street, Suite 300, in Toronto's Davisville Village, one block from the Davisville subway station.
- How long has Deborah Graham been practicing family law?
- Almost thirty years, all of it focused on Collaborative Process and mediation rather than litigation.
Where to find them
124 Merton Street, Suite 300, Toronto, ON, M4S 2Z2 · 416-597-9796
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