Laurel Family Law

About Laurel Family Law

Laurel Family Law is a small Toronto firm that practices exclusively in family law, along with some wills and estates work. Four lawyers make up the team, including founding partners Lorna M. Yates and Dana Cohen. The firm works through negotiation, mediation, collaborative law, parenting coordination, and arbitration, and its lawyers also appear in court when a matter can't be settled outside of it.

The four lawyers bring different backgrounds to the practice. Yates, called to the Ontario bar in 2002, handles complex marriage contracts, separation agreements, and parenting plans, and holds degrees from McGill University and Queen's University. Cohen, called in 1999, earned a joint law degree and Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and has served as a panel lawyer with the Office of the Children's Lawyer since being called to the bar. Rui J.M. Alves, called in 1996, has practiced family law for close to three decades, focuses on collaborative and negotiated settlements, and also handles wills and estates matters. Zahra Taseer, called to the bar in British Columbia in 2004 and in Ontario in 2009, worked with human rights organizations in Pakistan, Thailand, and New York before moving into family law practice.