Legge & Legge
3 lawyers · Established 1955 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 794 handling Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
About Legge & Legge
Legge & Legge is a small general practice law firm in the Deer Park neighbourhood at Yonge and St. Clair in Toronto, where it has practised since 1955. Laura Legge and Bruce Legge founded the firm after Laura Legge left a position as a junior solicitor with Ontario's Department of Health, drafting post-war health and public health legislation. Laura Legge went on to become the first woman elected as a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada, and later its first woman Treasurer. In 2007 the Law Society of Upper Canada created the Laura Legge Award, given each year to a woman lawyer in Ontario who has shown leadership in the profession. Bruce Legge, a lawyer and Canadian Forces officer, later reached the rank of Major General in the reserves.
John Legge and partner Mary Stokes continued the practice after Bruce Legge's death in 2006 and Laura Legge's death in 2010. John Legge, called to the bar in 1984, works in civil litigation, family law, and alternative dispute resolution. Mary Stokes, called in 1983, concentrates on wills, trusts, and estate administration after completing a doctorate in law at Osgoode Hall Law School and later lecturing there. Elizabeth Legge, from the family's third generation, joined the firm as a lawyer in 2017. The firm still handles corporate and commercial law, real estate, and wills and estates, and offers unbundled legal services for clients needing help with only part of a matter.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Laura Legge and Bruce Legge founded Legge & Legge in 1955 at Yonge and St. Clair in Toronto.
- Laura Legge became the first woman elected as a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada, and later its first woman Treasurer, re-elected to the role in 1984 and 1988.
- In 2007 the Law Society of Upper Canada created the Laura Legge Award, given each year to a woman lawyer in Ontario who has shown leadership in the profession.
- Laura Legge received an honorary doctorate from the Law Society in 1985, the Robinette Medal in 1997, and the Order of Ontario in 2003.
- Bruce Legge was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1959, chaired the Ontario Workmen's Compensation Board, and reached the rank of Major General in the Canadian Forces reserves.
- John Legge has received the Canadian Forces Decoration, the Confederation 125 Medal, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
- Mary Stokes completed a doctorate in law at Osgoode Hall Law School, was a McMurtry Fellow in Canadian Legal History, and received the Osgoode Society's Peter Oliver Prize.
In the community
- John Legge and Mary Stokes serve as honorary counsel to the Actors' Fund of Canada.
- Mary Stokes provides free legal information sessions to schools and groups.
- John Legge chaired the Board of the Ontario Safety League and continues to serve as its Honorary Counsel.
- John Legge previously served as Honorary Solicitor to the Royal Canadian Military Institute and remains a member.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleLawyers 3
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1983–2017 · median 42 years in practice 3 of 3 lawyers
- Law schools
- Dalhousie University (Schulich School of Law), Osgoode Hall Law School, University of Western Ontario 3 of 3 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Legge & Legge's office is at Yonge and St. Clair, in the Deer Park neighbourhood of midtown Toronto. The name goes back to the 1830s, when the Heath family established an estate on the site. By the 1850s the property had a racetrack, a school, and a hotel where visitors could feed the deer that wandered the grounds, which is where the name came from. The area was annexed by Toronto in 1908 and had grown into an established residential district by the 1930s.
Today the Yonge and St. Clair intersection is a commercial strip of offices, restaurants, and shops, with the St. Clair subway station nearby as the terminus for the 512 St. Clair streetcar. Deer Park has long been described as a fast-changing, more commercial neighbourhood dominated by apartment dwellers, distinct from nearby Forest Hill and Moore Park, a fit for a firm whose work leans on wills, estate administration, and elder law for long-term residents. Legge & Legge has kept its office in the same stretch of St. Clair for more than 60 years.
Legal support staff 1
Law clerks, paralegals and articling students at this firm. They are not licensed lawyers.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Legge & Legge handle wills, estate planning, and powers of attorney?
- Yes. The firm has practised estate law from its Yonge and St. Clair office for decades, and its lawyers act as estate trustees, executors, and attorneys under powers of attorney for clients who do not have appropriate family members or others to perform these functions.
- Can James Legge help with a Landlord and Tenant Board or Small Claims Court matter?
- James Legge is a paralegal at the firm who can represent clients before the Landlord and Tenant Board, in traffic court, and in Small Claims Court for claims up to $35,000.
- Does the firm take on family law matters like custody or separation agreements?
- Legge & Legge lawyers act as advocates in family court and as mediators and drafters of separation agreements and other domestic contracts, working with accountants, social workers, and other professionals when a case calls for it.
- Can Legge & Legge help a charity or small business with corporate matters?
- The firm's corporate and commercial practice includes registering charities and not for profit organizations with the Canada Revenue Agency, drafting shareholder and partnership agreements, and general corporate work for small business clients.
- How long has Legge & Legge been practising in Toronto?
- The firm was founded in 1955 by Laura Legge and Bruce Legge and has practised in the Deer Park, Yonge and St. Clair area ever since, now in its third generation of the Legge family.
- Does Legge & Legge offer unbundled legal services or remote appointments?
- Yes. The firm offers unbundled legal services for clients who need help with only part of a matter, and wills and estate appointments can be arranged in person, by phone, or online.
Where to find them
65 St. Clair Ave. East, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M4T 2Y3 · 416-923-1776
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