McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP
33 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 579 handling Family Law.
Accepts Legal Aid
Accepts Legal AidAbout McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP
McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP is a family law firm at 1133 Yonge Street in Toronto that practises exclusively in family law and the trial and appellate litigation that grows out of it. Martha McCarthy founded the firm in 2007, with Joanna Radbord and Heather Hansen as the two other lawyers in the founding partnership. It operated as Martha McCarthy & Company until January 2021, when it took its current name and Shannon Beddoe and Lesley Burke joined the partnership. In June 2022 it merged with Grant Crawford LLP, and the combined practice kept the McCarthy Hansen & Company name. It has grown from that founding team into a larger family law practice with partners, counsel, associates, clerks, and students-at-law.
The firm's litigation history includes acting as counsel in Halpern v. Canada and the Same Sex Marriage Reference before the Supreme Court of Canada, cases that helped establish marriage equality in Canada, and in cases recognizing more than two parents on a child's birth record, work that fed into Ontario's All Families Are Equal Act. Alongside its litigation practice, the firm offers family law mediation and private arbitration, advises high net worth families on succession and risk planning, and takes some matters on a limited scope, flat fee, or pro bono basis.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Martha McCarthy founded the firm as Martha McCarthy & Company in 2007, with Joanna Radbord and Heather Hansen among the founding partners.
- The firm was renamed McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP in January 2021, when Shannon Beddoe and Lesley Burke joined the partnership.
- In June 2022 the firm merged with Grant Crawford LLP, and the combined practice continued under the McCarthy Hansen & Company name.
- Nine partners were named to the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada for family law and family law mediation.
- Four partners were recognized in the 30th anniversary edition of the 2026 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory for family law.
- The firm was named Family Law Firm of the Year at the 2025 Canadian Law Awards.
- Martha McCarthy was co-counsel in Halpern v. Canada and the Same Sex Marriage Reference before the Supreme Court of Canada and received the Law Society Medal in 2013.
In the community
- Martha McCarthy was appointed to the War Child Canada Board of Directors in 2013.
- A founding partner has instructed trial advocacy and coached mooting at the University of Toronto Law School for more than fifteen years.
Fees & payment
Legal aidLawyers 33
Abigail Lidster
Lawyer
Family Law
Arly Abramson
Lawyer
Family Law
Brigitte Barsalou
Partner
Family Law
Candace Santaguida
Lawyer
Family Law
Crystal Heidari
Lawyer
Family Law
Elizabeth Cinco
Lawyer
Family Law
Ella Benedetti
Lawyer
Family Law
Erica Tait
Partner
Family Law
Erin Crawford
Partner
Family Law
Gerald Sadvari
Counsel
Family Law
Heather L. Hansen
Partner, C.S.
Family Law
Irene Petrakis
Lawyer
Family Law
Joanna Radbord
Partner, LSM
Family Law
Jonathan Robinson
Partner
Family Law
Kai Tanveer
Lawyer
Family Law
Kelsey Fergus
Lawyer
Family Law
Kendra Swallow
Lawyer
Family Law
Lauren Hanna
Partner
Family Law
Lisa Allegro
Partner
Family Law
Martha McCarthy
Founding Partner, LSM
Family Law
Maura O'Sullivan
Lawyer
Family Law
Maureen Edwards
Partner
Family Law
Megan Edmiston
Partner
Family Law
Mohammed Odusanya
Lawyer
Family Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2003–2025 · median 4 years in practice 20 of 33 lawyers
- Law schools
- Queen's University (5), Osgoode Hall Law School (4), University of Toronto (3), University of Western Ontario (2), University of Windsor (2), Allameh Tabatabei University and 5 more 22 of 33 lawyers
Who handles what
-
Family Law
Abigail Lidster, Arly Abramson, Brigitte Barsalou, Candace Santaguida, Crystal Heidari, Elizabeth Cinco, Ella Benedetti, Erica Tait, Erin Crawford, Gerald Sadvari, Heather L. Hansen, Irene Petrakis, Joanna Radbord, Jonathan Robinson, Kai Tanveer, Kelsey Fergus, Kendra Swallow, Lauren Hanna, Lisa Allegro, Martha McCarthy, Maura O'Sullivan, Maureen Edwards, Megan Edmiston, Mohammed Odusanya, Nicole Burrows, Shannon Beddoe, Sima Hashemi, Sophia Dales, Stephanie Garbe, Stephen Grant, The Honourable Alison Harvison Young, Valarie Matthews, Victoria Lunetta -
Class Actions
The neighbourhood
McCarthy Hansen & Company's office sits on Yonge Street at Shaftesbury Avenue, directly across the street from the Summerhill subway entrance. That keeps it reachable by transit for clients coming from other parts of Toronto and the wider GTA, which suits a firm whose litigation, mediation, and arbitration practice serves clients across Ontario rather than just its immediate block.
Parking near the building is limited. There's some metered parking on Yonge, with Green P lots at 15 Price Street and 1010 Yonge Street as nearby alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Does McCarthy Hansen & Company have experience with same-sex separation and parenting cases?
- Yes. The firm's lawyers have acted as counsel in cases that helped establish marriage equality in Canada, including Halpern v. Canada and the Same Sex Marriage Reference at the Supreme Court of Canada, and in cases addressing parenting recognition for same-sex and multi-parent families.
- Can the firm help resolve a family law dispute without going to court?
- Yes. McCarthy Hansen & Company offers family law mediation, where a neutral mediator helps both sides negotiate a resolution, and private arbitration, where a third party adjudicates the dispute outside of court.
- Does the firm only handle family law, or does it take other kinds of cases too?
- The firm practises exclusively in family law and in the trial and appellate litigation that comes out of it, including matters that intersect with business, tax, estate, and criminal proceedings.
- How big is McCarthy Hansen & Company?
- The firm has grown from its founding in 2007 into a larger family law practice, with partners, counsel, associates, clerks, and students-at-law.
- What if I can't afford a full retainer?
- The firm offers limited scope retainers and flat fee arrangements for some matters, and takes on some work on a pro bono basis.
- Does the firm handle family law cases with an international or cross-border element?
- Yes. The firm handles Hague Convention matters involving international child abduction and custody, and provides opinions on Ontario and Canadian family law to lawyers acting in other countries.
Where to find them
601-1133 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4T 2Y7 · 416-862-6226
Similar firms in City of Toronto
Brauti Thorning LLP (BT Legal) is a Toronto litigation boutique of more than 40 legal professionals. The firm practices criminal defence, family law, civil and commercial litigation, personal injury, and professional …
Criminal Defence
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Family Law
Personal Injury
Justice for Children and Youth (JFCY) is a Toronto-based legal clinic providing free legal advice, brief services, and representation to people under 18 and to homeless youth up to 25 across Ontario. It's part of Lega…
Criminal DefenceFamily Law
Immigration Law
Administrative & Regulatory LawLegal Aid
CP LLP is a Toronto business law firm advising public and private companies on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, securities, technology and intellectual property matters. It also has bankruptcy and insolven…
Bankruptcy & Insolvency
Technology & Startups
Business & Corporate Law
Intellectual PropertyListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗