Normandin Chris LLP
8 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 579 handling Family Law.
About Normandin Chris LLP
Normandin Chris LLP is a family law firm based at 20 Holly Street in Toronto's Yonge and Eglinton neighbourhood, serving clients across the Greater Toronto Area. The office is home to seven lawyers who focus solely on family law, handling divorce and separation, custody and access, child and spousal support, property division and domestic contracts through negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation as each case requires.
Partner Kristen Normandin was called to the Ontario bar in 2004 and built a family law practice at Niman Zemans Gelgoot and Goldhart & Associates before starting an independent practice, later maintaining an association with Niman Gelgoot and Associates LLP. Normandin is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and volunteers with the Family Law Amicus Duty Counsel program at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Partner Andrew Chris was called to the bar in 2007 and began in corporate and securities law at Heenan Blaikie LLP before moving into family law at Epstein Cole LLP. Chris trained as a mediator through Harvard Law School's Mediating Disputes program and teaches "Lawyer as Negotiator" as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Partner Kristen Normandin is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.
- Partner Andrew Chris trained as a mediator through Harvard Law School's Mediating Disputes program and teaches "Lawyer as Negotiator" as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.
- Andrew Chris is a contributing author to the Income Tax and Family Law Handbook, published by LexisNexis Canada.
- Partner Joanna Hunt-Jones received the 2014 Nicholas Bala Award for Excellence in Children and Family Law from AFCC Ontario and the 2015 John E. VanDuzer Scholarship Award for Family Law.
- Associate Venessa Sectakof won first place in the 2014 AFCC Ontario Walsh Family Law Moot and received a Best Appellant Factum award in the final year of law school.
In the community
- Kristen Normandin volunteers with the Family Law Amicus Duty Counsel program at the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
- Joanna Hunt-Jones sits on the Board of Directors of Young Women in Law.
- Malvina Marcellin volunteered at the Kent Law Clinic and with Pro Bono Students of Canada, assisting Justice for Children and Youth in Toronto.
- Firm lawyers have presented continuing legal education programs for the Law Society of Ontario, the Law Society of Manitoba, Osgoode Professional Development and the Advocates' Society, and published articles in Lawyers Weekly, Law Times and the Canadian Family Law Quarterly.
Lawyers 8
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2004–2023 · median 10 years in practice 6 of 8 lawyers
- Law schools
- University of Kent (2), University of Toronto (2), Osgoode Hall Law School, Queen's University, University of Ottawa 7 of 8 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, French, Turkish
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Normandin Chris LLP's office sits on Holly Street, a block from Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue, in a spot the firm describes as centrally located for clients coming from across the GTA and surrounding areas it serves. The intersection, known simply as Yonge and Eglinton, has been a Toronto business hub for decades, with the headquarters of Canadian Tire, TVOntario and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada among the corporate offices located there, alongside the Canada Square office tower complex at the corner.
The area has deeper roots than its office towers suggest. Before it filled in with commercial buildings, Yonge and Eglinton was farmland, once described as the largest cattle grazing region in Upper Canada, and North Toronto was not annexed into the city until 1912. The Yonge subway line has run through the intersection since 1954, giving clients travelling in from across the region another way to reach the office.
Frequently asked questions
- What areas of family law does Normandin Chris LLP handle?
- The firm's lawyers handle divorce and separation, custody and access, child and spousal support, property division and domestic contracts. They resolve cases through negotiation, mediation and arbitration as well as litigation.
- Does Normandin Chris LLP go to court, or does it try to settle cases first?
- Both. The firm's lawyers negotiate and mediate where possible, and partner Andrew Chris trained as a mediator through Harvard Law School's Mediating Disputes program, but they also litigate before the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal for Ontario when a case needs to go to trial.
- Where is Normandin Chris LLP located, and does it serve clients outside Yonge and Eglinton?
- The office is at 20 Holly Street in Toronto's Yonge and Eglinton area. The firm describes itself as centrally located, with services provided across the GTA and surrounding areas.
- Can I start the process online before my first meeting with a lawyer?
- Normandin Chris LLP's resources page links to a Settify client intake portal, so prospective clients can begin providing background information online before a first consultation.
- Does anyone at the firm speak languages other than English?
- Yes. Associate Venessa Sectakof is fluent in French and Turkish with conversational Macedonian and Spanish, and associate Malvina Marcellin is fluent in French with conversational Spanish.
- Does Normandin Chris LLP handle international child abduction cases under the Hague Convention?
- Partner Kristen Normandin's listed practice areas, per the International Academy of Family Lawyers' fellows directory, include child abduction matters under the Hague Convention along with custody, support, property division and same-sex partnership issues.
Where to find them
20 Holly Street, Suite 201, Toronto, ON M4S 3B1 · 416-840-4788
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