Phillips Barristers PC
12 lawyers · City of Toronto, Calgary Region, Queens County
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 794 handling Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Virtual appointments
Virtual appointmentsAbout Phillips Barristers PC
Phillips Barristers PC is a litigation firm based in Toronto, with additional offices in Calgary and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Toronto lawyer John Kingman Phillips, K.C. founded the practice in 2007, and the firm says its team brings more than 70 years of combined litigation experience.
The practice is plaintiff-side and focuses on class actions, civil and commercial litigation, human rights and Indigenous rights claims, and family law. Current class actions include a certified case over CBSA immigration detention, a certified challenge to Alberta's bail-hearing timelines, and a dispute over Scotiabank employee vacation pay. The firm is also co-counsel for the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs in an Aboriginal title claim covering more than 6,000 square kilometres of unceded territory in northwestern British Columbia, and for Tanzanian plaintiffs in a human rights action against Barrick Mining Company.
Family law is handled separately from the litigation side by partner Julia Tremain, who spent seven years as in-house counsel with Ontario's Office of the Children's Lawyer before entering private practice. The firm's lawyers include admissions to the bar in Ontario and Alberta, and its cases have reached the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- John Kingman Phillips, K.C. founded the firm in Toronto in 2007, sixteen years after arguing the Supreme Court of Canada's Stinchcombe case in 1991, the decision that established the Crown's duty to disclose its evidence to the defence.
- The firm opened an office in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in December 2025 and named Andrew Kirk, a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River, as regional lead for its Atlantic Canada practice.
- The firm's team page lists John Kingman Phillips, K.C. in memoriam as its founder.
In the community
- The firm publishes Insights, a blog of legal commentary on topics including Aboriginal title litigation, the duty to consult under Canada's Building Canada Act, and civil remedies for survivors of intimate partner violence.
- Andrew Kirk, who leads the firm's Atlantic Canada practice, has described the firm's Indigenous law work as building legal and economic pathways for Indigenous communities.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
Woman-owned
LGBTQ+ friendly
Virtual appointments
In-person servicesLawyers 12
A. Julia P. Tremain
Managing Partner
Family Law
Adam Babiak
Associate
Class ActionsCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Andrew Kirk
Counsel
Indigenous LawCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Eris Ritcey
Associate
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionClass Actions
Flora Yu
Associate
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Gabrielle Mastrangelo
Associate
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionClass Actions
John Kingman Phillips
Partner
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
John-Otto Phillips
Partner
Class ActionsCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Jonathan Schachter
Partner
Class ActionsCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Patti Shedden
Counsel
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionIndigenous Law
Ronan Mallovy
Associate
Indigenous LawClass Actions
W. Cory Wanless
Partner
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionIndigenous Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2001–2026 · median 7 years in practice 9 of 12 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School (3), University of Toronto (2), University of Toronto Faculty of Law (2), Dalhousie Law School, Dalhousie University, McGill University and 1 more 11 of 12 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- Cantonese, English, French
Who handles what
Offices 3
The neighbourhood
Phillips Barristers' Toronto office is in the Excelsior Life Building at 36 Toronto St., a heritage office building designed by architect E.J. Lennox, a prominent early 20th century Toronto architect. Built around 1914 and joined in the 1980s to the adjoining 1874 Millichamps Building, the property sits in the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District, on the street where Toronto Street itself grew into a corporate and financial hub in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The block still functions as a transition point between the modern Financial District and the older St. Lawrence neighbourhood to its east.
The firm also keeps smaller offices in Calgary and, since December 2025, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The Charlottetown office anchors the firm's newest practice area, Indigenous land and governance work in Atlantic Canada, led by Andrew Kirk, a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Phillips Barristers handle class actions?
- Yes. The firm's current class actions include a certified case over immigration detention by the Canada Border Services Agency, a certified challenge to bail hearing delays in Alberta, and a dispute over Scotiabank employee vacation pay. It's also pursuing a proposed action on behalf of the Innu Nation over day schools that operated in Labrador Innu communities between 1949 and 2009.
- Can Phillips Barristers help with a divorce or child custody matter?
- Family law at the firm is led by partner Julia Tremain, who spent seven years as in-house counsel with Ontario's Office of the Children's Lawyer before moving into private practice. The firm handles separation, divorce, property division, and custody and access disputes.
- Does the firm work on Indigenous rights or Aboriginal title cases?
- Yes. Phillips Barristers is co-counsel for the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs in an Aboriginal title claim over unceded territory in northwestern British Columbia, and its Charlottetown office focuses on Indigenous land and governance work in Atlantic Canada.
- Where are Phillips Barristers' offices?
- The firm is based in Toronto, in the Excelsior Life Building at 36 Toronto St., with additional offices in Calgary and, since December 2025, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
- How long has Phillips Barristers been practising?
- John Kingman Phillips, K.C. founded the firm in Toronto in 2007 and is remembered on the firm's team page as its founder. The practice continues under partners including Julia Tremain, W. Cory Wanless and John-Otto Phillips.
- Do Phillips Barristers lawyers appear in courts outside Ontario?
- Yes. The firm's lawyers include admissions to the bar in Ontario and Alberta, and its cases have gone to the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada.
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