Robson Carpenter LLP
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.11 lawyers · Established 2006 · Waterloo Region
One of 2 law firms listed in Ayr, and one of 2 handling Real Estate Law.
About Robson Carpenter LLP
Robson Carpenter LLP is a specialized firm whose focus is condominium and subdivision development law and everything that touches it. It advises and represents clients throughout Ontario from its home base in Ayr, a few minutes off Highway 401 and just west of Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge.
Craig Robson, one of the founding partners, has more than 40 years in the business. The practice Craig Robson built centres on Ontario condominium, subdivision and land development law, and covers conversions as well as newly built condominiums. Partner Michelle Kelly practises condominium law with a focus on acting for condominium corporations, while William Thompson concentrates on the business side of land development law.
Every lawyer at Robson Carpenter has practised with a larger firm in Kitchener or Toronto, and many of the staff worked alongside one or more of them elsewhere, then left those firms to keep working with them here. Roy Gentles takes on land development from start to finish: acquiring the land, settling on a development strategy and selling to end users. Jessica Peever works with the development group and the firm’s closing clerks to complete real estate purchases and sales.
Being in Ayr keeps overhead comparatively low, and the firm passes that saving on to clients as lower hourly rates. Time is billed in increments of about 1 minute and 12 seconds, the nearest thing to by-the-minute billing its software allows.
History
Robson Carpenter dates from 2006, when Craig Robson invited Greg Carpenter to co-found it and the two set up their partnership in Ayr. Before that, Greg Carpenter had joined Craig Robson at McCarter, Grespan, Robson. Earlier still they’d been at competing firms, and out of mutual respect neither ever strayed onto the other’s turf.
Greg Carpenter died in 2023, and the Carpenter name stays on the firm with Greg Carpenter’s agreement. There’s continuity on the staff side too: Deanne Harmer has been part of the firm since it opened in 2006 and has been Craig Robson’s law clerk since 1997.
Practice areas
Condominium and subdivision development
Robson Carpenter carries development projects through to registration of the condominium or subdivision. Along the way it assesses whether Tarion and the HCRA apply to a project, applies to bring land into land titles absolute, and clears the conditions attached to draft approval.
Structuring and financing projects
On the corporate side, the firm structures projects using limited partnerships and joint ventures. Victoria Strachan’s development work concentrates on acquisitions, corporate structuring, financing and partnership agreements.
Advising condominium corporations
For condominiums, Robson Carpenter drafts, reviews and negotiates agreements such as section 98 agreements, telecommunications deals and management contracts. It also chairs owners' meetings, from AGMs to requisitioned and other special meetings.
Condominium disputes and the CAT
When a dispute arises, the firm appears for condominiums and owners in mediation, arbitration, court and tribunal proceedings, the Condominium Authority Tribunal among them.
Brownfield sites and cost sharing
The firm’s specialty agreements include brownfield redevelopments and cost-sharing arrangements, both municipal and private. Justin Black has a particular interest in adapting the built environment to a changing world and sees positive outcomes in brownfield redevelopment and sustainable community development.
Good to know
Accessible parking
By appointmentFees & payment
HourlyHow Robson Carpenter LLP works
Clients at Robson Carpenter don’t pay a senior partner to do work a clerk can handle at a lower rate. The firm isn’t a typical tiered firm: its people choose to work on the same level, whatever their title, position or seniority. Technology follows a similar rule. Rather than adding overhead for tech’s own sake, the firm looks for tools that make it more efficient and improve its service.
Milestones & recognition
- On December 31, 2020, Robson Carpenter learned it had won a Canadian Law Blog Award (Clawbie) in the Best Blogs and Commentary category.
- Michelle Kelly, a Robson Carpenter partner, served as a court-appointed administrator for a condominium in Toronto.
In the community
- Robson Carpenter planned a booth at the spring 2019 annual conference of the CCI’s Golden Horseshoe chapter, with Craig Robson and Michelle Kelly both set to speak.
- Daniel Brockenshire has recruited conference visitors at the firm’s booth to try a golf putting challenge.
Affiliations & connections
- Canadian Condominium Institute: Michelle Kelly previously sat as a director of the CCI's Grand River, Golden Horseshoe and London chapters.
Lawyers 11
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1980–2019 · median 12 years in practice 10 of 11 lawyers
- Law schools
- University of Ottawa (3), Lakehead University, Osgoode Hall Law School, Queen's University, University of Detroit Mercy, University of Western Ontario and 2 more 10 of 11 lawyers
The neighbourhood
Robson Carpenter works from 99 Stanley Street in Ayr, a building on the Township of North Dumfries heritage inventory as the Queen’s Tavern: three storeys, three wings and a mansard roof with triangular dormers. It has also gone by the names Colwell’s and Hilborn House.
Ayr itself sits on the Nith River and grew from three early settlements, Mudge's Mills, Jedburgh and Nithvale, which merged as they spread. John Watson, an immigrant from Scotland, started the Ayr Agricultural Works there in 1847. Since January 1973 the village has belonged to North Dumfries Township and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and commuter housing built from the 1950s on has helped it grow.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Robson Carpenter hold purchaser deposits in escrow on a new development?
- Yes. Robson Carpenter’s development financing and bonding work includes acting as escrow agent for purchaser deposits.
- Does Robson Carpenter help with a new condominium's turnover meeting?
- Yes. Helping with the turnover meeting for a new condominium is part of Robson Carpenter’s development work.
- Has Robson Carpenter worked on condominium amalgamations in Waterloo and London?
- Daniel Brockenshire has worked on amalgamations for condominiums in Waterloo and London, as well as borrowing by-laws for condominiums across Ontario. Robson Carpenter’s condominium practice guides clients through complex issues such as amalgamations, terminations and expropriations.
- Can Robson Carpenter recover a condo's common expense arrears through an attornment of rent?
- Robson Carpenter's collections work includes recovering arrears by attornment of rent. For owners who owe arrears, it also brings power of sale or foreclosure actions.
- Robson Carpenter is in Ayr. Does it act for clients as far away as Thunder Bay or Windsor?
- Yes. Alongside many clients in Waterloo Region, Robson Carpenter is assisting clients at any given time as far away as Ottawa-Kingston, Thunder Bay, Welland and Windsor.
Where to find them
99 Stanley Street, Ayr, ON N0B 1E0 · 519-632-1327
Is this your firm?
Fix or remove this listing, or add a free listing badge
Something wrong with this listing? Tell us and we’ll hide it right away while we review your request, then correct it or take it down.
Add your free listing badge
Add the free LawOnline listing badge to your website. It tells visitors you’re listed in an independent Canadian lawyer directory and links back to this profile. Being listed isn’t a certification or an endorsement, and the badge doesn’t mean we’ve checked your credentials.
Similar firms in Waterloo Region
SV Law is a full-service firm headquartered in Guelph, with additional offices in Elora and the Waterloo Region. Formerly SmithValeriote Law Firm, it traces its roots to the 1960s and now has more than forty lawyers. …
Business & Corporate Law
Real Estate Law
Construction Law
Employment & Labour Law
SorbaraLaw is a full-service regional firm with 40+ lawyers across offices in Waterloo, Guelph, Fergus and Markham, serving individuals, businesses, institutions and governmental bodies across Ontario. Its practice sp…
Business & Corporate Law
Immigration LawReal Estate LawEmployment & Labour Law
Diamond & Diamond Lawyers LLP is a national personal injury firm headquartered in Toronto, with offices across Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. Its main focus is personal injury and accident claims,…
Personal Injury
Wills, Estates & TrustsReal Estate LawBusiness & Corporate LawThis listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on the firm’s own website. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
How this data is compiled and checked · Correct or remove this listing