Ontario directory

Family Law Firms in Waterloo Region, Ontario

88 law firms.

What does a family lawyer in Waterloo Region do?

A family lawyer in Waterloo Region helps people through separation and divorce, the parenting arrangements that follow, child and spousal support, and the division of property. Many files settle through negotiation or mediation, but when a matter needs a judge it goes to the Family Court, a branch of the Superior Court of Justice. Kitchener is one of Ontario's unified family court sites, so this one court, also called the Unified Family Court, hears the whole file: divorce, property, decision-making and parenting time, support, and child protection. There's no separate track at another court for part of your case. The Family Court sits at the Waterloo Region courthouse in Kitchener at 85 Frederick Street, which serves Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge.

How is property divided when a marriage ends in Ontario?

Ontario splits the two big questions between federal and provincial law. Divorce, the legal end of the marriage, comes under the federal Divorce Act. Dividing what the couple built is a provincial matter, handled through equalization of net family property under Ontario's Family Law Act. Equalization doesn't mean cutting every asset in half. Each married spouse calculates the growth in their net worth over the marriage, and the one with the larger increase pays the other half of the difference. These property rules apply to married couples. Common-law partners in Cambridge or Waterloo have more limited claims, which is one reason early advice matters. A family lawyer values the assets and flags exclusions like some gifts and inheritances.

What happens before your first family court date?

Before your first court appearance, both parties usually complete the Mandatory Information Program. It's a free session run through the Ministry of the Attorney General that covers the court process, the effect of separation on children, and the ways to settle without a trial. Under the required steps for family court, you attend before your first appearance or case conference, and no later than 45 days after the case starts. The two parties go to separate sessions, so it isn't mediation. Skipping it can delay your case, so a lawyer makes sure the session is booked and the certificate is filed on time.

How do you choose a family law firm in Waterloo Region?

Start with a firm that regularly handles the kind of file you have, whether that's a high-conflict parenting dispute, a support claim, or a property split with a business or pension in the mix. Ask who will actually run your file, how the firm approaches settlement versus trial, and how it bills, since family work can be charged hourly or, for some steps, at a fixed fee. Firms are spread across Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, so you can usually find one close to home and to the courthouse.

You can confirm any lawyer's standing on the Law Society of Ontario directory. Browse the family law firms in Waterloo Region below.

Abarca Law

1 lawyer

Abarca Law is a law firm in Kitchener, Ontario serving Waterloo Region, Cambridge, Brant County, and surrounding South Western Ontario townships. The firm handles civil litigation, immigration, employment, family law,…

Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionImmigration LawImmigration LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawFamily LawFamily Law

Amiri LLP

2 lawyers

Amiri LLP (Amiris) is a virtual law firm serving the Greater Toronto Area and the Region of Waterloo. It's a full-service practice covering business, family, civil litigation, immigration, real estate, and wills and e…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawFamily LawFamily LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionImmigration LawImmigration Law

Ardent Law Professional Corporation is a full-service law firm with offices in Mississauga and Cambridge, Ontario. Its team of lawyers handles real estate, immigration, criminal, family, civil litigation, personal inj…

Real Estate LawReal Estate LawImmigration LawImmigration LawCriminal DefenceCriminal DefenceFamily LawFamily Law

Arnoldi Law

1 lawyer · Est. 1994

Arnoldi Law is a family law practice in Kitchener, Ontario, run by Elizabeth H.E. Arnoldi. Its work covers marriage and cohabitation agreements, separation agreements, divorce, and court proceedings involving custody,…

Family LawFamily Law

Aroso Law

1 lawyer

Aroso Law is a solo practice led by Busuyi Aroso, a lawyer called to the Ontario Bar. The firm handles real estate, family, employment, and wills and estates matters. It serves Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, …

Real Estate LawReal Estate LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsFamily LawFamily LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Bagaslao Law

1 lawyer

Bagaslao Law is a Whitehorse, Yukon firm with a satellite office in Cambridge, Ontario. It's led by Rod Bagaslao and focuses on immigration and refugee law, family law, wills and estates, and real estate conveyancing.

Immigration LawImmigration LawFamily LawFamily LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsReal Estate LawReal Estate Law

Bennett Grant LLP

21 lawyers

Bennett Grant LLP is a full-service law firm in the Waterloo Region that has served clients across Ontario for approximately 60 years. It handles insurance defence, municipal liability, civil litigation, family, emplo…

Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionFamily LawFamily LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law

Cafengiu Law

1 lawyer · Est. 2014

Cafengiu Law is a Kitchener-Waterloo firm focused on family law and wills and estates. Its family law services include divorce, separation agreements, custody and parenting arrangements, property division, and cohabit…

Family LawFamily LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

Caron Family Law

1 lawyer

Caron Family Law is a Kitchener firm led by Heather Caron, serving Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. It practises matrimonial and family law, and it leans on collaborative practice, mediation and other out-of-court r…

Family LawFamily LawNotary & Commissioner ServicesNotary & Commissioner Services

Chan Law

1 lawyer

Chan Law is a general practice firm in Waterloo, Ontario, led by lawyer Douglas Chan. It handles real estate, family law, wills, powers of attorney and estates, and corporate and commercial matters, and it offers nota…

Real Estate LawReal Estate LawFamily LawFamily LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law

Chanda Law

1 lawyer

Chanda Law is a sole practitioner firm led by Arifa Chanda, serving Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo and Guelph, Ontario. It focuses on family law and child protection, and also prepares wills and powers of attorney and…

Family LawFamily LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsNotary & Commissioner ServicesNotary & Commissioner ServicesLegal aidLegal Aid

Chess Legal

1 lawyer · Est. 2011

Chess Legal is a Cambridge law firm that's practised since 2011. It handles real estate, business and corporate law, family law, wills and estates, immigration, and notarization. The firm offers services in English, P…

Real Estate LawReal Estate LawBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawFamily LawFamily LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

Cohen Highley LLP

34 lawyers · Est. 1974

Cohen Highley LLP is a full-service law firm founded in London, Ontario in 1974. It practises across family law, personal injury, business law, real estate, wills and estates, employment, multi-residential housing and…

Family LawFamily LawPersonal InjuryPersonal InjuryBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawReal Estate LawReal Estate Law

Colizza & Carroll LLP is a boutique family and matrimonial law firm in Waterloo. It takes matters from across Southern Ontario, including Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, Guelph, Brantford and Toronto, and it accepts Leg…

Family LawFamily LawLegal aidLegal Aid

Collett Read LLP

9 lawyers

Collett Read LLP is a criminal defence firm headquartered beside the John Sopinka courthouse in Hamilton, with offices in Burlington, Brampton, Mississauga, Waterloo, St. Catharines, and Oshawa. It practises exclusive…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceFamily LawFamily LawLegal aidLegal Aid

CWM Law

1 lawyer · Est. 2019

CWM Law is a small general practice serving Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the surrounding area. It handles family law, civil litigation, wills and estates, corporate law, real estate, and Landlord and Tenant Boa…

Family LawFamily LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law

Dammie Legal

1 lawyer

Dammie Legal is a Waterloo, Ontario law firm led by founder Damilola Aderonke Ojo, who is licensed to practice in both Nigeria and Ontario and serves as a Notary Public. The firm's practice areas include family law, r…

Family LawFamily LawReal Estate LawReal Estate LawImmigration LawImmigration LawNotary & Commissioner ServicesNotary & Commissioner Services

David Lang Barrister & Solicitor is a solo criminal and family law practice in Kitchener, Ontario, run by David J. Lang for over 30 years. It handles criminal and family matters in the Ontario Court of Justice and the…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceFamily LawFamily LawLegal aidLegal Aid

Dhaliwal & Dhaliwal LLP is a law firm based in Toronto, with additional offices in Cambridge and Mississauga available by appointment. It practises criminal defence, Canadian immigration law, and family and divorce la…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceImmigration LawImmigration LawFamily LawFamily Law

Dhanoa Law

1 lawyer

Dhanoa Law is a full-service solo practice in Kitchener, Ontario, led by principal lawyer Invir Dhanoa. It handles real estate, wills and estates, municipal law, family law, and corporate and commercial matters, and p…

Real Estate LawReal Estate LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsAdministrative & Regulatory LawAdministrative & Regulatory LawFamily LawFamily Law

Drake Law

10 lawyers

Drake Law is a multi-office family law, real estate law, and wills and estates firm with its head office in London, Ontario and branch offices in Sarnia, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, Oakville, Mississauga, a…

Family LawFamily LawReal Estate LawReal Estate LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law

Duncan, Linton LLP

15 lawyers · Est. 1860

Duncan, Linton LLP is a Kitchener-Waterloo firm established in 1860, and it's one of the oldest independent law firms in the region. Its roughly 15 lawyers handle business and general legal work for clients in Kitchen…

Bankruptcy & InsolvencyBankruptcy & InsolvencyReal Estate LawReal Estate LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law

Flannery Law

1 lawyer

Flannery Law is a Kitchener practice led by Timothy C. Flannery, who's practised law for over 30 years. Its main focus is civil litigation and family law, with additional work in employment disputes, wrongful dismissa…

Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionFamily LawFamily LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

GC Boyle Law Firm

2 lawyers

GC Boyle Law Firm is a community-focused practice with offices in St. Marys, New Hamburg, and St. Thomas, Ontario. The firm provides personalized legal services across real estate, family law, wills and estates, busin…

Real Estate LawReal Estate LawFamily LawFamily LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law