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Toronto family-law services

Toronto Family Lawyer for Clear Next Steps

Get clear guidance from a Toronto family lawyer on parenting, support, property, separation, and divorce.

Start my free case review Find the service I need
  • Focused on family law
  • Your options explained clearly
  • Fees discussed before you retain the firm

Let's start with a free case review

Tell us what's happening and which family-law issue you need help with. From there, the goal is to understand the situation, point you toward the right service, and explain what might come next.

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Before choosing a process

What needs attention first

A family-law matter rarely arrives as one clean question. Start with the issue that carries the greatest risk or that shapes the next decision you have to make.

01

A risk or deadline

If a child may be moved, housing or property is at risk, or a court date is close, call 647-557-9698 instead of waiting for an online reply. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.

02

Parenting arrangements

Current schedules, decision-making, school, travel, and any proposed move can affect what should happen next.

03

Money, property, and housing

Income, support, access to accounts, the matrimonial home, debts, and missing financial information may need early attention.

04

Agreements, orders, or court steps

Bring any existing agreement, court order, application, or scheduled court date into the first review.

Start with your situation

Choose the family-law issue in front of you

You don't need to know the legal label before asking for help. Pick the issue closest to your situation. If several issues overlap, they can be considered together during the case review.

01

Divorce and separation

Divorce applications, separation arrangements, and the parenting, support, and property decisions that often come with them.

04

Parenting time

Schedules, holidays, exchanges, travel, communication, and other practical parts of a child's time with each parent.

05

Child support

Income, parenting arrangements, special expenses, disclosure, and child-support obligations.

06

Spousal support

Entitlement, amount, duration, income information, and possible ways to resolve support.

07

Property division

Assets, debts, disclosure, valuation, and the financial questions that may follow a separation.

Resolution paths

The right path depends on what needs to be resolved

A family-law matter may be resolved through an agreement, mediation or another structured process, or court. The right starting point depends on urgency, safety, disclosure, and how much is already agreed.

01

Negotiate and record an agreement

This route may fit when both people can exchange information and work toward terms. Lawyers may advise, negotiate, and put the result into a written family-law agreement.

02

Use mediation with a neutral facilitator

When direct negotiation stalls but both people can participate and share enough information, mediation uses a neutral facilitator to help them work through terms. Each person can obtain independent legal advice.

Some family-law claims have time limits.

Deadlines are not all tied to the same date, and property claims in particular can have their own limitation period. See the Ontario Family Law Act and ask a lawyer which dates apply to your situation.

What happens next

Move from a difficult situation to a defined next step

A useful first review should organize the immediate questions, not bury you in a generic explanation of family law.

Tell us what you're facing

Share the basic facts, the people involved, and any urgent deadlines or safety concerns. Hold off on sensitive documents until the firm confirms it can act for you.

Clarify the issues

The team helps identify what needs attention first, whether information or disclosure is missing, and which resolution paths may be available.

Decide on the next step

That could mean legal advice, document preparation, negotiation, mediation, or court. The scope and fee arrangement should be clear before you retain the firm.

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Scope and fees

Understand the work before it begins

Family-law fees depend on the work required. A focused agreement review is a different job from a matter involving disputed parenting, incomplete financial disclosure, multiple motions, or a trial.

What shapes the cost

Scope, urgency, complexity, how much financial disclosure is still outstanding, how much is already agreed, and whether negotiation, mediation, or court work is required. Some services are offered at a fixed fee — see the fixed-fees page.

  • What work is included, and who may handle it?
  • How is time billed, and what retainer is required?
  • What could change the expected cost?
Before you retain the firm

No estimate removes every uncertainty. The billing structure and the immediate scope should be clear before any work begins.

What the first review does not do

A free case review is not a promise of free ongoing legal services, and on its own it does not create a solicitor-client relationship.

  • It does not commit you to retaining the firm.
  • It does not replace advice on your full financial position.
  • It does not guarantee a particular outcome or timeline.
The legal team

Meet the firm's family-law leadership

Barry Nussbaum and Jessica Cohen lead the family-law team, but another lawyer may handle your file. After reviewing your situation and any urgent deadlines, the firm will confirm whether it can help and who would be responsible for the work.

Jessica Cohen, Senior Counsel and Team Lead at Nussbaum Law
Senior Counsel and Team Lead

Jessica Cohen

She has practised exclusively in family law since 2014.

Ask who will be responsible for your file.

Before you retain the firm, confirm who will handle the day-to-day work, what the retainer includes, how updates will be shared, and how fees are billed.

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Meet the full family-law teamAll 27 lawyers, including the leadership shown above

Senior Counsel and Team Lead

Associate Lawyers

Of Counsel

Toronto office

Find Nussbaum Law at Yonge and Sheppard

The office is at Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue. Use the details below for the firm's primary Toronto-area location and directions.

Nussbaum Family and Divorce Lawyers The Madison Centre, 4950 Yonge Street, Suite 801 North York, ON M2N 6K1
Phone
647-557-9698
Phone line
Available 24/7. A customer service team member may answer before a lawyer.
Get directions
Questions people ask first

Frequently asked questions about family law in Toronto

Practical answers about fit, preparation, fees, process, and parenting arrangements.

What family-law matters can Nussbaum Law help with in Toronto?
Nussbaum Law serves Toronto and surrounding areas in family-law matters involving divorce and separation, parenting time, decision-making responsibility, child support, spousal support, property division, and prenuptial or cohabitation agreements. The case review helps confirm whether the firm can assist with the specific issue.

What should I prepare for a family-law case review?
Prepare a short timeline, the names of everyone involved, any existing court dates or agreements, and a list of the decisions that feel most urgent. If finances are involved, note the main income, property, and debt questions. Do not send sensitive or confidential documents until the firm confirms it can act for you and explains how to provide them securely.

How are family-law fees determined?
Fees depend on the scope, urgency, complexity, amount of disclosure, level of agreement, and whether negotiation, mediation, or court work is required. Nussbaum Law can explain the proposed retainer and billing arrangement after reviewing the matter. The free case review is not a promise of free ongoing legal services.

Does every family-law matter have to go to court?
No. Some matters can be resolved through negotiation, a domestic agreement, mediation, or another dispute-resolution process. Court may be appropriate or necessary when urgent relief is required, safety is a concern, disclosure is withheld, or the parties cannot reach workable terms.

Which court handles a family-law case in Toronto?
That depends on the orders being requested. The Superior Court of Justice has sole jurisdiction over divorce, family property, and the matrimonial home. Parenting and support matters may be heard in either court, while child-protection and adoption cases are heard in the Ontario Court of Justice. The appropriate courthouse can also depend on where the parties or child live, so confirm the filing location before starting a case.
A clearer next step

Start with the issue that needs attention now

You don't have to solve every family-law question before asking for help. A Toronto family lawyer can start with what has changed, what feels urgent, and what outcome you need to work toward.

Submitting the form does not create a solicitor-client relationship. Information will not be treated as confidential unless and until Nussbaum Law has formally agreed to act for you. Do not submit sensitive or confidential information before a consultation has been booked.

Start my free case review Call 647-557-9698