Collaborative Family Lawyer & Mediator, Certified Specialist in Family Law

Marian started her career as a family lawyer in Toronto in 2003.  At that time she was in court almost every day with her clients.  She learned a lot about the impact the family court system has on people, both financially and emotionally.

She became focussed on working with clients to find solutions outside of court that would work better for their families.  In 2010 she stopped litigating family matters in court, having learned that there is almost always a more productive and satisfactory way to resolve the unique problems that arise on the breakdown of a family relationship.

Marian is an Accredited Family Mediator (AccFM) and an Accredited Intergenerational Mediator (AccIM).  Please click here to learn more about Marian’s mediation practice.

She is also a trained Collaborative family lawyer and an active member in the local Collaborative practice groups such as Collaborative Practice Hamilton Halton.

Working as a panel lawyer for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, Marian has learned how children are affected by a breakdown in their parents’ relationship.  Whether she is working as the mediator or a lawyer as part of the Collaborative Process in a family matter she brings a child-focused perspective to the process.

Associate Lawyer- Estates

Bethany graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 2000, and was called to the bar in February, 2002.  She began her career with one of Canada’s largest law firms, first in commercial litigation and then in Wealth Management and Estate Planning.  Bethany left Bay Street to join BlackBerry as their first Knowledge Management lawyer for two years, before returning to Estates Law in her home town of Oakville.  Before working as an associate Bethany operated her own practice in Estates Law in Oakville.

Bethany’s practice focuses on estate planning and estates administration.  Her experience in commercial law, wealth management, and knowledge management combine to give her valuable perspective when providing practical and efficient legal advice to her clients.  She provides comprehensive advice in estate planning, ensuring that clients understand the legal impact of their decisions, taking the time to learn about each client’s personal and family circumstances, assets and intentions so that their Wills, Powers of Attorney, and other planning accomplish their goals and intentions in a way that properly reflects their unique situation.

Bethany is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association and the Halton County Law Association.

Bethany volunteers on the Board of Directors at Skate Oakville.

To make an appointment with Bethany, please contact her estates law clerk, Laura Rosati.

Collaborative Family Lawyer & Mediator

Suzanne graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2002, where she served as co-Editor-in-Chief for the Harvard Women’s Law Journal. She was called to the bar in New York in 2004 and in Ontario in January 2018.

Through her experience in family law and her background as a human rights advocate, Suzanne has developed a deep understanding of the emotional impact divorce takes on all involved. Suzanne takes special care to develop a unique strategy to make sure that every client’s immediate and long-term needs are met. Her unique background and experience allows Suzanne to find dynamic solutions for even the most complicated of cases.

Before immigrating to Canada, Suzanne gained extensive litigation experience as a clerk to a federal appellate judge, an associate at a leading international commercial law firm, and staff attorney for a globally-recognized international human rights NGO. Training under two of New York’s top family law lawyers, Robert Stephan Cohen and Marcy Wachtel, Suzanne represented clients in contested, uncontested, and collaborative family law matters. She has negotiated successful settlements on behalf of clients and, when necessary, litigated complicated matters through to trial. Upon moving to Ontario, Suzanne completed family mediation training at York University. She also volunteered with the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, assisting with its human rights advocacy.

Suzanne has co-authored two articles on human rights: Bringing Theories of Human Rights Change Home, 77 Fordham L. Rev. 459 (2008), and Addressing Human Rights Abuses against People Who Use Drugs: A Critical Role for Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures, Journal of Human Rights Practice (Oxford University Press 2018). She also co-authored an article about modifying child and spousal support obligations under New York law, entitled “Support Modification: An Overview and Update” (New York Family Law Monthly 2007).

Suzanne is a trained Collaborative Family Lawyer and a member of the Hamilton-Halton Collaborative Practice Group.

Suzanne is also active in the Oakville community and serves on the steering committee with the Women of Halton Action Movement and has served on the board of Community Development Halton.

Associate Lawyer – Family & Estates

Zeba obtained her LLB from the London School of Economics in 1997. She is a licenced legal practitioner in both the UK and Canada, having been called to the Bar in Ontario in 2001. Zeba began her career as a civil litigator with the Ministry of the Attorney General. She took a leave from the practice of law in 2003 to focus on her young family and she returned to full time practice in 2013.

Zeba has worked in prominent firms specializing exclusively in family law. She has appeared regularly before the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice on complex and very high conflict matters.

She is able to provide practical and effective legal advice in all areas of family law, estates and trusts.

Law Clerk – Family

Susan Dryden is our Senior Law Clerk with 30 years of experience in family law. Susan completed the Family Law and Litigation Course with the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario in 1993. Susan is involved in all aspects of client and file management including preparation of financial statements, drafting and filing of court pleadings and the day to day interaction with clients. Susan is also a Commissioner for Taking Affidavits, appointed by the Province of Ontario.