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Gary S. Joseph is the former managing partner and chair of MacDonald & Partners LLP. He is a certified specialist in Family Law. He was called to the Ontario Bar (1978) and is a former member of the Alberta Bar (1985). He also received his LL.M., Masters of Law in Constitutional Law from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Gary has been reported in over 350 Family Law decisions at all Court levels in Ontario and Alberta. He has also appeared as counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada. He is a past Family Law Instructor, Ontario Bar Admission course.
Gary is the author of Handling a Family Law Matter in Ontario and The Family Law Litigation Handbook (Ontario), The Family Law Litigation Handbook (Alberta), Family Law Arbitration in Canada, Carswell’s Family Law Memorandum Service, and Parenting Law in Canada. He is the author of numerous articles on Family Law in various professional and public media, including an article in the Huffington Post titled "Marriage and Divorce Attitudes: A tidal wave of change." He was named one of the Top 50 Family Law lawyers in Canada, as noted by Lawday, an international publication. He has been consistently recognized as a leading family law practitioner and in 2022 was again named Lexpert Ranked Lawyer. Recognized by Best Lawyers in 2023. Gary is the recipient of the 2021 Ontario Bar Association Award for Excellence in Family Law.
In the spring of 2024, Mr.Joseph was awarded the Family Law Award for Civility and Professionalism by the York Region Law Association.
Gary has presented family law papers throughout Canada. Gary is an active and involved spouse, father and grandparent and has a variety of interests inside and outside of law, including chess,reading, sailing, mountain biking, golfing and swimming. He is a retired triathlete having competed in 33 triathlons worldwide including three Hawaii Ironman competitions in Kona, Hawaii, and the World Professional Championships (in France).
Law360 Canada (July 22, 2024, 12:39 PM EDT) -- The Ontario Court of Appeal recently overturned a criminal conviction and ordered a new trial for a man convicted of multiple counts of domestic assault.
Gary Joseph receiving his YRLA Family Law Civility and Professionalism Award
Details from York Region Law Association.
Gary Joseph on October 13/22 at dinner award ceremony receiving his Award of Excellence
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you on this file. You have the ideal balance of representing your client vigorously, but with civility.”
“I want thank you for your professional, first class approach, and considerate support over the last 4 years, it was certainly not easy, or comfortable at times, however, it was comforting to know that you guys had my back throughout all of this! “
“I would like to take a moment to tell you how extremely grateful I am to have you representing me!”
“I think of you all with deep gratitude - a great deal, and as I think about it - I realize that it's probably a constant in my mind that you have been a great part of whatever good my life has been able to evolve to.”
“Thank you to the whole Gary Joseph team for helping me through this entire 12-year saga!!”
"Gary, you've been amazing and everyone knows that you're the dean of the family bar. I'm grateful for what you've done. And same with Vivian. She's very talented."
“I am so thankful for your skill and support in this matter. It is very gratifying to have this work out the way I hoped it would and am so glad I had your wise counsel throughout. You asked me to hang in there and I did and I got the result that I wanted.“
“I would like to once again thank Gary, Sarah and the wonderful legal team for their support. I am so grateful for the amazing work they did on my case.”
“I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for all the knowledge, support, kindness, and mentorship you have provided me over the years (got legal education/degree without attending Law School☺)”
“Thank you does not fully convey the depth of my appreciation, but it is the best word I can find right now. Collaborating with you has been an honor, and I have grown both professionally and personally because of it. We have built a great working relationship, achieved amazing work, shared some laughs, and created memories that I will cherish.”
“…..I’ve also been reading your blog posts and they’re fabulous. Many of the things you write are universally applicable to all areas of the practice of law including the basic proposition that you cannot truly know how to settle a case unless you’ve been to court….”
“I admire your commitment to “just being a lawyer.”
“…..I’ve really got to hand it to you. I can tell from the way you touched that letter up that you are a fabulous lawyer. Please don’t retire too soon, you’re a credit to the profession.”
“I mean this sincerely. Thanks for handling this and the true wisdom you've shared. I genuinely appreciate it.”
“I just want to say thank you, for all your help, support, and professionalism. You have helped me through, without a doubt, the most difficult time in my life. I know that you all worked very hard on my case and I want you to know that I greatly appreciate everything that you have done for me, and for my kids.
I wish you all the best! Thank you again, for everything!”
“I want to say thank you for your stellar efforts in representing me in court today. I greatly appreciate it. I would also like to thank you for your professionalism and all the hard work that you and your team have done for me to date.”
"Thank you for all your advice and support. You are the best lawyer but even a better person."
"Gary, thanks to you and Julia for giving my case life! I know you gave it your best effort and I was delighted!"
"Thanks for your hard work all the time, but especially these last couple of days! I really appreciate the late nights and hours you give always such as your holidays time, swearing me in from home...late week nights."
"Thank you, Gary. I really appreciate all the support from you, Sarah, and the team. I am truly grateful."
"Your law firm has been great to us, and I and M appreciate all the great effort, guidance, and support in moving on with this case to help us achieve her dreams. Thank you."
"Gary, I had lunch with J today and she had great things to say about your firm's support of her case and knew you would be the right person for her situation."
"I want to thank Gary and everyone on his team for their outstanding work on my behalf. Thank you for making that happen."
"May God bless the whole of Gary Joseph’s team millionfold for your AMAZING work, AMAZING HONESTY & EFFICIENCY! We got ALL that we needed in your office."
“Thank you again for all your help over the last couple of years. It has truly been a pleasure to have you represent me.”
"I wanted to personally thank you for the hard work that went into the motion yesterday. I appreciate all of your efforts and taking the time to be available to help me with my case. I think it went very well. Thank you a million times over."
"Gary, you have been and continue to be a beacon of focused, forthright, and responsible family law in our community."
“I want to add my most sincere thanks for all of your work and commitment to me and going through this matter, It is so appreciated. Thank you again!“
"I wanted to thank you Gary and your team! I will highly recommend you. The support I received from yourself and your team was just incredible. I knew I was in good hands since I had a bad experience with my previous lawyer. I really appreciate what you have done for me."
"A sincere thank you for all your hard work, your advice, and care you've taken to help me with this matter. I'm grateful this matter is settled."
"Thank you Gary & Kristy. I really appreciate your excellent work on the motion."
"Also on a separate note, Gary, I wanted to mention that my experience with both you, your firm and the staff has been an incredibly positive one. So many people seem to take the time to send negative feedback when they are upset but far too few reach out when things have gone 'the right way'. So I thought I'd change that trend. Thanks again for both the speed and quality of the consultation."
"Thank you very much, all of you, for a job very well done. Obviously, I am very pleased with this result. Though I am not entirely surprised. Fortunately for me with you representing me I have the pleasure once again of experiencing excellence in lawyering, which includes not only your superb advocacy Gary but your outstanding support in Julia and the others from your staff on your team. So I applaud you all, and once again express my sincere appreciation for your outstanding conduct of my file."
"Hope you are doing well. Thank you for the advice and the work that you have done for me over the years that we have known each other. I know that without you I would be in far less favorable situation."
"Thank you for such a great job of questioning today and eliciting such interesting, even entertaining, and such revealing responses!! Thank you again Gary, and have a lovely evening."
"Thank you Gary. I am very appreciative of everything you and Julia and the team have done for me."
"Thank you, Gary, for the detailed email. I thank you for all this success you are the one who helped me so much and I am in a better space today than two years ago."
"Anyways…continuing saving the world my friends, just thought you should be reminded that your clients are forever grateful to have people like you in their corner when they have never felt more vulnerable or confused in their life. We rely on your strength more than you know to get through this process."
"I am learning so much from both you and Julia. If one day when I leave this world (hopefully a long time from now) i am told I have to go back to do a better second run at it all. I want to come back as a litigator, and as a good lawyer like both of you are."
"Thank you, sir. By the way, your staff kept communicating throughout the day. They are fantastic."
"Once again, I want to thank you both for your proportionality in this matter. I will sleep easier tonight... You did a great job. I won't hesitate to recommend both of you in the future."
"Thank you for yesterday. I know it’s your job but I want you to know I really appreciate you accepting this case and being my voice."
“I have a team of people who place honesty and integrity before winning. These are beliefs I have held closely throughout my life and I appreciate each of you for how you have handled my file.”
“The way you write documents is so much more – I don’t know how to say – so much more professional, honest, true, and in no way trying to desperately show an unreal situation. I really appreciate how you are looking after us. Thank you so much.”
“I am so thankful and indebted to everything that you've done for me. I knew I was in good hands if this had to go to trial which I never wanted! Again say thanks to your staff for all that you've done.”
"Thank you, everyone, for a great win and all your hard work. I just wanted to take a moment to show my appreciation and acknowledgment. Thank you, Gary, for recommending Stephen to me. Thank you, Keisha and Stephen "
"Gary, to be recognized by your peers as one of the best family law lawyers in Ontario is indeed an honour. You have consistently demonstrated excellence in Family Law throughout your career. Well deserved. Congratulations. The OBA’s award is long overdue."
"Thank you very much, Gary. And thank you, as well, to Irene and Annamaria. I am very pleased with my decision to retain you and your office to represent me in this matter. Have a wonderful summer!"
"Thank you for your work getting me to this place. I am grateful to all of you"
"Thank you to everyone for working together to help the children and me. I am grateful to all of you."
"Thank you for all you've done for me so far, I do appreciate it. I wish I started this process with you by my side from day one. I'm sure it would have been a completely different outcome."
"Thank you again for yesterday, and thank you for the talk we had after. I really appreciate your understanding and all that you do."
'Thanks to Gary for buying more time. Having a great team taking care of me is the only thing keeping me from insanity."
"You couldn't be in better hands! Gary is an incredible Lawyer."
"I just want to let you know the house closed today. Thanks again for all the help and support you and your team have provided over the past years. I'm happy to have this behind me."
"Thank you both for your professionalism and competence in dealing with this matter. it's more than protecting my money it is also protecting my dignity and I feel you both executed it all very well."
"I want to again thank you for accepting to resolve my matter. It is an amazing feeling day in and day out knowing you are by my side."
"Thank you – you were brilliant Gary."
"Good Luck - Well you really don't need it cuz your damn good at what you do."
"Thank you very much for everything you have done for me. You were the best."
"I just wanted to say a great big thank-you to you today for all your help and that I really appreciated everything. Also, I just wanted to thank you for helping me through and understanding the emotional hard part too. Never easy. You are awesome and I think you are really great at what you do. I am very lucky to have you."
"Thank you, Gary. I appreciate all the work and effort that went into getting a decision that is a very good result."
"It was truly a pleasure meeting with you today and working through this difficult file. Whatever happens, it’s good to know there is still respect and collegiality in our profession."
"Thank you for helping to fuel an important conversation. There are no easy answers, but I think it’s crucial that we as lawyers continue to discuss and work through how to best balance our competing duties to our clients, the administration of justice, the profession, and society as a whole."