Our Team
Michael Stangarone B.A. (Hons), LL.B.
Partner
416-507-2645 - Call
Michael Stangarone is a partner at MacDonald & Partners LLP, where he has practiced exclusively family law since 2005. He was called to the Ontario Bar after earning his LLB at Western University. He regularly appears at all levels of court in Ontario, including the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, and has developed an expertise in international child abduction matters. He appeared on behalf of the Appellant before the Supreme Court of Canada in December 2024 in the international family law matter of Dunmore v. Mehralian, a case that clarified the test for courts to apply when determining a child’s habitual residence in a non-Hague Convention abduction matter.
Michael Stangarone featured in the Toronto Star
June 8, 2023
Michael Stangarone court of appeal decision of Senthillmohan v. Senthillmohan discussed in the Financial Post
July 5, 2023
CANADA LAW AND PRACTICE
Child Relocation 2025 - Definitive global law guides offering comparative analysis from top-ranked lawyers
Michael Stangarone, Tiffany Guo and Isabel Brisson

MICHAEL
STANGARONE
We are pleased to announce that our partner, Michael Stangarone, will be presenting at the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) Annual Meeting, USA and Canadian Chapters Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA, on September 13, 2023. Further details to follow.
IAFL Annual Meeting, USA and Canadian Chapters Meeting Santiago, Chile, 6-10 September 2023

I am proud to have presented with my esteemed colleagues, Max Blitt from Calgary, Jeremy Morley from New York and esteemed associate, Tiffany Guo on the important issue of grave risk of harm and domestic violence under The Hague child abduction Convention at the 62nd AFCC Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana!


Honoured to be presenting to the judges of the British Columbia Supreme Court on the issue of international child abduction in sunny Kelowna, B.C…
Michael Stangarone, partner, and Tiffany Guo, associate, were happy to meet with Chie Maekoya, case officer, and Izumi Kamada, counsel, with the Japan Central Authority (Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction) on July 12, 2024 to discuss how the Hague Convention is being implemented in our respective countries. It was a productive meeting!
WE HAVE A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT
June 2024
WE ARE HEADED TO OTTAWA TO MAKE LAW AT THE SUPREME COURT ...
We proudly announce that our team at MacDonald & Partners LLP, Michael Stangarone, partner, Meghann Melito, partner, and Tiffany Guo, associate, have obtained leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada from the decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Michael Paul Dunmore v. Raha Mehralian (Ont.) (Civil) (By Leave), 2023 ONCA 806 (41108), on the important issue of determining a child’s habitual residence in abduction cases involving non-Hague signatory countries. The decision of the Supreme Court could change the way in which Canadian Courts decide this important issue, which in turn will impact the lives of children across the country.
Michael's Team
Chrissy Warren, Legal Assistant
cwarren@mpllp.com
Aria MacEachern, Associate
amaceachern@mpllp.com
Tiffany Guo, Associate
tguo@mpllp.com
Testimonials
“Oh man. I have just broken-down crying. What a long year and a half it has been since we got home. Thank you for everything during this challenging time and for helping us solve this and avoid court again. I appreciate it greatly.”
“Thank you all so, so much. I am truly grateful to have met you. During this difficult time, you supported me and stood by my side. I wish all of you nothing but the very best.”
“I was at a loss when I was referred to this law firm. Without going into too much detail as most people do not know how difficult family law dynamics, stress and emotion go into separation and managing relocation can be. Michael and Tiffany were so amazing to work with trusting myself as a strong mother just doing her best to protect her daughter. They guided me through each step, built trust and complete transparency. They were beyond professional and helped ease my worries as best as they could given the time and circumstances. With the years experience of them combined they were able to prepare me for what was to come, before it did, and although this was a timely process we were able to reach a settlement that kept my daughter and I protected and safe. Lavanya, Chrissy and Sarah were also amazing with assisting with the paperwork, answering questions and organizing everything in a timely fashion. When you are in a tough position (separation, divorce, custody, relocation) you can barely think straight. You need to know you have a team behind you that you can trust and rely on that also has the human centric and real personality that helps you feel calm. This is the team I owe the world and our lives to. Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything!”
“I am so very thankful for all you guys have done in helping D and I live a beautiful future with safety and love. There's nothing better than being free from this.”
"That is the best news ever!! I am shaking! Thank you so much to all of you!! "
"Thank you, Michael! This is wonderful news. I am so happy. I am so relieved, thank you! "
“This outcome means a great deal to me. I am very grateful for your advocacy throughout what has been an extremely difficult and excruciating process.”
"I wanted to be sure to take the time to properly thank you for your very important role in the completion of my battle to keep my son. This has been the most difficult experience of my life, and I’m truly grateful for how you both supported me through it.
Thank you Michael, for agreeing to take my case, and for your expertise, and strategic approach to problem solving through the initial dealings with my file. I am so very grateful that you agreed to continue working with me as my case changed due to the constant shifts, games and inconsistencies from the Respondent, as well as your patience and flexibility in bundling services in a way that genuinely fit what I needed. Your ability to steady the process and keep the focus on protecting H meant so much.
I really appreciated being included as part of the discussions of strategy— you advised me clearly, made thoughtful suggestions, and brought in additional resources so we were prepared for anything. I always felt that you valued my insight and listened to me.
Margarit—I could not have done this without you; thank you for agreeing to work with me throughout the chaos. I am especially grateful for the way you handled the inconsistencies at each turn, the lies, and prepared so thoroughly for trial.
Your presence at trial was so calming for me, and I truly trusted you throughout. You were supportive, acknowledging, and calm from the moment we walked into the courthouse, when I needed it most. During the trial, you were completely in control — methodical, focused, and precise. Watching the cross examination was amazing. You used his own words and the evidence to draw attention to his high conflict personality behaviours, and to dismantle each false accusation and expose every inconsistency- calmly and clearly. It was so effective that there was nowhere left for him to go, and it ultimately led to his conceding. I felt supported, grounded, and genuinely protected having you there. Thank you so very much. "
"This outcome means a great deal to me. I am very grateful for your advocacy throughout what has been an extremely difficult and excruciating process."
"Congratulations to team MacDonald & Partners for an awesome job. Michael you should be proud of this team for what they did congratulations again !!!!!"
“Wow, what a result. My deepest gratitude to you both for your diligent and steadfast efforts throughout our case. Your hard work and unwavering commitment were truly remarkable. I am profoundly grateful for your support, professionalism, and compassion during this difficult and emotional time. Your advocacy has changed our lives for the better, and I cannot thank you enough.”
“Your presence and support today were invaluable. I appreciate everyone’s assistance as this was truly a team effort.”
“Thank you you and Aria for getting me to the finish line. It’s not an easy process, you both were very professional and helpful through some emotional times.”
"Thank you for everything! You and Tiffany are so awesome and I’m so grateful to have you on my team."
"All the best to you, I appreciate you. Keep shining a light and being the advocate you are. I am so grateful there are lawyers like you in this world."
“All the best to you, I appreciate you. Keep shining a light and being the advocate you are. I am so grateful there are lawyers like you in this world!”
"Thanks Michael for all your help from the very beginning to all the way to the end spanning all these years."
“I just wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for all the help you and your team have provided so far. Your support has been invaluable, and I truly appreciate the effort and dedication you have shown.”
“I know you're not technically my lawyer, but watching my parents stress/suffer through this has been awful. Just wanted to send along a little thank you. I felt so well represented by you today in court (on my parent’s behalf). Thank you again, this was a far better court experience than my last one.”
"It really did. It went as well as we could have hoped for, and all the hard work and dedication was clear to see. I know I chose the right firm."
"Oh you totally wonderful man! Thank you so very much. Regardless of the outcome, your kindness and generosity will mean the world to the mother concerned (as it does to me)."
“You consistently demonstrate your skills by achieving these rare results. I appreciate your dedication more than I can say!”
"Michael, Tiffany (and team)… thank you from the bottom of my heart."
“Michael, thanks for following up. And thanks for taking care of him. You, Stephen, and your team were awesome.“
“Dear Julia and Michael. Thank you. I appreciate tremendously the work on the file.“
“Thank you Michael for your help on this cohabitation agreement. Much appreciated.”
“My friend had Michael as her divorce attorney and was very happy with your services."
“A big thanks, Mr. Stangarone. Without your legal expertise, all this would have not been possible. God bless you all!”
”Michael I just wanted to thank you !! You were absolutely amazing and so professional. I truly appreciate what you and your team are doing for my family.”
“Michael I know you have other cases that are probably way more complex than this. Thank you for being the one who attended today. I always feel like you have such a good handle on things.“
“You guys made me feel confident and comfortable from the beginning and have been there through thick and thin ever since. I hope you all realize the difference you have made in our lives and what you saved my children from. I hope you guys take time to reflect sometimes about your work and what you do.”
“Michael, you have given me great advice over the past couple years! Thank you I’m very happy with the results.”
“Thank you so much, Micheal! You guys made me feel confident and comfortable from the beginning and have been there through thick and thin ever since.“
“Dear Michael, I must admit, I totally doubted our ability to reach an agreement without a judge's decision today, even with all the risks involved. But here we are, thanks to your incredible efforts and the dedicated work of your incredible teams. I'm overwhelmed by the gift you've given him, myself, his brothers, and our entire family. You've changed the trajectory of his life and ours, ensuring he spends more time with a family that deeply loves him and who wants more of him. I'm certain he'd be thanking you too, if he understood the enormous impact of your work. This is the stepping stone toward May Please accept my deepest thanks and heartfelt appreciation.”
"Special thanks to Michael - I was very impressed with your cross-examination and “closing arguments”. You and your team were well prepared and I felt like you defended me to the best of your abilities. No stone unturned."
“Michael thank you I really appreciate everything you guys have done for myself and my children. Your team is outstanding!”
"Many thanks, Michael. I'm speechless. BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER! Thank you everyone for all your hard work on this. I am still processing the news..."
“Just wanted to say thank you. I felt like you defended my case beautifully!”
"Thank you to you and your team for the great work!"
“I cannot believe this. I am so thankful. I am going to book a flight immediately and will be in touch with the details. I just cannot thank you and Kira enough!”
"Thank you and Julia for your excellent Work today! I appreciate it! "
"Very kind lawyer, I must congratulate you on your speech in today's hearing, I saw E very happy with his perfect presentation of the facts, he understood that he needed you and your great professionalism and experience. I realize that we are not at the end yet but I am sure that you will do everything possible so that E can see the girls again and find her serenity again. For the first time after a whole year E smiled again today he saw a glimmer of light and this is thanks to her. Thank you infinitely and I send you my most cordial greetings."
"Hello Michael, you did an amazing job!"
“Incredible result Michael and team! I knew Tamra would be in great hands with you guys.”
"Michael, Aria, thank you so much! Also to everyone assisting you for the motion."
“Thank you so much for your time and work. Your team helped me through a really tough time and I’m very grateful for your help. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“Thank you so so much for resolving this matter for me. Your expertise in the field definitely played a big role to get a quick result ever since my case was transferred to your office.”
“Thank you all! I want to thank every single person who helped me throughout this process. Truly appreciate your support!”
"I like the firm’s professional tone. You have a tough job. Just want to make sure you guys know how grateful I am to have you on my side. :)"
"Thank you so very much, Michael. I would like to take up this opportunity to thank the whole team for their great hard work. I am truly grateful."
"I’m lost for words and still in shock, I wanted to express my utmost gratitude and appreciation for what you have done for me, my children and my entire family. I have so much respect and love for what you all do as a profession to help people and families through their dark times. You’re all incredibly strong and do noble work. Forever in your debt. Thank you so much."
"I'm still ecstatic over this!! I owe it all to you guys for your outstanding strategy, dedication and attention to detail. Thanks for your advocacy and hard work on all of this!!"
"Thank you very much for sending that email to his lawyers! You and your team have been amazing to work with! I agree with Justice Bennett that you did an outstanding, incredible, amazing job! Especially considering the time constraints. I don’t know how you did it! Thank you kindly for your hard work and dedication to my case. I can’t thank you enough!"
"I cannot thank you enough for the amazing job you did on this trial. Rarely or never do we see a result like this. You are an absolute superstar. I thank you!!"
“Thank you Julie and Michael, so much for your help and support again today. I am super relieved to be done with being on the stand! I am so grateful and blessed to have an incredible team! I can see how hard you both are working to help me. Thank you for everything!”
“I cannot begin to thank you, Meghann and your amazing team enough for all the endless help, guidance and support throughout this entire process. You guys have been truly amazing.”
"Thank you, guys! I am so grateful for your never-ending competence, patience, expertise, and material support of my family. Going to raise a glass tonight in honour of you both."
"Thank you to all of you, I don’t think I have ever been happier, well except for when the kids were born. You guys were great, I truly appreciate all you’ve done so far."
"Thank you so much for all your hard work over the last few days. I had never been in court before and that was very fascinating. I’m so impressed. I was so nervous but it was handled and approached so well."
"Thank you very much Michael. I really appreciate it . It has been a pleasure to work with you. I wish you all the best. Many blessing to you in Life. Stay safe and well Thank you.!"
"Thanks for the great help Aria and Team. I will be very thankful to all of you for this great act of kindness."
"I cannot thank you and everyone enough for helping me to get my daughter back."
"Absolutely, we are elated. The truth finally comes out. All smiles!"
"Thank you so much for all you have done for me Michael! Having you in my corner was the best decision I made."
"I appreciate that you have taken extra time for this extended hearing. First and foremost thank you from the bottom of my heart. You did a fab job given the circumstances. You were the team to go with and bring it home. Thank you."
"This is amazing, I have so much appreciation for you guys and what you do."
"Thank you so much Michael. We both cried today… Happy tears! Thank you."
"Thank you Meghann, Michael and the team for the great job done. I am very satisfied with this resolution. My rights get protected the most. I really appreciate it."
"Thank you so very much for everything that you and Meghann did today and in the lead up. I think that the judge was very fair. So Happy!"
"Hey Meghann and Michael. Thank you so much for all that you have done and did for this motion to go the way it did today I I feel pretty good about what has happened. Thanks so much."
"I wanted to thank you for today. You did an amazing job and I feel a bit normal for the first time in over 2 years Thank you,very appreciated."
"Thank you! We are bereft of words. The children are exceptionally beautiful and seem very happy right now. Can’t put into words this miracle that you made happen. Forever and even more we are all grateful."
"I would like to thank you for all your outstanding work. I was talking to D today and she read to me what M&P LLP has produced in response and I must say it is brilliant. Thank you again."
"Dear Michael and Stephen. I continue to replay yesterday in my head and I am increasingly satisfied that it was a great and unequivocal win. You guys were truly fantastic in extracting the truth."
"Thank you Michael. You do more good that you could ever know. I also want to let you know that Stephen is an excellent Lawyer and as a person. I feel very lucky to be working with both of you."
"Congratulations to you all on the successful outcome. We had never been in a situation like this before and despite the overwhelming feeling throughout. You and your entire amazing team showed a truly high level of professionalism and grit which helped keep us leveled on what would otherwise be a very emotional and angry process. It has been an adventure and we are glad that we chose you to help us through it."
"THANK YOU for your calming presence on our calls and for your solid expertise in these legal matters. It has made all the difference. I know this is all in a day’s work for you,but I just want to know that I appreciate your efforts."
"This is wonderful news. Thank you again to you and your whole team. I know this was not easy and in the end honesty and hard work prevailed. I will always be indebted to all of you and will forever be grateful that my kids and I will never have to worry."
"I just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work, I appreciate how quickly you were able to settle this matter for me. You accomplished more in a few short weeks than my previous lawyer did in over a year. I hope that I’ll never need your services in the future but if I’m ever bamboozled again you’ll be my first call. I’m also in the “divorce demographic” so don’t be surprised to get a few referrals from me going forward. Thanks again."
"Thank you all so much for the time and attention you provided in helping corral this divorce into a final settlement. I’m so relieved to have this process done and over with and appreciate how focused and forward-thinking you all were. Stephen was particularly instrumental on that last day when I went in and expected nothing would be accomplished(on their end) and turned it all around. I was really impressed. Michael, you have an excellent team. Thank you again and if I can send any positive referrals or reviews your way please let me know. "
"I wanted to just take a moment and thank you both for all the hard work you put into this trial. Your hard work has given the children and I a fighting chance at a future that they deserve to have. Whatever the outcome I will be eternally grateful that we had you both on our side. Thank you both and have a wonderful evening. Many thanks."
"Words can’t express my gratitude in your expert work on my children’s behalf; but also for your incredible patience with me in truly my worst hours and under the most stressful circumstances. I thank you for standing by me and supporting me and negotiating what I believe is really a great settlement for the children."
"I want to Thank you all so much for all of your help! I am so happy and grateful to have such great teams. Again I am overwhelmed and glad to have this finally done and start a new chapter in my life!"










