Separation & Divorce
Steady guidance through each step, with collaborative options that save time, cost and heartache.
Newmarket · Aurora · York Region
Family lawyer in Newmarket.
Our Main Street South office serves Newmarket, Aurora and York Region. A women-led boutique firm for separation, divorce and parenting — collaborative where that serves you, and in court when it must be.
Women in York Region come to us in the season that decides everything after: the first conversation about separating, the first missed payment, the first night the children ask why. We take that season seriously and work it carefully.
This is a boutique practice, so the lawyer you meet stays with your file. You will not be handed to a rotation of faces who have never read your matter — and you will not be charged for a firm you never met.
What we tend to in Newmarket.
Parenting & Custody
Arrangements built around your children's stability, not a scoring system.
Child & Spousal Support
Fair, informed support so you can rebuild with security.
Complex Financial Planning
Closely held businesses, investments and pensions — analysis so decisions rest on facts.
Property Division
Clear, careful division of what you built together, including the family home.
Marriage & Cohabitation Contracts
Agreements made in calm seasons, protecting both partners for what may come.
Mediation & Collaborative Options
A quieter path where the facts allow, prepared by lawyers who can also litigate.
Family Litigation, When Needed
Experienced advocacy before the Ontario Court and the Superior Court of Justice.
A Focus of Our Practice
Intimate Partner Violence
Your experience deserves to be understood. Your next chapter deserves a different strategy.
Domestic violence, intimate partner violence and coercive control are a distinct area of specialization for Chantalle Sterne and a focus of this office. We work with women whose relationships have involved fear, intimidation or control — including abuse that leaves no visible marks.
If you are divorcing someone you describe as a narcissist, a conventional approach may not fit. Our strategy responds to the behaviour and the evidence, weighing safety, communication, financial access and parenting together.
In May 2026, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized a civil claim for intimate partner violence in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia. Where the requirements are met, a survivor may ask a court for damages for a pattern of coercive and controlling conduct. We can tell you whether that belongs in your file.
Speak with us about your situationYour next chapter
Begin with a conversation.
Family Law
$150
A comprehensive half-hour consultation.
Wills & Estates
No charge
A complimentary twenty-minute consultation.
Corporate law — we confirm the consultation fee with you when we reply.
Asked in Newmarket
How long does a divorce take in Ontario?
An uncontested divorce often resolves in a handful of months once the paperwork is filed. A contested matter involving support, property and parenting commonly takes a year or more. Which path yours takes is the first thing we will show you.
Can I claim damages for coercive control?
In certain circumstances, yes. The Supreme Court of Canada's 2026 decision in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia opened a claim for the pattern of coercive and controlling conduct itself. An award is not automatic; it depends on your facts and evidence.
What does the first consultation cost?
A comprehensive half-hour family law consultation is $150. A wills and estates consultation is twenty minutes and carries no charge.
Our litigation practice is focused on family matters. See the full family law practice, or explore mediation & collaborative options.
Newmarket / Aurora
146 Main Street S
Newmarket, Ontario
On Main Street South, a short walk from the station. Evening and Saturday appointments can be arranged.
Directions →
Visit Us
Come as you are.
Begin with a conversation. Tell us what brings you here and how we can safely reach you.