Questions people ask before they call

Family law, corporate and business law, real estate law, wills and estates, and immigration. Those five cover the great majority of what individuals, families, and owner-managed businesses in Ontario need. Where a matter falls outside them (criminal defence, personal injury, or employment litigation, for example), we will tell you and point you toward counsel who practises in that area.

Call (416) 572-7483, email info@hhlawgroup.ca, or use the form on our contact page. Tell us briefly what the matter concerns so we can put you with the right lawyer and ask you to bring the right documents.

Yes, and that is one of the main reasons the firm is structured the way it is. A separation involving a corporation, a matrimonial home, and a shareholding is a single problem with three legal dimensions. Handling it in one place means the strategy is consistent and you are not paying three firms to learn the same facts.

Yes. Urgent family situations (a child being withheld, support cut off, assets being moved, or a safety concern) can be brought before the court on short notice, and in the right circumstances without notice to the other party. Real estate and corporate deadlines are equally unforgiving. If your matter is time-sensitive, say so when you call rather than in the meeting.

Three things, none of them dramatic. The practice areas overlap in the way our clients’ lives actually do. You deal with the lawyer you met rather than being handed down. And you will be told when a step is not worth what it costs, including when that means less work for us.

Ask what proportion of their practice is in your area, who will actually be doing the work, how they will communicate with you and how often, and what the matter is realistically likely to cost. Then ask what the weaknesses in your position are. A lawyer who cannot name any is either not listening or not being straight with you.

Yes, where the matter is governed by Ontario law, for example a divorce where one spouse still lives here, an Ontario property transaction, an Ontario corporation, or an estate with Ontario assets. Consultations run by phone or video, documents are exchanged electronically, and remote commissioning is available. We will tell you at the outset if jurisdiction is an issue in your case.

Yes. Everything you tell us in a consultation is confidential and privileged, whether or not you retain us. That is a professional obligation, not a courtesy.

Family matters are generally billed hourly against a written estimate, with a retainer held in trust and drawn against as work is done. You receive itemised accounts. Some work can be fixed-fee, an uncontested separation agreement where terms are largely settled, for instance. Corporate and real estate work is more often quoted as a fixed fee because the scope can be defined in advance.

For a family matter: the date of separation, recent tax returns and notices of assessment, pay statements, a list of assets and debts, and any existing agreement or court document. For a real estate matter: the agreement of purchase and sale and your mortgage details. For a corporate matter: the minute book and any existing agreements. If you do not have these to hand, come anyway; we can start with what you know.

Tell us when you call whether the matter is time-sensitive. Genuine urgencies (a child being withheld, support cut off, a closing date approaching, a limitation period running out) are prioritised. For everything else we will give you the first realistic appointment rather than an optimistic one we cannot keep.

You deal with the lawyer you met. We are not a volume practice, and files are not handed down after the first meeting. Where a clerk handles routine administrative steps (which keeps your costs down), you will be told who they are and what they are responsible for.

A retainer is a deposit held in a trust account, separate from the firm’s own money. Fees and disbursements are drawn against it as work is done, and you receive itemised accounts showing exactly what was spent. Anything left over at the end of the matter is returned to you. If the retainer runs low, you will be asked to top it up before more work is done.

Both, depending on whether the scope can be defined in advance. Incorporations, standard commercial agreements, wills and powers of attorney, real estate closings, and uncontested separation agreements are usually fixed fee. Contested family matters and negotiated transactions are billed hourly against a written estimate, because the cost genuinely depends on how the other side behaves.

You describe what has happened and what you want to achieve. We ask questions, tell you where you stand under Ontario law, set out the realistic options and the likely range of outcomes, and give you an estimate of cost. You should leave able to make a decision rather than needing another meeting to understand the first one.

No. Where two people’s interests may conflict (separating spouses, or two shareholders on opposite sides of a buyout), one lawyer cannot act for both. What we can do is act for one of you and prepare the documents, with the other obtaining independent legal advice before signing. That independent advice is a large part of what stops an agreement being set aside later.

Yes. Hasnain Hasni is fluent in Pashto, Urdu, Punjabi, and Hindi as well as English, and can advise in any of them. Being able to discuss a separation, a will, or a business problem in the language you are most comfortable in matters more than people expect, particularly where the subject is sensitive. Where a matter requires a certified interpreter for court or for signing documents, we arrange one and explain the cost in advance.

Parking arrangements differ by office. Tell us which location suits you when you book and we will confirm the details, along with accessibility information if you need it.

Tell us at the outset and we will be straight with you about what your matter is likely to cost and whether it is proportionate to what is at stake. In many cases a limited-scope retainer works: we handle the defined steps where a lawyer changes the outcome, and you handle the rest. Where that still does not fit, we will point you to Legal Aid Ontario, the Family Law Information Centre at the courthouse, or duty counsel.

By whichever of phone or email suits you, and you will be told about every material development without having to chase us. If you have not heard from us it is because nothing has happened, and if you are ever unsure, ask; a status question is not a nuisance.

Yes. Everything said in a consultation is confidential and privileged whether or not you retain us. That is a professional obligation under the Law Society of Ontario’s rules, not a courtesy. The one caveat is the contact form on this website: information sent through it before a retainer is in place is not privileged, which is why the form asks you not to include confidential detail.