Victoria Starr
Victoria is an experienced and skilled negotiator, litigator, trial and appeal lawyer who has practiced exclusively in the area of family and child protection law since being called to the Bar of Ontario in 1996. Victoria’s practice has expanded over the years such that she also offers her services as an accredited mediator, certified arbitrator and certified collaborative family law lawyer to those looking to resolve their disputes through an alternative process.
Victoria was co-counsel on the seminal retroactive child support appeal heard by the Supreme Court of Canada and has argued a number of appeals to the Court of Appeal for Ontario. She regularly litigates cases in the Toronto, Milton, Brampton, North York, Oshawa, and Newmarket courts. She is an equally effective and strong advocate in resolving disputes through negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Victoria also represents children in child protection matters as a member of the Children’s Lawyer Panel.
Community service involvement is an important part of Victoria’s practice. At present Victoria is Chair of the Family Lawyers Association of Ontario and sits on the Executive of the Ontario Bar Association’s Family Law Section and the Advisory Board for Legal Aid Ontario and the Advisory Board of Justice Net. Victoria is also currently an associate editor of Matrimonial Affairs, a publication for family lawyers. For several years she acted as a member of the volunteer Board of Directors for Access for Parents and Children Ontario (APCO), and Victoria was a member of the Expert Advisory Group and the Working Group appointed by the Law Society of Upper Canada to review and make recommendations on the retention of women in private practice. Victoria also holds memberships in such organizations as the Advocates Society, the Women’s Law Association, The American Bar Association, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and the Ontario Bar Association.
Victoria has served as a faculty member of the Family Law Institute and the Law and Youth Seminar Series and has been a speaker at many other continuing legal education programs such as the 311 Jarvis Open Bar Series. She has written articles for various family law publications and publishes a regular column in Matrimonial Affairs, called “Did You Know…..”. She frequently presents public education seminars about various aspects of family law and has also taught civil litigation and family law to law clerks enrolled in the Centennial College Law Clerk/Paralegal Program.