Lisa Feldstein
Founder, Lisa Feldstein Law Office
Called to the bar in 2011
Law school: Osgoode Hall
Over an almond-milk iced coffee (she is a vegan, a fitness devotee and a wakeboarder who, even seated at a café, pulsates with healthy energy), Lisa Feldstein recalls how, as a Dykeman Dewhirst O’Brien LLP associate representing hospitals, she was approached twice by lawyers who wanted to refer a client to someone who understood the healthcare system. “I thought, ‘I can’t help them because it’s a conflict of interest, but I don’t know where to send them.’” Thus her solo practice was born — a new niche dubbed family health law that focuses on both reproductive law and how families interact with the health care system.
She is something of a wunderkind, even in a profession stacked high with overachievers. Called to the bar only four years ago, Feldstein has quickly established herself as a top family health law practitioner in Ontario, with a substantial social media presence. At 23, she became one of Osgoode Hall’s youngest course instructors. In 2014, her deliberately plain-English Family Health Law blog nabbed a “Clawbie” (Canadian Law Blog Award) for Best Practitioner. (Sample provocative post: “Will there be a new Dr. Kevorkian?”)
Feldstein, who met her husband Cory in Grade 3, is also an LGBTQ ally. And with nearly 1,000 followers on Twitter and 2,300-plus tweets under her belt, her advocacy on social media has brought clients through her door. “We were aware of Lisa’s engagement, both with an emerging and complex legal domain and the specific needs of LGBTQ people,” says Sarah Whyte, a parent Feldstein represented to formalize a sperm donor agreement and a second-parent adoption — Whyte’s family includes twin two-year-old girls and spouse Anna McCartney. “We were glad to have such an informed advocate helping us to navigate this shifty terrain.”
Working with clients from the LGBTQ community, especially on reproductive rights, stokes Feldstein’s advocacy.
“My practice has fuelled my interest,” she says, adding, “the legal system is outdated and fails to recognize the needs of the modern family.”
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Photography by Jaime Hogge; Hair and makeup by Shawna Lee; Shot on location at Spin Toronto