I am writing to thank you for your services during a very long and exhausting family court battle in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 to secure sole custody and child support for my 4 children. Now that the dust has settled and I have had time to reflect on everything that happened, it troubles me that the courts forced me to endure such a long legal process. At times I felt overwhelmed by the process. I didn’t understand why a man trying to provide a better life for his children should be forced to endure 12 court hearings/motions/conferences and a 3 week trial over a period of almost 2 years to secure sole custody. At first, I felt as if my advantage was that I was a better parent than my ex-wife and that my eldest child who was 12 years old at the time was becoming of age where her opinion would be considered by the courts in Ontario. Unfortunately, it became clear that the judges we encountered really had no way of knowing who the better parent was, because the truth can be stretched, spun and even avoided in many different ways in court. And the courts discouraged involvement of the children as much as possible, even at 12 years old. At times, judges told me they disagreed with what I was trying to do. This is where I have to thank Tom. At times during the initial 2 year custody battle, I found myself in dire straits such as unemployed or without a suitable home for the children or emotionally distraught by the judges’ decisions and Tom convinced me not to give up. It was Tom that knew how to approach the judges and speak their language. It was Tom that knew how to present our case to the judge and shatter the aged old stereotypes that still exist about men. It was Tom that stayed up late at night thinking about what the opposition lawyer would attempt next in his big bag of tricks and always came prepared with a plan. The court battle turned out to be nothing like I had anticipated, more comparable to a high stakes poker game, where the best hand doesn’t always win. It was how Tom played our cards, his confident demeanor in the courtroom and his reputation that commanded respect in a relatively small judges community in Toronto that gave us the victory in the end. Tom, you saved my children and saved me because now my life has purpose and I am forever grateful to you.
“H.D” Toronto
I wanted to extend our thanks for helping us through the litigation proceedings with the plaintiff. Your empathy for our situation and the solutions you provided made us feel we were well-represented and taken care of, while across the country.
“S. M.” British Columbia
I have been a client for Thomas J. Maclennan for a few years now and I have been consistently impressed with the level of professionalism throughout the team. I live on the other side of the country and have never had the opportunity to meet them in person, nevertheless the advice and invaluable help they have given me has made me feel as if I was right next door. I am very happy with the outcome of my case, which I had very little hopes for and grateful for the work they have done on my behalf. I would have no hesitation at all in recommending them to handle any family matter successfully . I am forever grateful.
“M. R.” British Columbia
Mr. MacLennan is a very competent lawyer whose knowledge of the law and of specific past cases has helped me a lot in the court battle that opposed me to my ex. over the custody of my children. His advice proved to be sound all the times, his rhetoric in court and amazing memory of all the details of my case have also very positively influenced the course of things.
His empathy, kindness and psychological support during difficult situations relieved me from huge amounts of stress at times…. he consistently advised and recommended to seek non conflict outcomes. Something worth to add, he is assisted by very capable and good hearted assistants who have always been very helpful….
“C.A.” Toronto
Thomas MacLennan’s firm defies the stereotype of family lawyers. Highly knowledgeable, compassionate and responsive, Mr. MacLennan’s team provides an invaluable and reliable source of support to families facing difficult choices. While he has a conciliatory approach to resolving disputes, he is not afraid to act as a powerful advocate on behalf of children and parents. I would recommend him with total confidence to anyone who demands integrity and consistent results from their legal counsel.
“I. J.” Brampton