Owner Spotlight: David Warren

I am David Warren, proud owner of David I. Warren Barrister & Solicitor.

I look forward to sharing my story. I hope that you will enjoy getting to know me better.

I grew up in North York, Toronto and earned a degree in Sociology at the London School of Economics. I also have a B.A., and LL.B. from the University of Toronto, which helped to lay a strong foundation for my career in the law field.

I was called to the bar in 1982 and in 1989, I joined the general practice with the firm of Farb, Warren, Bergman where I worked for fifteen years. When Mr. Farb retired, Mr. Bergman and I were associates until 2010, after which we set up our independent practices.

The main areas that I concentrate on are real estate, family law, and wills and estates. I am available for consultation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. most weekdays, and I also make evening and weekend appointments if necessary. Occasionally, I do attend to clients in their homes, especially for the signing of wills.

As a sole practitioner, I am responsible for all aspects of the practice. I find that I am closer to most clients and am able to provide them with better service than lawyers in larger, more impersonal firms. Meeting people and solving their problems is what I love about my job and I do my best to make people feel comfortable, understanding that an appointment with a lawyer might be taking place in difficult circumstances.

As I have acted for many years as a Duty Counsel in Family Court, representing people who do not have a lawyer, I find that I am able to grasp the essence of an issue quickly and direct my energies towards solving their problem efficiently. Resolving matters in Family Court for those who have only limited access to legal help is some of the most satisfying work I do. Moreover, I am quite aware of my strengths and weaknesses as a lawyer and have no trouble referring clients to specialists in areas outside my expertise and I attribute my success to all the hard work that I do in solving problems of my clients.

Apart from my own firm, I admire Brian Schnurr, one of the top estate lawyers in Canada, who is a relative of mine, and Bob Aaron, who writes on real estate law for the Toronto Star, who is a friend through our mutual interest in folk music. Tommy Douglas and Jack Layton have had the most impact on my leadership style for being both strong-willed and personable at the same time.

Away from work, I am very involved in the folk music and science fiction fan communities and spend a lot of time providing advice to members of these communities. I was on the board of the Mariposa Folk Festival for twenty-eight years and was also on the panel vetting subway buskers for many years. I was fan guest of Honour at an Ad Astra Science Fiction Convention several years ago.

I feel strongly for social causes as well. I am on the board of Artists' Legal Advice Services (ALAS) clinic, which provides free summary legal advice to artists of all disciplines and I staff the clinic for three to six hours a month, on a volunteer basis. I’ve been serving this organisation for over thirty years.

I have enjoyed sharing my story about the things which matter to me and how they influence the way I do business.

If you or someone you know could benefit from our expertise in real estate, family law, wills and estates, I invite you to get in touch. Please visit my website at www.warrenlaw.ca.

Sincerely,

David