Gelman & Associates
Gelman & Associates is a law firm that offers adoption, child support, divorce, domestic violence, estate planning, and mediation services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Gelman & Associates does
Gelman & Associates is a privately held Ontario-based family law firm co-founded in 2001 by Lisa Gelman and Karen Kotansky, headquartered in Toronto's North York neighborhood. The firm focuses exclusively on family law, operating across 26 practice areas that cover divorce, custody and access, support, property division, and related domestic matters. It serves individual Canadians dealing with family transitions rather than corporate or institutional clients.
The firm operates 11 office locations distributed across Ontario, supported by over 20 lawyers and a total headcount in the 11-50 range. This multi-office model is structurally unusual for a single family law firm in Canada and positions the firm as a province-wide retail legal services provider rather than a single-jurisdiction boutique. The firm has invested in brand-building through consistent media presence in tier-one Canadian outlets (Toronto Star, Global News, CTV News, CBC), and has accumulated over 200 five-star Google reviews alongside the 2025 Toronto's Best Lawyers recognition.
The business model is conventional for a mid-size law firm: revenue is generated through hourly billing, retainers, and fixed-fee arrangements for defined family law matters, with clients acquired through referrals, organic search, media-driven inbound, and direct digital channels such as TikTok and YouTube. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform, no third-party funding, and no M&A history; the firm appears to be entirely organic-growth funded by partner capital and operating cash flow. Co-founders Lisa Gelman and Karen Kotansky remain active public figures in the firm, which functions as both a leadership signal and a brand asset.
Gelman & Associates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gelman & Associates
- Legal name
- Gelman & Associates
- Website
- https://lisagelman.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gelman & Associates is a law firm that offers adoption, child support, divorce, domestic violence, estate planning, and mediation services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gelman & Associates industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Family Law Legal Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (541110)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro industry
- Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law
Keywords
Where Gelman & Associates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
Gelman & Associates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Legal Services: The firm generates revenue through professional legal services billed to clients for family law matters including divorce, child custody, support, adoption, and related legal services. The firm offers free initial consultations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Gelman & Associates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gelman & Associates is a family law firm that delivers legal representation and advisory services across the full spectrum of Ontario family law, including divorce and separation, child custody and access, child and spousal support, division of property, adoption, domestic violence matters, estate planning (wills, powers of attorney, succession planning), and domestic contracts (cohabitation agreements, prenuptial agreements). The firm also offers alternative dispute resolution services such as mediation, arbitration, and collaborative family law. Services are rendered by a team of over 20 lawyers operating out of 11 Ontario offices.
Product overview
Gelman & Associates is a family law firm providing comprehensive legal services through a portfolio of 26 distinct practice areas. The firm offers legal representation across the full spectrum of family law matters including adoption, alternative dispute resolution (mediation, arbitration, collaborative family law), child-related matters (custody, support, protection), property division, divorce, domestic violence, estate planning, and domestic contracts (cohabitation agreements, prenuptial agreements). The services are delivered through a team of over 20 lawyers across multiple Ontario offices. The firm does not offer a unified software platform but rather traditional legal service offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Divorce & Separation
Companies that use Gelman & Associates
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Gelman & Associates technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Gelman & Associates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Gelman & Associates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Russell Alexander Family Lawyers: Ontario-based family law firm with multiple offices serving individuals across family law matters. Directly comparable as a multi-location Ontario family law practice targeting similar divorce, custody, and support clients with similar content-marketing and review-driven GTM.
- Feldstein Family Law Group: Toronto-area family law firm focused on divorce, custody, support, and property division. Comparable as a GTA family law practice with overlapping service mix and a similar direct-to-consumer marketing approach.
- Nussbaum Law Firm: Ontario family law firm specializing in divorce, custody, and support matters with multiple practice areas. Directly comparable as a multi-practice Ontario family law firm competing for similar clients in the GTA and surrounding regions.
- MacDonald & Partners LLP: Ontario family law firm providing divorce, custody, support, and property division services. Comparable in service offering and target client base to Gelman & Associates within the Ontario family law market.
- Aarons & Aarons Family Law: Toronto-based family law firm with multiple offices serving Ontario clients. Directly comparable as a multi-location Ontario family law practice competing on similar divorce and custody matters.
- Kelly D. Jordan Family Law Professional Corporation: Toronto-focused family law boutique handling divorce, custody, and support matters. Comparable as a GTA family law boutique competing for the same individual-client base with overlapping service offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Shibley Righton LLP: Long-standing Ontario law firm offering family law among other practice areas including real estate, corporate, and litigation. Comparable as a regional incumbent offering overlapping family law services as part of a broader portfolio, though not family-law-specialized.
- Thomson Rogers Lawyers: Established Ontario full-service law firm with a family law group among its practice areas. Comparable as a larger Ontario incumbent offering family law representation alongside personal injury and other practices, providing a benchmark for scale in the same geography.
- Weirfoulds LLP: Established Toronto-based full-service law firm with a family law practice among other areas. Comparable as a Toronto incumbent offering family law within a broader practice, useful as a benchmark for higher-end GTA legal services.
Emerging players
- Cordell & Cordell: Large U.S.-based family law firm network specializing in divorce, custody, and father's rights with a multi-office, marketing-intensive model. Comparable in business model and brand-building approach (especially around father's rights and men's family law), though operating in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Gelman & Associates social profiles
Digital presenceGelman & Associates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gelman & Associates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Gelman & Associates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gelman & Associates M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gelman & Associates
What does Gelman & Associates do?
Gelman & Associates is a family law firm that delivers legal representation and advisory services across the full spectrum of Ontario family law, including divorce and separation, child custody and access, child and spousal support, division of property, adoption, domestic violence matters, estate planning (wills, powers of attorney, succession planning), and domestic contracts (cohabitation agreements, prenuptial agreements). The firm also offers alternative dispute resolution services such as mediation, arbitration, and collaborative family law. Services are rendered by a team of over 20 lawyers operating out of 11 Ontario offices.
Is Gelman & Associates a public or private company?
Gelman & Associates is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Gelman & Associates founded?
Gelman & Associates was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gelman & Associates based?
Gelman & Associates is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Gelman & Associates make money?
One revenue line is on record: legal Services.
Who are Gelman & Associates's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Russell Alexander Family Lawyers, Feldstein Family Law Group, Nussbaum Law Firm, MacDonald & Partners LLP, Aarons & Aarons Family Law and Kelly D. Jordan Family Law Professional Corporation. Broad incumbents are Shibley Righton LLP, Thomson Rogers Lawyers and Weirfoulds LLP. Cordell & Cordell is listed as an emerging player.
Does Gelman & Associates have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gelman & Associates.
What industry is Gelman & Associates in?
Gelman & Associates's product category is Family Law Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAK, Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law. Its NAICS code is 541110 and its SIC code is 8111.