ABOUT MANAFA LAW OFFICE
Toronto Family Law office
Manafa Law Office has been proudly serving the Toronto and G.T.A communities for over 20 years. We are happy to be able to offer effective legal advice and representation in many areas of Family Law to many clients from Canada and other countries.
We hold an impressive success rate. We also succeed in settling many cases out of court, saving our clients much time, stress and money. Our services go way beyond court trials and out-of-court settlements. We make it a point to support our clients from the very beginning all the way to the very end, offering advice and studying each and every case closely to ensure every detail of the case is taken into account and used to our client’s benefit.
We welcome your call or visit regardless of your legal situation or budget. Depending on your case and specific situation, we are in some cases, able to represent some of our clients ” pro-bono”, or offer very competitive or discounted rates for our legal services. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by calling us for advice or more information.
At Manafa Law Office, our utmost priority is to support and represent the community. No case is too big or too small for us. We guarantee that we will not stop working on your behalf until we are satisfied that we have done absolutely everything in our power to bring resolution to your case. If you are unsure what your options are or even whether or not you require legal representation, we strongly suggest that you contact us today!
Our Principal
Joan C. Manafa is the principal of Manafa Law Office, Professional Corporation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (French Language) obtained in 1984 from the University of Nigeria. She also holds a diploma in French literature obtained in 1983 from the Université de Grenoble III, in Grenoble, France ( currently known as Université de Stendhal). This diploma counted as Year 3 of the 4-year degree program she undertook at the University of Nigeria.
Prior to immigrating to Canada, Ms. Manafa was a high school teacher in Nigeria. In 1989, she obtained a Nova Scotia Teacher’s License, Class 5 Permanent, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She studied common law (in the French language) at the Université de Moncton, in New Brunswick, Canada, where she obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree in 1994. She also holds a certificate in Quebec Civil Law, obtained in 1993 from the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. This was part of the Common Law/Civil Law Exchange program organized by the Department of Justice Canada and designed to expose Canadian law students to the two legal systems in Canada. She was chosen to represent the Université de Moncton Law School, in New Brunswick, Canada. She has a working knowledge of Quebec Civil Law.
Upon completion of her Bachelor of Laws degree in 1994, she immediately proceeded to Dalhousie Law School (now known as Schulich School of Law) at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where she obtained her Master of Laws degree in 1995.
She was called to the Ontario bar in October 1997 and has run a successful private practice since February 1998. She is fluently bilingual in both English and French and practices in both languages.
Ms. Manafa is an experienced Divorce and Family Law lawyer with unique years of experience in emerging areas of family law practice such as Transgender Family Law, Grey Divorce, High Net worth Divorce, International Divorce and Family Law, Fertility Family Law and Matrimonial Tort litigation, and the diverse legal issues involved in these Family Law practice areas. Her clients come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds.
Ms. Manafa has a unique experience in the area of Fertility Family Law. She has undergone and continues to undergo extensive continuing legal education in the area. She is fully familiar with the interplay of Fertility Law and Family Law and has developed a robust Fertility Family Law practice dealing with a wide range of family law issues. She taught Family Law (in the French language) at College Boréal, in Toronto, Canada from 2003 to 2004, and Assisted Reproductive Technology was a component of the Family Law course.
She is very passionate about social justice issues and has been a staunch advocate for the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and the mentally ill. She represents them before Administrative tribunals as well as in court on issues involving disability benefits, findings of incapacity to make treatment decisions, guardianship disputes, involuntary hospitalizations, substitute decision-making disputes. Her patience and compassion have helped her work effectively in these areas. She uses the most effective resolution to her clients’ legal issues. Although the issues involving the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and the mentally ill can be quite complicated and challenging, it has been a very rewarding experience for her due to the unique role she plays in the lives of her clients and their families. Her best advertisement has been her satisfied clients. Through many years of working with this highly vulnerable and underserved segment of our population, she has acquired extensive experience and expertise in dealing with the complex legal issues facing them.
She regularly appears before the Ontario Court of Appeal, Ontario Divisional Court, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Justice as well as administrative tribunals.
She also belongs to several other professional organizations such as the Law Society of Ontario, Ontario Family Lawyers Association, Canadian Bar Association, the American Bar Association (ABA), and Association des Juristes d’Expression Francaise de l’Ontario ( AJEFO).
She has been quite active in the community and has been profiled in several community newspapers. She volunteers her time and talent to many community organizations. She has also been on the Board of Directors of some non-profit community organizations. She has served as Ontario Bar Examiner, marking Ontario Bar examination papers for Professional Responsibility and Family Law courses in the summer of 2002, 2003, and 2004. She marked both English and French papers.
In 2004, she received the Afro-Caribbean award for her contributions to the community.
