John attended the University of Waterloo where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Honours Economics. After graduating, he went on to study law at Queen’s University. He was involved in a clinical family law program during his time there which first sparked his interest in family law. The program allowed him to observe different family cases at the unified family court in Kingston, Ontario and familiarized him with the court process.

John articled at a litigation boutique firm in Waterloo, Ontario and practiced in a variety of different areas, but most of his time was dedicated to family law and he gained greater familiarity with the litigation aspect of the practice. As an articling student he also worked on a number of large commercial litigation cases. Shortly after being called to the bar in 2007, he appeared as counsel at the Ontario Court of Appeal.

In 2008, John started work at a full service firm in Orillia and was first introduced to the Simcoe County Collaborative Practice lawyers. Much of his time in Orillia was devoted to negotiating separation agreements for clients and he obtained an appreciation for out of court resolution of family disputes.

Today, John is equally comfortable litigating family cases in court or negotiating agreements outside of court. Being aware of the greater emotional and financial costs of litigating in court, John has no hesitation recommending that his clients pursue other possibilities before commencing litigation. When an opportunity came up for John to join with Galbraith Family Law and start working towards being a Collaborative practitioner, he knew this was the right place for him.

John lives in Orillia and spends much of his spare time with his girlfriend, Laura, in the outdoors where they enjoy jogging and boating together. He has been a member of the Canadian Forces Army Reserve since 2002 and serves with the 11th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.