Robert M. G. Shawyer

He is the principal of Shawyer Family Law and Mediation PC. Robert regularly speaks at Continuing Professional Development seminars focusing on family law hosted by the various Toronto area Courthouse Bench and Bar Committees, the law Society of Ontario and the Ontario Bar Association.

In 2016 through 2018 Robert was lead counsel for the Applicant Mother in the seminal family law case, Coates v. Watson, which focused on the issue of whether Ontario Child Support Law as it was written prior to December 14, 2017 was discriminatory. Due to Robert’s advocacy Ontario’s child support law was declared discriminatory and Ontario child support legislation was amended on December 14, 2017 to allow for ongoing and indefinite child support for disabled children born to unmarried parents who have separated.

The Coates case has been extensively written about in the Toronto Star and other publications such as the Law Times beginning on November 19, 2017 in an Article by the Toronto Star’s Laurie Monsebraaten entitled “The Son, the Father and the Law”. Since acting as lead counsel Robert has acted as counsel in numerous other case involving disabled child and the issue of ongoing child support, which has led to the development of the body of caselaw in Ontario that is used to determine when a disable child is entitled to child support and the amount of child support that disabled children are entitled to on an ongoing basis.
In addition to his work in the Coates case Robert has a wealth of family law experience representing clients at all levels of Court in Ontario including the Ontario Court of Justice and Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and the Court of Appeal.

In 2014 and 2016 respectively Robert was trained and accredited as Collaborative Family Law lawyer and a Certified Family Law Mediator. As a result Robert’s practice focuses on building partnerships with his clients by using their knowledge of themselves and their family and combining it with his expertise in the area of family law, negotiation and settlement advocacy to support and empower clients to reach solutions that meet their short-term and long-term goals.
When Robert is not pursuing his interest in the area of family law and managing a boutique law firm focused on Family Law and Mediation, he is a proud parent of two rambunctious children, a mentor to younger lawyer, an avid golfer and veracious reader when not spending time at the gym.