Rachel has more than 13 years of family law experience and has advocated for her clients at all court levels in Ontario including the Court of Justice, Superior Court of Justice, Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal. She has handled cases at courthouses in Brampton, Newmarket, Markham, Oshawa, Toronto and Barrie. She is well versed in family law, and has participated in drafting legislation and regulations. Rachel’s experience and knowledge will help you obtain an effective and fair solution to your family law issues including separation, child custody, access, child support, spousal support and division of property. Like all of the lawyers at her firm, Rachel offers a free initial consultation. Rachel prides herself on being accessible and responsive, and knows that you may have concerns and questions outside of a traditional “9-5″ workday. She responds promptly to emails and phone calls, and will schedule evening and weekend meetings to accommodate your schedule. Before moving to private practice, Rachel spent more than nine years at the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) as supervising counsel for Eastern Ontario. The FRO is part of the Ministry of Community and Social Services. While at the FRO, she gained valuable negotiating skills and courtroom experience while helping families to meet their support obligations. She has a thorough knowledge of the FRO, how it operates and its legislation. She believes in the importance of maintaining strong ties to her community. While at Osgoode Hall, Rachel volunteered at its legal clinic and continues to be part of the legal aid panel. Rachel is also part of the Legal Aid Panel. Rachel was called to the bar in 2002 after being awarded a J.D. at Osgoode Hall Law School. She received her B.A. with Honors from York University. She is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Upper Canada, The York Region Law Association and Toronto Family Lawyers Association. When she is not working, Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband and children.

Christopher works with both employees and employers regarding all their employment law needs, including human rights and business litigation issues. He represents clients at multiple levels of court, including tribunals such as the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Christopher also practises in corporate and commercial litigation and disputes, including shareholder agreements, contract disputes, construction law, liens, incorporations, compliance, and other business law issues. He worked and continues to work with top Toronto law firms and legal professionals, and has experience working at the Federal Court of Appeal. Christopher is on the Board of Directors of Beyond Reasonable Doubt Community, a non-profit organization that helps spread legal awareness and access to justice. In his free time, Christopher enjoys engaging in sports, such as rugby, golf, and swimming. He also has a flair for music and enjoys playing the piano, guitar, violin, and drums.

A natural entrepreneur, Lisa took a few detours after law school before settling in family law, where she has happily been in private practice for the last 25 years plus. Nothing if not a well-rounded person, Lisa owned an ice cream store and owned a travel company that once led a singles trip to Nepal for a major Internet dating site. While an undergraduate, she and Gelman & Associates’ COO Karen Kotansky even owned a company that employed other students to sell paper products in bulk door to door. In fact, her talent and drive to grow successful businesses was recognized by PROFIT and Canadian Business in 2016 where she was included in the W100 list of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs. Lisa has been firmly dedicated to her family law practice since 1995, and in 2001, she began the law firm of Gelman & Associates. Her stats are impressive. She has a B.A. from the University of Western in political science and an LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1995.

Mohamed Elbassiouni is a Personal Injury Lawyer and heads up the Accident Benefits team with a special interest in cases involving catastrophic impairment. Mohamed’s practice is devoted to accident benefits claims on behalf of injured accident victims. He has conducted numerous arbitration hearings before The Financial Services Commission of Ontario, ADR, and the LAT. During his career, Mohamed has successfully won cases for his clients at the Arbitration and Appeal levels. Mohamed has worked on cases that were before Divisional Courts and the Ontario Court of Appeal. He has more than 15 years of accident benefits experience. He is committed to helping those who have been treated unfairly and unreasonably denied their benefits by insurance companies.

I am looking forward to seeing how I can help you. Don’t hesitate to call!

Peter is a Partner with Smitiuch Injury Law and has exclusively worked as an injury and wrongful death lawyer his entire career. He has extensive knowledge and experience in acting as a fearless advocate to obtain compensation and accident benefits for injured individuals and families. Peter has acted as counsel on a number of trials and arbitration hearings at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Financial Services Commission of Ontario. Most notably, Peter was co-counsel in Stilwell v. Corning Inc., the first successful trial verdict against Corning in North America involving Visions cookware. The trial verdict was upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal. In December 2014, as co-counsel with Mike and Megan, Peter helped to obtain a jury verdict against Glen Eagle Golf Club for over $1.8 million in damages and interest. In March 2015, Peter was lead counsel with co-counsel, Luke, in a judge alone trial arising from serious personal injuries sustained by a minor Plaintiff while boarding an amusement park ride with his father at Centreville Amusement Park (Bhatt v William Beasley Enterprises Limited). At trial, Peter successfully obtained a Judgment in favour of the minor Plaintiff and his parents against William Beasley Enterprises Limited. Recently, Peter was acknowledged by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association for his work as a trial lawyer and was presented with the 2016 Martin Wunder, Q.C. Outstanding New Lawyer Award. Peter continues to pursue his goal of becoming a leading advocate in the field of personal injury law with an emphasis in the areas of occupiers’ liability, product liability, police brutality, wrongful death, motor vehicle accident claims and statutory accident benefits.

Ms. Megan Johnston is an Associate Lawyer at Smitiuch Injury Law. After articling with the firm, she was Called to the Bar on June 20, 2014. She will be working directly for the firm's Principal, Michael Smitiuch, on personal injury matters.

Luke Hamer is an Associate Lawyer at Smitiuch Injury Law and exclusively practices in the area of personal injury and wrongful death. Luke has acted as counsel on a number of jury and judge alone trials at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, before the Divisional Court and at arbitrations at the Financial Services Commission of Ontario. In March 2015, Luke acted as co-counsel with Peter Cho in a judge alone trial arising from serious personal injuries sustained by a minor Plaintiff while he was boarding an amusement park ride with his father at Centreville Amusement Park (Bhatt v William Beasley Enterprises Limited). At trial with Peter, Luke helped successfully obtain judgment in favour of the minor Plaintiff and his parents against William Beasley Enterprises Limited. Luke obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Bond University in Robina Gold Coast, Australia. He also holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology and English from the University of Toronto. Luke has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and as a camp counselor in Guelph, Ontario.

Shawn Snider is an Associate Lawyer at Smitiuch Injury Law. After articling with the firm, he was Called to the Bar on June 25, 2019. He will be working directly for the firm's Principal, Michael Smitiuch, on personal injury matters. After completing his undergraduate degree and prior to enrolling in law school, Shawn played professional hockey for nine years in the U.S., Sweden and Germany. At law school, Shawn participated in the Osgoode Mediation Intensive Clinic that provided mediation services to the York campus and surrounding communities. During this time, he was also the Head Coach of the 2002 Mississauga Reps AAA Hockey team, from which, thirteen players were drafted in the 2018 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft. In his spare time, Shawn spends time with family and friends, plays golf and travels as much as possible.

Anamika Sinha provides dedicated and quality legal services for our clients in the areas of Drafting, Immigration, Collaborative Family law, Child and Family Services law, Civil Litigation, Estate matters and Real Estate Closings. With fierce devotion and perseverance, Ms. Sinha has built her career by understanding her client's concerns, relieving them of worry and championing their position articulately and effectively.