Sheila Gibb

First Year of Call
Ontario and New York

Areas of Practice
Family Law

Description
Sheila is at her core an advocate. She is smart, strategic and sees the justice of a case. A thoughtful listener and intuitive problem solver, Sheila gets to the heart of the matter. She applies her top-notch analytical skills and her good judgment to assess the best path forward for each client. Sheila is equally adept at negotiating creative settlement solutions as she is pursuing strategic litigation at all levels of court.

Drawing on her corporate law experience at a top New York City firm, Sheila advises clients on complex business, trust and family wealth matters in the context of family law. Sheila’s litigation experience significantly informs her solicitor and planning work, including her meticulous drafting of sophisticated marriage contracts and cohabitation agreements.

With keen emotional insight, Sheila is a committed advocate on children’s matters, ensuring that children’s best interests prevail, including in cases of high-conflict litigation or non-contact. Sheila has expertise in inter-provincial and international jurisdiction matters, including child mobility, child abduction, the Hague Convention, and complex international property matters.

Compassionate and perceptive, Sheila prioritizes relationships, including healthy co-parenting. She is sensitive to family dynamics, power imbalance and family violence issues.

Sheila acts as parenting coordinator, mediator or arbitrator for some families, working to resolve disputes with creative, timely and customized solutions.

Sheila is honoured to serve on the Executive Committee of The Advocates’ Society, after four years as a Director. Sheila is serving as Secretary for the current year. Previously at TAS, Sheila served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Advocacy and Practice, Chair of the Membership Task Force, and Chair of the national symposium, The Right To Be Heard: The Future of Advocacy in Post-Pandemic Canada. Sheila is proud that her volunteerism at TAS promotes excellence in advocacy and professionalism within a fair and accessible justice system.

Sheila also writes and speaks on family law and litigation matters for The Advocates’ Society, the Ontario Bar Association and the Law Society of Ontario and at educational programs for judiciary.

Sheila is a bit of a thespian within the family law bar, a highlight being her portrayal of the hapless Helena in Nightwood Theatre’s “Lawyer Show” production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.