Our Team
We pride ourselves on offering high quality, cost-effective, and timely services to clients from various backgrounds. We communicate openly with clients and assess potential outcomes in a proactive and realistic manner. We prefer to resolve issues out of court but leverage our extensive court room experience when necessary. We deliver all our services with a belief that we are people first and our warm approach reflects that.
Meet Our Team
We have 30 years of experience in guiding clients through challenging times. Meet our team of experts who are ready and happy to help you.
Hilary F.E. Warder
B.Comm. (Hons), LLBHilary is the Founding and Senior Counsel at Warder Law and has 30 years of experience practising family law primarily in Kingston. She is a graduate from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws. In addition to the full-time practice of law, Hilary is pursuing her Master of Laws degree under the supervision of Canada’s leading family law academic Nicholas Bala. Her thesis topic is shared parenting arrangements in high conflict separations.
Hilary’s practice is primarily family law. Whenever possible, Hilary prefers to negotiate the resolution of issues out of court, including, where appropriate participating in the Collaborative Family Law process. When needed, she leverages her extensive court room experience to represent clients in contested family court proceedings. Hilary is also qualified to represent children in family court cases as an agent for the Children’s Lawyer. Hilary was recently appointed as a Dispute Resolution Officer in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Family Court) in Kingston.
Outside of her practice, Hilary teaches Introduction to Legal Skills at Queen’s Law and is a coach for the Queen’s teams at the Walsh Family Law Negotiation competition. When she is not in the office or at Queen’s, Hilary can be found spending time with her family and dogs, skiing, kayaking, reading, and cooking.
Associations:- Law Society of Ontario
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts of Ontario (AFCC-O)
- Canadian Bar Association
- Ontario Bar Association, Family Law Section, Executive Committee, and Child and Youth Law Section Executive Committee
- Frontenac Law Association and the Family Section
- Family Court Bench and Bar Committee
- Family Law Limited Scope Services Project
- Social Planning Council of Kingston and District, Board of Directors
- Kingston Collaborative Family Law, Collaborative Family Lawyer
Laura M. Foster
B.A. (Hons), J.D.Laura is an Associate Lawyer at Warder Law. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Law & Society wherein she received highest honours, as well as a Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. During her time at Osgoode, Laura was the recipient of several awards including the Wendy Babcock Social Justice Award, the Faisal Mirza Criminal Law Writing Award, the Charles Edward Woodrow Award for academic excellence, and the Stephen George Legget, Q.C. Prize for intensive program excellence. During law school, Laura completed a judicial clerkship with the Ontario Court of Justice, acted as student counsel for the Innocence Project, and volunteered as a Legal Caseworker for Osgoode’s Community & Legal Aid Services Program.
Laura articled with the Crown Law Office on Bay Street in Toronto. Her articles focused primarily on legal appeals brought on behalf of the State in both the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. During that time, Laura obtained experience drafting written legal arguments which were successfully argued at the Ontario Court of Appeal. Thereafter, Laura began her legal practice in the Belleville Crown Attorney’s office prosecuting Criminal Code offences at the trial level. Laura now practices in all areas of family law and carries a limited practice of criminal defence files on family-related charges. Laura is an empaneled member of both the Family Law, and Domestic Violence panels with Legal Aid Ontario. She is also qualified to represent children in family court cases by virtue of her appointment to the Personal Rights Panel of the Office of the Children’s Lawyer.
Outside of her practice, Laura participates as a judge for the Canadian Client Consultation Competition and is an active alumni mentor to current Osgoode Hall Law students. In her spare time, she can be found gardening, crafting, or playing with her dogs Ember and Mika.
Associations:- Law Society of Ontario
- Frontenac Law Association and the Family Section
- Family Lawyers’ Association of Ontario
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts of Ontario (AFCC-O)
- Women’s Law Association of Ontario
- Ontario Bar Association
Kim Heath
B.A. (Hons), M.A., J.D. Candidate 2022Kim is an Articling Student at Warder Law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in History and Political Science and a Master of Arts degree in History from Queen’s University. She recently completed her J.D. at Queen’s University where she was awarded the Frontenac Law Award and the Michelle McKelvey Award in Family Law in her final year.
During law school, Kim was the Student Liaison and Co-Chair of Technology for the Frontenac Law Association, Student Administrator for the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts of Ontario - Kingston Chapter, and a member of various student organizations. Kim was a Student Caseworker for the Queen’s Family Law Clinic where she gained experience with written and oral advocacy while assisting self-represented litigants navigate the family court process.
In her spare time, she can be found reading, figure skating, or spending time with her dog Quincy.
Associations:- Frontenac Law Association
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts of Ontario (AFCC-O)
Ally Hudgins
Ally is a Legal Assistant at Warder Law. She works as a support staff to assist in the orderly operations of the firm.
She is an alumni honor student at both St. Lawrence College and Loyalist College, holding a Law Clerk diploma and Community Justice Services Worker diploma. She is local to the Kingston surrounding area with previous professional experience in the agricultural sector.
Outside of work hours, she loves spending time with her family and pets. While also enjoying the hobbies of baking, gardening, and going for hikes with her Great Pyrenees cross, Albert.