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 over 30 years of experience practicing 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 has taught Introduction to Legal Skills at Queen’s Law and has been 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
LGBTQIA2+ friendly
Laura M. Foster
B.A. (Hons), J.D.Laura is an Associate Lawyer at Warder Law. She welcomes clients from all walks of life, free of judgment and discrimination.
Laura holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Law & Society graduating with highest honours as well as a Juris Doctor law degree from the historic Osgoode Hall Law School. She 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. She completed a judicial clerkship with the Ontario Court of Justice, and worked as a caseworker for the Innocence Project, as well as Osgoode Hall’s ‘Community & Legal Aid Services Program’.
Laura articled with the Crown Law Office (Bay Street, Toronto). This role focused primarily on preparing legal appeals, brought on behalf of the State, in the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. She drafted a variety of legal arguments which were successful at the Ontario Court of Appeal. Thereafter, she began her legal practice in the Belleville Crown Attorney’s office prosecuting Criminal Code offences at the trial court level.
Laura now practices in all areas of family law, although she has a particular focus in matters involving allegations of domestic violence, and the rights of children. Accordingly, she is an empaneled member on the Family Law and Domestic Violence panels with Legal Aid Ontario. She is also appointed provincially by the ‘Office of the Children’s Lawyer’ to represent children in family court matters, quasi-criminal matters involving Secure Treatment Orders, and Alternative Dispute Resolution matters involving indigenous children.
Outside of her legal practice, Laura can be found gardening or playing with her doggos, Ember and Mika.
Associations:- Law Society of Ontario
- Frontenac Law Association and the Family Section
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts of Ontario
- The Advocate’s Society
LGBTQIA2+ friendly
Kim Heath
B.A. (Hons), M.A., J.D.Kim is an Associate 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 also 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. She completed her Articles at Warder Law thereafter.
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.
Kim is currently the Co-Chair of the Advocacy and Outreach Committee and the Young Lawyers Section of the FLA. She also volunteers her time as a Lawyer Supervisor with the ID Clinic at Martha’s Table.
In her spare time, she can be found reading, figure skating, or spending time with her dog Quincy.
Associations:- Law Society of Ontario
- Frontenac Law Association
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts of Ontario (AFCC-O)
LGBTQIA2+ friendly
Warder Law
Professional CorporationHigh quality family law and wills and estates services to clients in Kingston, Ontario and surrounding areas.
