Our Legal Team
Contact:
Phone: +1 416 515 8608
Email: jruskin@jjfamilylaw.ca
Assistant Contact:
Phone: +1 416 515 8608
Email: amaclean@jjfamilylaw.ca
Education, Admissions & Designations
Called to the Bar of Ontario (2011)
J.D. from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law (2010)
M.A. (English Literature) from the University of Toronto (2006)
First Class Honours, B.A. (English Literature) from McGill University (2005)
Joelle Ruskin, Partner
Joelle practices exclusively in the area of family law. She helps her clients reach effective and sustainable resolutions of their high-conflict parenting disputes, complex financial affairs and planning and support matters. Joelle acts as a Parenting Coordinator and provides Mediation and Mediation/Arbitration services for parties who wish to settle their matter outside of the court process. Joelle is a hands-on mediator and works with parties, whether they are represented by counsel or not, to reach creative settlements.
Joelle was a partner at Epstein Cole LLP before founding JJ Integrative Family Law. She is a past associate editor of the Reports of Family Law and is a current Co-Chair of the University of Toronto Tribunal, Trial Division, for academic disciplinary matters.
Joelle was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2011 after graduating with a JD from the University of Toronto Law School (2010) where she also completed a Masters in English Literature (2006). Joelle graduated with First Class Honours from McGill University in 2005. Her previous experience as a law clerk for the Senior Family Justice and the Judges of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has given her valuable insight into the preferences and decision-making process of judges who preside over family law cases. Joelle is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Advocates’ Society, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.
Jessica Braude, Partner
Contact:
Phone: +1 416 515 8608
Email: Jbraude@jjfamilylaw.ca
Assistant Contact:
Phone: +1 416 515 8608
Email: mgrzybowski@jjfamilylaw.ca
Education, Admissions & Designations
Called to the Bar of Ontario (2013)
L.L.B. from Osgoode Hall School (2012)
B.A. (English Literature) from McGill University (2007)
Jessica is an accredited Family Law Mediator, a Collaborative Family Law lawyer and Family Law Arbitrator. Jessica also acts as a Parenting Coordinator and assists families in implementing their parenting agreements and court orders. Her goal is to achieve collaborative settlements through alternative dispute resolution. She has an aptitude for structuring creative solutions that accomplish the best results for her clients.
Jessica has also acted at all levels of the Court in Ontario and is a passionate advocate. Jessica’s background in corporate and commercial litigation brings a broad and diverse perspective to her practise. In 2018 Jessica was awarded the Heather McArthur Memorial Young Lawyer's Award from the Ontario Bar Association. The award recognized her dedication to social justice and the development of the law in Ontario.
Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. She received her LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2012, and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2013. She has practiced in Family Law exclusively since then. Jessica previously held a position with the Chief Justice of Canada and assisted in a research project focused on therapeutic justice issues for the development of a special court for infants at risk. She is an active participant in professional organizations, including the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Bar Association, the Advocates’ Society, and is a member of the Collaborative Practice Toronto.
Jessica has been recognized by her peers in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ for her high caliber work in Family Law.
Charley Levitan, Associate
Contact:
Phone: +1 416 515 8608 ext. 426
Email: clevitan@jjfamilylaw.ca
Education, Admissions & Designations
Called to the Bar of Ontario (2013)
J.D. from University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (2012)
B.A., Honours, Carleton University, Mass Communications (Highest Honours) (2008)
Charley is a devoted advocate. She prioritizes her client’s needs and objectives and is committed to finding practical, creative solutions to address the many challenges that arise upon a breakdown of a relationship.
In her practice, Charley engages in all areas of family law, including high-conflict parenting disputes and complex financial issues relating to support and property.
She has represented clients at all levels of Court in Ontario, including the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Charley’s extensive litigation experience has not only provided her with the tools to succeed in the Court system, but also unique insight as to when alternative dispute resolution processes may be more appropriate to achieve a successful outcome for her clients.
Charley has practiced exclusively in family law since her call to the bar in 2013. She began her career in the Family Law Group of a prestigious full-service firm in downtown Toronto and later joined a preeminent family law boutique specializing in trial litigation. Her writing has been published in Money and Family Law and she has co-authored papers presented at the National Judicial Institute and the Ontario Bar Association’s Institute.
Charley is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Ontario Bar Association.
Megan Romanowski, Associate
Contact:
Phone: +1 416 515 8608
Email: mromanowski@jjfamilylaw.ca
Education, Admissions & Designations
Called to the Bar of Ontario (2017)
J.D. from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law (2016)
B.A. (Criminology and Canadian Studies) from the University of Toronto (2013)
Since her first introduction to family law as the Pro-Bono Students Canada Family Law Coordinator at Windsor Law, Megan has focused her practice on helping families navigate all stages of the family law process. Before joining JJ Integrative Family Law, she practiced in two family law boutique firms, where she worked on a number of high-conflict parenting cases and addressed complex financial issues, such as the attribution of trust income and the determination of income for self-employed parties.
Megan is a strong oral advocate, who has represented clients in mediation, arbitration, at the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice. Upon reflection of the negative toll litigation can take on clients and their children, Megan trained as a collaborative family lawyer. She is excited to offer this option to clients, which places them in the driver’s seat of a cooperative and cost-effective process to resolve their family law issues.
Megan appreciates that the family law system can be a daunting place for clients and has written a number of blogs to tackle common family law questions in an approachable manner. Her writing has also been published by the Lawyer’s Daily and Money & Family Law.
Megan is the Co-Chair of Collaborative Practice Hamilton Halton and sits on the board for Collaborative Divorce Toronto.
James Porter, Associate
Contact:
Phone: +1 416 515 8608
Email: jporter@jjfamilylaw.ca
Education, Admissions & Designations
Called to the Bar of Ontario (2016)
J.D. from Queen’s University, Faculty of Law (2015)
B.A. (Political Science & History) University of King’s College (2010)
James Porter is an Associate at JJ Integrative Family Law and has practiced family law exclusively since his call to the Bar in 2016.
James is a passionate advocate, who represents clients in all areas of family law, including separation/divorce, parenting, support, property, and cohabitation/marriage contracts.
James has experience representing clients from all walks of life. For most of his career, James has focused his practice on high net-worth clients dealing with complex property and support issues. However, he began his career representing Legal Aid Ontario clients in one of the GTA’s most underserved communities, where he learned to navigate issues related to substance abuse, domestic abuse, child protection, and parallel criminal proceedings.
James has published articles on various issues in family law and most recently co-authored a chapter on marriage contracts in “Contracts for the Family Law Client” published by Lexis Nexis in 2024. James obtained his law degree from Queen’s University in 2015, where he worked as a Caseworker at the Queen’s Business Law Clinic and earned a certificate in International Business Law. He completed the Osgoode Certificate in Family Law Skills and Practice in 2020.