Our Firm’s Approach To Your Case?
Focused on helping people when “life happens,” the lawyers at Morrison Reist Krauss are experts in Family Law and Employment Law, located in Kitchener, Ontario.
We treat every client as an individual ‒ because you are. You won’t find any “templated approaches” here. Instead we’re focused on finding you the most fair, reasonable outcome possible ‒ based on your unique situation.
We often meet our clients in the midst of a very stressful time in their lives. You may be in a place you never thought you’d be, and likely never wanted to be ‒ without a job, “fighting” for custody, on the receiving end of a lawsuit. Luckily, we’re here to guide you through the legal minefields, to help you reach a favourable solution, and to put this chapter of your life behind you.
Where It All Began
Our firm has a long history of hard working entrepreneurs. Before Charles Morrison and Melanie Reist set-up shop in 1992, and then expanded their partnership with the addition of Pamela Krauss in 2018, there was Reist’s Groceries and Dairy Bar, Morrison Studios Photography, and the Krauss family farm and hair salon – the businesses owned by Melanie, Charles and Pamela’s parents and grandparents.
Reist’s Groceries and Dairy Bar, on Courtland Avenue, was once just a stone’s throw away from the current location of Morrison Reist Krauss. Although a bit farther afield, as a teenager, Charles would spend many Saturdays at his father’s Toronto portrait studio, helping make people ‘look good’ on paper. Growing up in Saskatchewan, Pamela saw firsthand the hard work and fulfillment that comes with owning your own business.
Lawyers in Kitchener Waterloo
Before Melanie and Charles came together to establish their own firm, Melanie spent the early years of her practise in the employment law field and Charles concentrated primarily in family law, both in Toronto. At about the same time, early 1991, they both left the big metropolis and relocated to the same Kitchener-Waterloo firm. After a short spell, they formed Morrison Reist.
They have always had their offices in Downtown Kitchener, close to the Courts and other facilities. For many years, the firm was located in one of the city’s premier office towers. In 2005, wanting a more intimate setting, Charles and Melanie moved to their own building on Queen Street South.
Morrison Reist was one of the first law firms to practice Collaborative Family Law (aka Collaborative Practice) in Waterloo Region. In addition to assisting many employee clients with severance and other workplace issues, the firm’s employer-based practice has grown. Melanie has further expanded the employment practise to workplace investigations and mediation.
Expanding To Serve
In 2017, Charles and Melanie could see opportunities to expand the firm and help more people in the community. But in order to grow, they’d need to find just the right partner. They’d value the addition of a partner with experience in corporate and commercial law, someone who was skilled and experienced in tax law, drafting agreements, and the complexities of human capital in business sales and transactions. Perhaps more importantly, they’d welcome a partner who subscribed to their values – someone with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit. Someone who didn’t take themselves too seriously, and who wanted to work on building both a fulfilling professional career and a thriving personal life.
Luckily, the stars aligned and Pamela Krauss, an employment law expert, joined their team and eventually joined them at the leadership table as a partner.
Pamela began her career as a solicitor, focusing on corporate and commercial work in tax law, intellectual property and drafting agreements. She has the kind of work ethic that is typically only found on a farm in rural Saskatchewan. She’s motivated, knowledgeable, and ready to guide your business. In 2018, the firm name was changed Morrison Reist Krauss LLP.
Ready To Help
We tackle employment law and family law cases with skill, enthusiasm and compassion.
Our funky, 60s “retro”-style offices are conveniently located at 279 Queen St. South, in downtown Kitchener, Ontario.
(There is parking out back.)