An Interview with Stephanie L. Feld

Jun 13, 2024

We at Kelly D. Jordan Family Law Firm are excited to welcome our newest associate, Stephanie L. Feld! Having practiced law across Canada, from Saskatchewan to Ontario, Stephanie has now joined the KDJFL for the next step of her career. Learn more about her past, present, and future – with some lawyerly advice to boot – in this interview.

Jeremy: Hi, Stephanie! Thank you for doing this for me and for KDJ.

Stephanie: Thanks for having me!

Jeremy: We just want to ask you a few questions.

Stephanie: Sure.

Jeremy: What brought here? What drew you to KDJ?

Stephanie: I’ve been a lawyer since 2017 practicing family law. I practiced for two years in Saskatchewan before coming back to Ontario, and then I was in a law firm in Whitby since 2019. I was drawn to KDJ by the immense expertise and knowledge of Kelly and Emma and the other lawyers on the team. It’s somewhere that I have always admired and wanted to work. I’ve heard about some of the wonderful work they’ve done in the areas of family law and some of the unique challenges they’ve faced, particularly working in reproduction law and some really interesting family law cases. It’s somewhere that I really was excited to join. Having met Kelly and Emma I was ready to make the leap.

Jeremy: Amazing. So, you wanted to come to KDJ from a “this is top tier family law” place.

Stephanie: Yes, exactly.

Jeremy: Why was it family law in the first place? You got to law school and you could have chosen anything, any faculty.

Stephanie: I’ve always been interested in family law. It’s something that I wanted to do. I find that, you know, a lot of people ask me “why do you want to be a family lawyer? That must be difficult.” Especially at weddings. My response is always the same, really – I find that people going through a separation really need someone to be in their corner and on their side. They’re going through one of the most difficult periods in their lives and just being there as a resource and a guidance, someone with knowledge to help them through that process, is something that I really enjoy doing. By the time someone comes to a family law lawyer, the relationship normally is already over. At that point, you’re just the one there to help them guide themselves through that process, and that’s the part I really enjoy. I feel like I can connect with clients and help them solve their problems in an efficient way and that helps get them through the hard times as easily as possible.

Jeremy: That’s so upstanding. How did this start? How did you get your start in law?

Stephanie: Basically, I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph. I did a major in Psychology and a minor in History, with a focus on child development in early education. That was something that translated to family law really well. Although I’m not working directly with children, I’m hoping that, by working their parents through a difficult time, I’m indirectly helping children, which is something I wanted to do. I went to law school at Western University and then I got my start in law articling at a small boutique firm in Picton, Ontario. It was more of a full-service law firm, they did some family law but they also did a lot of other areas, such as construction law, corporate, criminal – everything under the banner. So I got to really see the different areas of law and try them all out, if you will, during my articling. I found that family law really is the area I enjoyed most and that I felt I could make the biggest impact. I just stuck with it from there.

Jeremy: Tell me about this small boutique firm.

Stephanie: There was five lawyers and each one did a different type of law.

Jeremy: Wow.

Stephanie: So I got to jump in whenever, with whoever.

Jeremy: That’s really interesting. So you would have been really young?

Stephanie: That was my first job, yeah. Articling is like residency for doctors. So I wasn’t a lawyer yet.

Jeremy: Oh, I see.

Stephanie: So, law school is three years, and then you have to work at a law firm, articling, for 10 months, before you can write your bar exam and become a lawyer.

Jeremy: Oh, this is all pre-bar. Then you fell in love with family law articling, then you passed the bar.

Stephanie: Exactly. Then, when I passed the bar, I moved out to Saskatchewan.

Jeremy: To lawyers like that, young lawyers, and other law students, what advice would you give?

Stephanie: My advice would be to really try different areas of law, if you can. Try to branch out, because you may find that you enjoy or excel in things you didn’t expect. That can be a really interesting part of the early education. Also, don’t go to law school unless you really want to be a lawyer. (laughs). You have to have a real passion for the industry, and it has to be something that you enjoy doing. You have to enjoy working with the public, especially for family law. There’s different areas where it’s more hands-off, or more research based – you can really find in law an area that works for you. Really, you can broaden your approach as much as you want.

Jeremy: We’ve talked a lot about your career pre-today, your past career. Where do you see your career going next?

Stephanie: Now that I’ve joined Kelly Jordan, I’m so excited to continue working and growing and expanding my knowledge base with them. Hopefully, I perceive myself staying here a long time.

Jeremy: That’s great! Now, I have a question on here to make the interview feel less, let’s say, robotic, which is tell me about your dog. What’s their name?

Stephanie: Lucy! I have a giant dog, a Great Dane named Lucy, she’s is 6 feet tall when she jumps up to give hugs.

Jeremy: Oh my goodness.

Stephanie: Her paws on my shoulders, she’s a full head taller than me and she is 150 pounds.

Jeremy: 150—that’s more than me!

Stephanie: Yep, same here. My weight loss goal is always “as long as I’m under my dog, I am good.” Even when pregnant, I was—oh, I should mention I have a daughter. That’s another fun fact about me (laughs).

Jeremy: Let’s end this off with another fun fact. Tell us something about yourself when you’re not working cases.

Stephanie: When I’m not lawyer-ing, per se, I am normally at home with my husband and my daughter. She’s one and she’s a ball of energy, just learning to walk and babble. She keeps me busy. Otherwise, I also love travelling. I’ve spent several months traveling around Europe and Asia, trying to try all the foods in all the countries. It’s just something I really enjoy doing.

You can book an appointment with Stephanie through her page on our website.