About Us
Gartner & Associates Animal Law & Mediation is Canada’s leading animal law firm. Located in downtown Toronto, we deal exclusively with animal law matters and are dedicated to helping clients resolve animal disputes with our tailored mediation and litigation services.
With extensive and specialized knowledge and experience in animal law matters, our team understands your issues and concerns.
Our practice areas include pet custody disputes, dog breed discrimination/bite allegations, veterinary malpractice, condominium disputes involving pets, wills and estates matters for surviving pets, resolving pet insurance claims, and animal care related negligence claims.
Suzana Gartner
B.A., J.D., LL.M (ADR), Firm Founder & Mediator
Suzana Gartner is the Firm’s Founder and a Mediator. She completed her Master of Laws degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School in 2013. Suzana launched the first animal law firm and mediation practice in Canada dedicated exclusively to animal-related disputes. She focuses on using mediation cases to help clients resolve their disputes. Suzana has successfully resolved many client cases using an alternative approach to litigation in the following areas: alleged dog bite incidents, dog “breed” bans, pet custody disputes between separating couples, pet condominium disputes, incidents of injury or death and negligence claims, breeder disputes, boarding and dog walking claims, denial of insurance claims, equine-related matters, horse contracts, and other animal-related disputes.
Daniel Fin
Law Student
Daniel joined Gartner & Associates as a summer law student after completing his first year at the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law. Before starting law school, Daniel graduated from York University completing a BComm in Accounting with honours. During his time at York University, Daniel was heavily involved with the community where he volunteered in numerous wildlife rehabilitation projects.
His love for animals started at a young age. Being raised around dogs, he knew that animals would always be a major part of his life. Having experienced injustice with his own canine companion in a veterinarian malpractice incident, Daniel’s passion for animals naturally led him to a career in animal law.
In his spare time, Daniel loves being outdoors, weightlifting, and spending time with his dog.
Kira Berkeley
Law Student
Kira is joining Gartner & Associates as a summer student after her second year of law at the University of Ottawa. She is focusing on animal law and environmental law in her studies and is an executive member of the school’s Animal Justice Association. Prior to law school, Kira completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music at York University.
Her interest in animal welfare started at the age of thirteen when she learned about factory farming and decided to pursue vegetarianism. She aspires to do as much as she can to protect animals and is excited to be working with like-minded people.
In her spare time, she enjoys playing piano, salsa dancing, practicing martial arts and trying new vegan recipes.
Edith Barabash
Law Student
Edith is joining Gartner & Associates as a summer student after her first year at Osgoode Hall Law School. She has previously completed her Bachelor in Environmental Studies degree with honours, and hopes to bridge the fields of animal law and environmental law through her work.
Edith has always been an animal lover, but she decided to make animal rights a part of her career after founding a non-profit animal rescue, Farmhouse Garden Animal Home. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to promote compassion and justice for all living beings. She is very excited to be working with others who share these values.
In her spare time, Edith can be found singing showtunes, hiking, or caring for her pet cows.
Sarah Bowman
Law Student
Sarah is joining Gartner & Associates as a summer student after her first year of law school at the University of Western Ontario. Prior to law school, she completed a Bachelor of Social Science in International Development and Globalization at the University of Ottawa where her interest in social justice solidified.
Sarah grew up around animals and strong values of environmental conservationism. Over the years, her interest in the protection of endangered species and animal rights led her to focus her studies on animal and environmental law. She is the president of her law school’s Animal Justice Association, and is very excited to work and learn from experts in this field.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys playing badminton, baking, and going on adventures with her dog.
Marc Goldgrub
J.D., GPLLM Candidate, Law Clerk
Marc is joining Gartner & Associates as a part-time Law Clerk. A licensed lawyer in New York, he is currently pursuing a Global Professional Master of Laws degree in Canadian law at the University of Toronto. He holds a degree in English from the University of Toronto, and a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City. Before moving back to his hometown of Toronto in 2018, he worked as a resident associate at the esteemed media law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks. If all goes well, he will be licensed to practice law in Ontario next year.
Marc’s interest in animal rights and environmentalism date back to when he was a child bugging his parents not to litter. He became a vegetarian at 16 due to concerns about the meat industry’s impact on climate change, and went vegan at 21 in part due to a photocopied zine he picked up in Kensington Market called Hello Vegan, which he very much enjoyed.
In his spare time, Marc serves as an active member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Toronto chapter, and enjoys playing video games and reading books by old Russian writers.
