About Us

Strathgowan Estate Mediation was founded by John M. Fuke and M. Gaylanne Phelan in September 2007 to provide a forum for:

• estate trustees
• beneficiaries under wills
• attorneys under powers of attorney
• private business owners
• co-owners of cottages and other real property
• charitable beneficiaries and other interested parties

to resolve estate disputes through a forum other than conventional litigation. Gaylanne, a former partner of The Centre for Estate Mediation, continues her mediation practice through Strathgowan. John brings a wealth of experience in legal matters involving trusts and estates to the Strathgowan mediation table.

John is one of Canada’s foremost lawyers in the field of wills, trusts and succession planning.  Former head of the Ontario and Canadian wills and trusts sections of the Canadian Bar Association, he is currently Vice-President, The Americas, of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. John was named one of the best lawyers in the trusts and estates field in the Financial Post Business (July/August ‘07) special report on “The Best Lawyers in Canada”.

Gaylanne is an accomplished lawyer in the field of wills, trusts, succession planning and contentious estate matters.  She is a Past President of the Toronto Estate Planning Council.  She was one of the first estate practitioners to promote civil justice reform through alternative dispute resolution. Gaylanne established her mediation practice at the time of the introduction of the pilot project for mandatory mediation of estates disputes in the Toronto and Ottawa Court systems in September 1999.

Strathgowan mediates estates disputes in Toronto and many surrounding centres, such as Peterborough, Barrie, Hamilton, Kitchener, Oakville, London and Kingston, and will also travel to jurisdictions beyond Ontario.

For more information about the partners, see Partners.