The Honourable David A. Jarvis

The Honourable David A. Jarvis will draw on his wealth of legal knowledge and experience from sitting as a Superior Court Justice and a lengthy private practice, to mediate and arbitrate family law matters.  David is well-respected, not only for his procedural efficiency and fairness but also for his practical and compassionate evaluative dispute resolution skills.

After a very successful career in private practice, David was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Central East Region) in February 2015.  He retired from the bench in January 2026. As lead Dispute Resolution judge in Newmarket Court, he implemented a hearing protocol for new matters that reduced delays in court access which has served as a model for other Ontario regions.

Called to the bar in 1978, he practised in the areas of family, estates and administrative law (professional discipline and regulatory compliance).  David was a partner in Beard Winter LLP and an instructor in Family Law at the Bar Admissions Course (1983-2000), a Family Law Mentor and a faculty member of the Annual Advocacy Symposia (1981-1987) jointly presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada  (as the Law Society of Ontario was then known) and the Canadian Bar Association, a Faculty Member (2003) “Pre-Trial Strategies for Family Lawyers” and, in 2009 and 2012,  a presenter and faculty member  for “Conduct of a Family Law Trial” jointly presented by the Law Society of Ontario and The Advocates’ Society.  

David was a Dispute Resolution Officer with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (1998-2015), a founding lecturer for the Family Law Information Session Program of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, a former director of the Family Lawyers Association and a founding member and former director of Collaborative Practice Toronto.  He testified as an expert witness in Family Law for the Law Society of Upper Canada dealing with (at the time) the unauthorized practice of law and as an expert before the Cory Commission on paralegal regulation. He was peer selected by Best Lawyers in Canada (Family Law) from 2006 until his appointment.

David acted as counsel (Discipline) to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (1985-2000) and as counsel to the Board of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (2002-2005 and 2009-2013) dealing with regulatory infractions.

David has been a panelist and presenter at numerous advocacy programs for lawyers and members of the judiciary.