YLaw - Family Law Firm Vancouver & Surrey, BC Lawyers. Divorce, Children & Common Law. Asset & Debt Division, Spousal & Child Support. Settlements, Appeals & Agreements. Estate, Corporate & Immigration Litigation. | HQ: 410-1122 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5L1

Ari Wormeli
Ari Wormeli
Partner | Vancouver Family Lawyer

Ari is an academic library unto himself and has been the backbone of almost every major court success YLaw has ever had, even before he joined YLaw.

Ari has also been the mentor to numerous family law lawyers due to his rare and unique qualities, such as his incredible knowledge of family law, his creativity, and of course, his presentation skills in court. He has also been and will always be the inspiration and mentor to Leena Yousefi, the founder of YLaw. When the two of them join forces on a case, they become a force to be reckoned with. They have won multiple groundbreaking cases in BC in family law, including:

  • T.T. v. S.Z.T.: One parent relocated to Victoria, citing COVID concerns without notice. Ari was able to have the child returned to Vancouver despite an initial court finding that the relocation was reasonable in the circumstances;
  • Long v. Sun,: Opposing party sought to impute Ari’s client an income of $500,000. Ari was successful in keeping the client’s income down to his T4 income, approximately $39,000, in addition to winning an award of costs against the other party;
  • Khan v. Gilbert Successful appeal of a lower court’s decision awarding only a 15% share of family property to the client on a 4-year relationship;

Ari’s schedule is filled up not just by his clients but by numerous other family lawyers who call him constantly for advice and strategy on their own cases. He is respected not just by his clients and other lawyers but also by judges and other legal professionals who see his talent, wisdom, and commitment to family law.

Approach

Ari is the type of lawyer who will think about your case day and night. He is full of creative energy. He will come up with different predictions and scenarios for your case. He will challenge you, seeking out potential weaknesses and factoring those in.  Next, he will tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of your case and will collaboratively come up with a solution to resolve it.

Ari’s is an Academic Library: Ari is the type of lawyer that goes home at night and immediately starts reading the latest family law cases out of our courts. He knows of almost every latest trend in family law, remembers every case he reads and when a lawyer reaches out to him with a question, he always has an answer and a supporting case in his mind.

Ari Knows Theatre: The court is like a theatre. The way a lawyer talks, the tone of voice, focus, conciseness, the story, the climax and the outcomes are all things that are necessary for winning a case in court, just like in theatre. Coming from a theatre background, Ari knows how to present his case in a concise, clear and confident way.

Ari is a Problem Solver: Ari looks at problems from 100 feet above and not from the ground up. When he does that, he sees the big picture and the goals of his clients and the opposing side. That gives him the ability to come up with solutions that are so creative, not too many people have come up with. His problem-solving skills are a major asset when he settles his family law cases.

know-ylaw-1
Education
  • J.D., University of Victoria, British Columbia;
  • Bachelor of Arts Honour’s Degree from York University, Toronto;
  • Key presenter at the prestigious Continuing Legal Education of BC on one of the most complex areas of family law and financial statements. To read his paper, click here.
  • Key presenter to notaries in Langley, BC on matrimonial property and property transactions during separation or divorce.
Languages
  • English;
  • French (conversational).
Achievements

Successful counsel on numerous Court of Appeal and Supreme Court cases in BC including:

  • T.T. v. S.Z.T.: One Parent had relocated to Victoria citing COVID concerns without notice. Ari was able to have the child returned to Vancouver despite an initial court finding that the relocation was reasonable in the circumstances;
  • Long v. Sun,: Opposing party sought to impute Ari’s client an income of $500,000. Ari was successful in keeping the client’s income down to his T4 income, approximately $39,000 in addition to winning an award of costs against the other party;
  • Khan v. Gilbert Successful appeal of a lower court’s decision awarding only a 15% share of family property to the client on a 4-year relationship;

VICTORIES

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case Li v. Virk – 2023

Harry Saini was the successful counsel in the residential tenancy litigation case Li v. Virk at the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The Story In December 2018, Ms. Li agreed to pay the Landlord of a Richmond property $2500 for monthly rent There was a problem with one of the rooms, so the Landlord and Ms. Li revised the tenancy…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case: J. V. v. W.B (Oral Reasons) – 2013

Case: J. V. v. W.B (Oral Reasons) BC Exclusive Use of Family Home, Family Asset Division, BC Spousal Support, BC Occupational Rent, Damages and Special Costs. In this case, I represented the wife in a very unusual family case to the point that the judge had a very difficult time believing the facts I was providing in Court. The wife…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case: A.L. v. K.H. 2013 BCSC 1943

Case: A.L. v. K.H. 2013 BCSC 1943 (Written Reasons) Child Custody, Conduct of Parents, Parenting Obligations and Stability In this case, I represented the mother who had a lovely 3-year-old boy. The boy primarily resided with her and there was a Court Order providing that the father would have specified access to the child. But for months, her ex-husband would…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Moradkhan v. Mofidi [2011] B.C.J. No. 1624

Moradkhan v. Mofidi [2011] B.C.J. No. 1624 (Written Reasons) Property Division, the Importance of Obtaining Proper Valuation, Spousal Support In this case, a final judgment had already been rendered providing the wife with 55% of the family assets and the husband with 45%. The problem however was the fact that the parties' properties were not valued properly. We argued that…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Moradkhan v. Mofidi (Written Reasons) – 2011

Moradkhan v. Mofidi (Written Reasons) Court Procedure The Court of Appeal of BC overturned the above judgment and sent it back to the trial judge because it determined we provided proper values too late and after the first judgment. The reason was that our client did not have a lawyer at the time of first judgment and when we came…

Moradkhan v. Mofidi (Written Reasons) – 2011
Personal life

Ari and Leena Yousefi the founder of YLaw went to the same law school. Ari quickly became Leena’s inspiration, and they went on to become best friends and colleagues for the years to come. After law school, Ari and Leena began working together at one of the biggest family law firms in Vancouver. They were two peas in a pod. They complimented each other on every case. Then destiny took them to different places. They both, however, knew that one day they would join forces again to become one of the most potent, successful duos in the Vancouver family law realm. 

Together they won one of the highest child support award cases in BC. Next, they joined forces again and won one of the most successful and rare cases in setting aside a 5 year old consent Order and obtaining their client hundreds of thousands of dollars in spousal support

Leena pursued Ari for years before Ari finally honoured her in joining YLaw. Leena and Ari are inseparable both career-wise and academically.

Get to Know Ari

  • Favourite hobby:  Reading
  • Favourite movie:  Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Adaptation;
  • Biggest Pet-peeve:  “Donut.”  They’re made out of dough, not ‘do’;
  • Can’t live without:  Dim Sum, Blueberry Pies and Cakes;
  • Favourite person:  Bob Fosse;
  • Biggest role model:  Definitely not Bob Fosse. I’m not really sure I have one.  People are sometimes great and sometimes lousy—that’s what makes them interesting.
  • Favourite travel destination and why? Maui.  It’s a magical place.
  • What makes you happy?   Sticky Toffee Chocolate Pudding on a cold day, ramen noodles or Deer Garden soup on a cold day are a close second.

To find out about our lawyers’ hourly rates and fee structures, click here.

What Our Clients are Saying

Find a location near you

All locations