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Ari Wormeli
Ari Wormeli
Partner | Mediator | Vancouver Family Lawyer
604-974-9529
[email protected]

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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.

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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.
  • 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: L.C vs. E.S – 2017

Child Removal, International Custody, Parenting Time This was a case which made local, national and international headlines. It spans several countries and took more than 5 years to resolve. During those 5 years, the mother did not allow the father or her brother to see her. She kept on feeling around the world to make sure the father does not…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? S.C vs L.H – 2017

Groundbreaking case on Child Abduction, Wrongful Removal of Children and Wrongful Retention of Children. YLaw's latest BC Supreme Court Case has become one of the most important cases in the entire history of British Columbia on Child Abduction and Wrongful Removal. This case was reported on CBC, the Vancouver Sun, multiple child abduction websites, and later Leena was published with her story…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Ting vs. Wong – 2017

In yet another groundbreaking case in 2017, YLaw was able to obtain more than $116,000 in contempt fines in addition to special costs. This marks the highest family law contempt award in the history of British Columbia.  The Story - Contempt of Multiple Court Orders Ms. T's story was heartbreaking but beautiful at the end. She was left alone with her…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case: Storey v. Terry – BC Court of Appeal – 2020

Leena Yousefi and Abib Ngom were successful counsel in the precedent-setting case of Storey v. Terry.  In this case, the wife applied for an unequal division of family property, an unequal division of family debt. Her Appeal was unsuccessful. As per the Court of Appeal: The appellant appeals a summary trial order providing for the equal division of the parties’…

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Case: Storey v. Terry – BC Court of Appeal – 2020
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.

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