Nimali Gamage

Nimali has had a long-held interest in issues relating to health, disability and aging.

Yet after graduating from law school in 1999, she articled at a full-service firm where there was little exposure to the issues that interested her. She was so disillusioned with the practise of law at that time that she thought she might leave it all together to become a VJ at Much Music (which seemed like a reasonable exit strategy at the time). Fortunately for Nimali and her future clients, she did not get the VJ job and instead landed her first law job with the Walkerton Commission of Inquiry working for former Associate Chief Justice Dennis O’Connor. Her time with the Inquiry taught Nimali the value of surrounding herself with lawyers of high integrity who practise in areas of law that she finds interesting and meaningful. And that is what led her to joining Jan Goddard as Jan’s first associate in 2002. Nimali became partners with Jan in 2012, finally and happily confirming that she no longer required an exit strategy from law.

Nimali's practice at Goddard Gamage includes both litigation and solicitor’s work and has a special focus on guardianship, power of attorney issues, elder law, estate planning, estate litigation and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) issues. Nimali enjoys practising in this focussed area of law as it combines her legal expertise and excellent communication skills with her ability to empathize with her clients.

Nimali is recognized in “The Best Lawyers in Canada” (2014-2019) in the field of Trusts and Estates. In 2014, she was the recipient of the Hoffstein Book Prize, an award from the Ontario Bar Association Trusts and Estates group that recognizes excellence in the field of Trusts and Estates law. In 2009, she was selected and continues to be a member of the Estates Subcommittee of the Civil Rules Committee for the Province of Ontario. Nimali is frequently asked to speak and write papers for programs hosted by the Ontario Bar Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada, and Osgoode Law School Professional Development.

Nimali is married to a full-time musician she met while trying to become a VJ, and has a daughter, a son, a step-daughter, and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.