Justice Lene Madsen

Justice Madsen was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on October 18, 2016, and to the Court of Appeal for Ontario on April 30, 2024. She previously sat in Kitchener-Waterloo Superior Court, where she was the Local Administrative Judge as well as the Team Lead for the Unified Family Court. Prior to that she presided in the Unified Family Court in Hamilton, Ontario. Justice Madsen obtained her BA (Hons) from McGill University in 1992 and her LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2002. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies (2000) and a Master’s Degree in Law (2012), both from York University. In addition, she holds a Graduate Diploma in Refugee and Migration Studies (2000), also from York University. Justice Madsen has authored a range of academic articles on issues related to family law and alternative dispute resolution. She was co-author of Epstein and Madsen’s This Week in Family Law for five years and co-author of McLeod’s Ontario Family Law Rules from 2020 - 2024. Prior to her appointment to the Superior Court, Justice Madsen was the principal of Bluewater Mediation, based in London, Ontario, where she was a mediator, arbitrator, and trainer in the alternative dispute resolution field. Prior to founding Bluewater Mediation, she practiced family law at Epstein Cole, LLP. Justice Madsen has lived, worked, and studied internationally, including in Scandinavia, the former Yugoslavia, South Asia, and East Africa. Her prior professional engagement includes work in the international development and international human rights contexts.