Eldon Horner
A long-time advocate for the legal profession Eldon was one of 7 lawyers in the province of Ontario awarded the Law Society Medal for outstanding service within the profession.
Eldon practices in a broad range of areas with a focus on Real Estate, Wills and Estates, Municipal Law, and Corporate/Business matters. He has a great deal of experience in real estate transactions, with a focus on agricultural clients.
In 1993 Eldon was the valedictorian for the graduating class at the University of Toronto Law School. Prior to law school Eldon was the valedictorian for Seaway District High School (1986) and he obtained an Honours BA from Wilfrid Laurier University (1990).
Eldon is the past Chair of the Federation of Ontario Law Associations (www.fola.ca) which represents the interests of approximately 12,000 lawyers across Ontario in private practice.
Outside of work Eldon has coached hockey, baseball and soccer. He currently is a member of the Board of Directors of Dundas Manor Long Term Care Home. He previously served on the Board of the Winchester District Memorial Hospital and was a Champlain Grant review appointee for the Ontario Trillium Foundation. He is the former President of the Iroquois Golf Club, and Past President of the SDG County Law Association.
Eldon was born and raised on a farm in Dundas County, with a brief period in Montreal. He currently resides near Winchester with his wife Shelly. They have 4 adult children, Joshua, Daniel, Sam, and Katie.
Eric Pietersma
Eric has been a partner with Horner & Pietersma since 2003. He practices in the areas of real estate, wills and estates, family and corporate law.
Eric was born in Toronto, but moved to Iroquois at the age of six because he thought it would be good place to live. His parents agreed. He tried to grow up on the Broken Second with his parents and three brothers, and attended Seaway District High School in Iroquois.
After high school, he attended University of Toronto for a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, and, not having spent enough money on schooling, decided to get a Master’s Degree from McGill. Having accumulated a mountain of debt, he then decided more school was the best choice, and returned to the University of Toronto for a law degree.
Apart from these many years in university and his two years with the law firm of Nelligan O’Brien Payne in Ottawa, Eric has continued to make this area his home and native land. When not working as a lawyer, Eric enjoys time spent at home with his family, where parenting, woodworking, gardening and farming chickens, cattle and field mice keeps him more than busy.
He is also a keen supporter of local institutions, and has served on various local boards. In these volunteer efforts, he has tried to help develop and expand the impact of these institutions. This has included serving as President of the Upper Canada Playhouse, fundraising for the Winchester District Memorial Hospital Foundation, sitting on the Hospital’s Ethics Committee and the Research Ethics Board, and sitting on the Board of Directors for the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage.
Kristen MacDonald
Kristen joined the firm in 2016 as an associate lawyer following her call to the bar. Kristen's practice focuses on family law, real estate, wills and estates, civil litigation and criminal law.
Kristen received her Juris Doctor from the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University as part of the inaugural class. While in law school, Kristen was a research assistant to the founding Dean Lee Stuesser. Kristen also received her Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Forensic Science from Carleton University and completed her Bachelor of Education at the University of Ottawa.
Originally from Osgoode, Kristen is happy to be practicing in this area. She played varsity hockey while in university and is currently an athlete in the National Ringette League.
Kristen sits on the board of directors for the Williamsburg Non Profit Housing Corporation (J.W. MacIntosh Seniors' Support Centre) and is a member of the S.D. & G Law Association, County of Carleton Law Association, Leeds & Grenville Law Association, and the Law Society of Upper Canada.
Kristen Godwin-stewart
Kristen was previously an articling student at Horner & Pietersma and she is excited to be returning to the firm as an associate lawyer in September, 2021, after practicing in Ottawa.
Kristen practices law in the areas of real estate, wills and estates, civil litigation, family, and corporate/commercial.
After graduating Queen’s University with a B.Sc. (Honours) in Biology and Psychology, Kristen studied law at the historic University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She graduated with her LL.B. in 2018 and obtained her Certificate of Completion from the National Committee on Accreditation in 2019 before being called to the Ontario Bar in June of 2020.
Born and raised in South Stormont, Kristen is proud to call eastern Ontario her home. When she is not busy at the office, Kristen enjoys spending time with her friends and family out on the St. Lawrence river, walking her dog, running, practicing yoga, and being active outdoors. Kristen also loves to travel and she is always looking for opportunities to learn more about the world.