Find Lawyers in Ontario, Canada for Insurance Law
Practice Area Overview
Insurance law is a wide-ranging practice area that involves providing insurers with advice on governance issues, regulatory compliance, and the interpretation and application of insurance policies, as well as representing insurers and their insured before the courts.
Insurance law practitioners generally also provide advice and counsel to a range of other participants in this industry, including agents, brokers, claims adjusters, and reinsurers, on all aspects that are incidental to the market for insurance products and services, whether litigious or not.
Specialists in insurance law must have an in-depth understanding of the statutory and regulatory framework for the industry and the ability to draft and interpret insurance policies, manage complex litigation files, and provide effective advocacy and representation before the courts in a variety of coverage categories, including life and health insurance, liability and professional liability insurance, directors and officers liability insurance, property-casualty insurance (which includes automobile insurance, aviation insurance, boiler and machinery insurance, and builder’s risk insurance), reinsurance, surety and fidelity insurance, credit insurance, legal expenses insurance, as well as in matters of insurance fraud.
The statutes, regulations, and directives of regulatory bodies to which insurers are subject are numerous, complex, and constantly evolving, particularly since the global financial crisis. The consequences of regulatory non-compliance can have a major impact on the financial and operational levels, and in terms of reputational risk. One important facet of insurance law consists of advising insurers on regulatory compliance and providing guidance on strategic decisions to be taken in wide variety of contexts, such as the creation of new insurance products, regulatory inspections, the protection of personal information, and the distribution of financial products and services.
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Kevin enjoys practising law and loves the challenges of civil litigation. He has broad experience in all aspects of insurance claims litigation, including personal injury, products liability, property losses, professional negligence, class proceedings, and coverage disputes. He is an expert in handling first-party accident benefits claims and disputes between insurers (loss transfer and priority disputes). Kevin is proud to assist many of the firm’s longstanding clients with tailored, p...
Tim is an experienced litigator recognized by both clients and his peers for his skillful handling of a broad range of insurance claims. Tim works in partnership with his clients, sophisticated litigants who appreciate his talent for quickly analyzing and assessing claims and bringing them to a prompt and fair resolution. He has defended financial advisors, insurance brokers, real estate agents, and engineers from a wide variety of disciplines. He has extensive experience in automobile insura...
Steven J. Atkinson is a Partner with the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group at Harrison Pensa. He has a diverse litigation practice with 30 years of experience. He works for individuals, insurance companies and corporations of all sizes. Whatever the case, or whoever the client, Steve prides himself on his personal involvement with his clients and results-oriented approach to litigation. Steve’s insurance clients do business across Canada, covering a wide range of exposures includi...
Rick Aucoin is a partner at Beard Winter LLP with a wide range of litigation experience before all courts and tribunals. The focus of his practice is civil litigation with an emphasis on property, casualty, tort and negligence cases, commercial insurance, product liability and coverage issues. Rick’s practice also focuses on professional errors with a recent appointment to the preferred counsel list for the defence of lawyers in their professional capacity. Rick has been providing litig...
Shanti has focused on building an insurance defence practice in property and product liability loss, including subrogation work. She has worked extensively on files involving condominium construction. Shanti consistently represents Long Term Care Facilities and nurses providing care to patients at home. She has acted as an Appraiser under s.128 of the Insurance Act. She has extensive experience with professional negligence and enjoys BI tort work. Since being called to the bar, she was worked...
Robert Betts joined the firm in 2008 and has worked for the insurance industry since 2004. His years of experience have provided him with an in-depth understanding of the issues faced by insurers. As a partner in the firm’s Insurance Litigation group, he handles a wide range of civil and commercial litigation with an emphasis on recreational liability, commercial host disputes, occupier’s liability, professional negligence, construction and property claims, product liability and c...
Chris Blom is an experienced insurance litigation lawyer with a practice that concentrates on insurance defence work in connection with both tort and accident benefits cases, including out-of-province and cross-border cases. Chris acts on behalf of insurers in the province of Ontario with respect to claims across Canada and in the United States regarding all aspects of general insurance liability, including motor vehicle accidents, fire loss, construction negligence, CGL claims, occupier&rsqu...
James Bromiley has a diverse practice encompassing all areas of civil and commercial litigation. He has acted for clients in property and casualty insurance, personal injury, motor vehicle, short and long term disability claims, and environmental law matters. James identifies sound, practical business solutions for his clients, resolving disputes through consultation and negotiation before litigation becomes the only viable option. He adopts a problem-solving approach to address client concer...
Todd Burke is a senior litigation partner in the firm's Ottawa office. His practice is focused on commercial litigation, professional liability and risk management. With over 20 years of experience, Todd has handled complex disputes for individuals, private and public companies, as well as government and other public agencies. His representation includes early case assessment, regular reporting, project management, e-discovery best practices, effective budgeting and vigorous representation. T...
Brian Cameron completed his LLB at Western University and was called to the Bar in 2001. He joined Oatley Vigmond in 1999 and became a partner in 2008. Brian is a Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation, and has been listed in Best Lawyers in Canada since 2017. Brian has acted as co-counsel on several cases at the appellate level in Ontario that has resulted in significant gains for Plaintiffs injured in motor-vehicle collisions in Ontario. He has been an invited speaker at conferences invol...
Steve practises civil litigation, mostly in the fields of professional liability, insurance and commercial disputes. He has extensive experience in advising both insurers and insureds about coverage issues and has had a number of reported cases in that field. He has also acted as a mediator and as an arbitrator in various types of civil disputes, principally in the areas of insurance and commercial law. As well, he has acted as counsel in disciplinary proceedings before the Law Society Tribun...
Alex Curry is one of Beard Winter LLP’s managing partners. A civil litigator, Alex practises exclusively in the area of insurance defence litigation. He has a special interest in disability-related matters including claims arising from long-term disability policies (both group and individual), critical illness policies, mortgage life, and life insurance claims. Alex takes a common sense approach to resolving all variety of matters including coverage disputes, statutory accident benefits...
Jim Davidson has been certified as a Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Ontario. He has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Canada, for his work in both personal injury and insurance law. Jim’s practice is unique in that he is one of the few lawyers in his industry who represents both insurance companies and individual clients. He has significant experience in injury, fatality and disability claims. He is regularly consulted by insurance co...
Frank S.M. Devito is a civil litigator and senior partner at Beard Winter LLP, with more than 20 years of insurance defence litigation expertise. Bringing sound advice and a deep understanding of the Canadian insurance industry, Frank has a lengthy track record of successfully defending insurers in relation to various types of claims. These include motor vehicle tort claims, personal injury claims, general liability claims, property/casualty claims, construction claims, contractor liability c...
Colin Dubeau is a partner at Nelligan Law, and the leader of our Insurance Practice Group. Since his call to the Bar in 1999, Colin has practised exclusively in the areas of civil litigation and advocacy. He has appeared before all levels of Ontario courts, and also has experience before the Federal Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada, and a diverse array of administrative tribunals. Colin has worked extensively on property and casualty insurance claims, including motor vehicle claim...
A graduate of McGill University and Queen’s University Faculty of Law, Rob joined Oatley Vigmond shortly after his call to the bar in 1997. As a partner at Oatley Vigmond, Rob is committed to helping clients obtain the compensation they deserve. He finds working on and resolving cases that involve the death of a family member the most gratifying. While compensation can never provide solace to the surviving family members, bringing the case to a successful resolution often provides a sen...
Valerie is a senior member of our Litigation Group and is a highly respected member of the litigation bar. In addition to her extensive experience as trial counsel, she has appeared as appellate counsel before both the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. With more than 25 years of experience at the Bar, Valerie has demonstrated established expertise in damages analysis, including business loss claims, business and share valuations, and real property valuations. She has ex...
Colin is a partner in Blaney’s Insurance Coverage Counsel Group. His primary practice area relates to insurance coverage opinions and coverage litigation. His secondary practice area involves insurance related defence work and subrogation claims. As coverage counsel, Colin provides advice and litigates in relation to liability policies of every description, including commercial general liability, automobile, homeowner and directors’ and officers’ policies. He also provides a...
Al Esterbauer is a senior counsel in the Koskie Minsky Civil Litigation practice. With more than 38 years of experience litigating a diverse spectrum of complex actions, Al has recently added mediation and arbitration to his practice. He has a broad range of litigation expertise in areas of professional liability, real estate, insurance and commercial cases. Al’s litigation practice has concentrated in the area of professional liability in the defence of claims against lawyers, but he h...
Tim articled with Blaney McMurtry in 1991 and has been with the firm ever since. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1993 and became a Partner in 1999. Tim has acted for Insurers for most of his career. The current focus of his practice is on defending professional negligence claims, including the defence of errors & omissions claims against engineers, accountants, mortgage brokers, medical professionals and others. Additionally, he has represented directors and officers on insured D&a...
Pat’s litigation experience includes court appearances at all levels of court, including the Ontario Court of Appeal. She has completed courses in risk assessment, risk control and risk financing to receive her Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation, and has expertise in risk management in the profit and not-for-profit sectors. She has a training and practice in alternative dispute resolution. Pat provides insightful advice and skilled advocacy in the following core areas: Insurance...
Mark Frederick leads Miller Thomson’s insurance defence practice, representing a wide range of professionals including engineers, architects, lawyers, insurance agents, appraisers, financial professionals, and real estate agents. He acts for his clients in claims, or defence of claims, of professional liability and errors and omissions, specialising in multi-party construction related claims and municipal liability matters. He also defends manufacturers in product liability claims and p...
Jessica Fullerton is an associate lawyer with Nelligan Law and practices in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death, insurance defence, and civil litigation. Her work includes cases involving car accidents, employer negligence, slip-and-falls, medical malpractice, and bar and tavern liability. Jessica has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Small Claims Court, and at various administrative tribunals, including the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, Residentia...
Christine’s practice is almost exclusively dedicated to the defence of class action proceedings. She has significant experience litigating claims involving product liability, medical malpractice, complex bodily injury, abuse, sports and recreation, professional liability, construction andproperty damage. She has represented clients in a number of trials, arbitrations, applications, motions and tribunal hearings. Prior to joining Dolden Wallace Folick LLP in 2017, she maintained a busy p...
Penny Georgoudis is a partner at Beard Winter LLP and a member of the firm’s Insurance Litigation Group. A seasoned civil litigator with more than 30 years of experience in the area of insurance defence, Penny acts on behalf of numerous insurers throughout Ontario on tort and negligence claims, property and casualty, product liability, coverage issues, commercial insurance, and general liability claims. She regularly appears before all levels of Ontario Courts, representing clients at t...
Jennifer obtained her BA from the University of Toronto in 1992 and her LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1995. She was called to the Bar in 1997 and joined Zarek, Taylor, Grossman, Hanrahan in 1999. In 2008 she joined the partnership. Jennifer currently practices predominantly in the area of first party accident benefits with an emphasis on catastrophic claims. She also assists insurers with priority disputes, loss transfer claims and cases involving interface with the Workplace Safety a...
Eric was called to the Ontario Bar in 1989 and has been certified as a Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1999. Eric has been named by Best Lawyers International as Lawyer of the Year, Personal Injury Litigation, Toronto, for 2018, and is recognized annually as a Best Lawyer in Canada in personal injury and insurance law by that organization. Eric continues to be recognized by Lexpert as a leading practitioner in personal injury law. He has attained an AV ...
Susan Gunter, partner since 2002 at Dutton Brock LLP, holds an LLM in Civil Litigation (Osgoode), an LLB (UNB), and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996. She is recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada (Products Liability Law, Insurance Law and Personal Injury Litigation). Her litigation practice defends domestic and international corporations and insurers. She has appeared before federal and provincial tribunals, at all levels of court in Ontario and at the Federal Court of Canada. She is c...
Kathryn Kirkpatrick is Counsel and an experienced litigator in the Construction and Infrastructure and Insurance Practice Groups at Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP. Her extensive experience includes representing large institutional, private and municipal clients in diverse civil proceedings. She has represented clients in claims involving large multi-party construction projects; malicious prosecution, false arrest, negligent investigation, assault and breach of Charter rights; negligent...
Alf earned his JD from the U of T in 1970. He and Morris Singer founded the firm in 1974. He has appeared at all court levels including the Supreme Court of Canada, where he appeared on behalf of the successful plaintiff in the landmark decision of Oldfield v. Transamerica Insurance. Alf has achieved some of Canada’s largest jury awards for punitive damages against an insurer. He acted for the plaintiff in the milestone case of Kamin v. Kawartha Dairy, which reduced the onus on plaintif...
Matthew is originally from Nova Scotia and attended St. Mary’s University for his undergraduate degree where he was the recipient of academic and athletic scholarships. Matthew later obtained his LLB from Schulich School Law at Dalhousie University. Matthew spent the first 15 years of his career working at a large downtown Toronto law firm working exclusively for insurance companies. Matthew has appeared at all levels of Court in Ontario and has extensive experience relating to complex ...
A graduate of the University of Western Ontario law school, Troy was called to the Bar in 2001. He received the highest mark on the Bar Admission course by anyone from Western University. Troy joined Oatley Vigmond in 2006 and became a partner in 2010. Troy is a Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation, an inducted Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America and has been listed in Best Lawyers for 2017. Troy has been invited to educate other lawyers on various topics relating to personal injury l...
Adam Little is a partner at Oatley Vigmond. He is a graduate of Queen’s University Faculty of Law and the University of Toronto. Adam was called to the Bar in 2002. Since that time, Adam has dedicated his practice to obtaining compensation for motor vehicle accidents, medical negligence, occupiers’ liability claims, long-term disability and other insurance disputes. Adam has experience before all levels of court in the province, from jury trials in the Superior Court of Justice, t...
Clients value David’s common sense and value-driven advice. Practicing in the areas of insurance coverage and reinsurance litigation - representing carriers, cedants and reinsurers in respect of commercial liability, technology, information and privacy, professional indemnity and first party property claims - David has extensive dispute resolution experience both as a litigator in trial and appellate courts as well as in mediation, arbitration and negotiation. David frequently advises i...
When police and other first responders are in trouble, they turn to Eugene Mazzuca. For more than 15 years, Eugene has been the first contact for provincial and municipal entities and their insurers accused of false arrest, excessive force, malicious prosecution, negligent investigation, defamation, personal injury, property damage and other serious torts. He also handles claims against security guards as well as roads liability cases and unusual and novel claims for municipal and provincial ...
Andrew completed his M.A. in English at the University of Guelph in 2004. He then obtained a Master of Library and Information Science degree at the University of Western Ontario in 2006. He went on to earn his LL.B. at the University of Windsor and was called to the bar in 2010. Andrew has a diverse practice that focuses largely on the defence of first party auto and tort claims. He also acts for select plaintiffs involved in serious car accidents. In addition, Andrew’s practice includ...
John’s practice and that of his firm, McLeish Orlando LLP, is dedicated exclusively to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries, including traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage. John also represents family members in wrongful death cases. John is a frequent lecturer and is published widely on continuing legal education programs on trial advocacy and matters related to actions for personal injury and wrongful death damages. He is a co-author of four te...
Insurance Defence Group Head Sudevi Mukherjee-Gothi has a thriving litigation practice, representing insurance companies, companies with a self-insured retention, health professionals and corporations. In insurance defence matters, she focuses on occupiers’ liability, motor vehicle liability and the defence of professional liability (pharmacists, veterinarians, lawyers and independent adjusters). Sudevi also has experience in large environmental contamination cases, product liability ca...
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