INTRODUCTION Whether a civil trial should proceed with or without a jury has been a hot-button issue for the plaintiff personal injury bar and the insurance defence bar during the COVID-19 pandemic. As recently acknowledged by the Court of Appeal in Louis v. Poitras,[1] “the civil justice system in Ontario faces an unprecedented crisis”,[2] which […]...Read More
We hear a lot about the importance of resiliency these days; a pandemic makes you think about such things. I have long been interested in the factors that make one person resilient and the next person fragile, when confronted with the same life stresses, so the recent public focus on resiliency has been a subject I’ve […]...Read More
The entire world is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, with varying approaches adopted by different nations. As a novel coronavirus, which by definition the world has never seen before, the result is that there are multiple experiments playing out in real time during the global pandemic in terms of how a nation should best handle […]...Read More
I’m going to say something that might come as a surprise – I’ve been impressed by the professional approach and willingness to negotiate in good faith that has been displayed by many insurance companies, their adjusters, and their counsel, over the last three months! There, I’ve said it! Credit where credit is due. Based solely […]...Read More
The physical distancing measures put into place by the Ontario government have had a dramatic impact across all facets of society. The legal profession has not been exempt from this impact. Many would be surprised to learn that legal services at Lerners continue, even in the face of closed offices, the cancellation of in-person meetings, […]...Read More
In the last five years, I have had three separate trials which could not proceed as scheduled because there was no judge available to conduct the trial. This has happened to me on cases scheduled for trial in both London and Toronto. I have also heard of similar problems in many other jurisdictions across Ontario. […]...Read More
Since my teens I have been a culturally curious and inquisitive person. It began with an appreciation of world or ethnic music. It continued when I was so very fortunate to be selected as a Rotary exchange student for a 10 month stay in Brisbane, Australia. During my time away as an exchange student, I […]...Read More
Nothing seems more confusing to the public – and even lawyers who practice in areas outside of personal injury law – than the implications of WSIB on the right to sue for damages when an injury has arisen in the course of employment. This brief blog provides a very brief answer to this question and […]...Read More
This blog discusses what happens when someone is injured in a motor vehicle accident, and no one has automobile insurance. It should be read in conjunction with Is It Important to Have Car Insurance?, which discusses the importance for all motorists to buy car insurance. As wise as it is for every motorist to purchase […]...Read More
Hi Andrew, I just want to say “thank you” from the bottom of my heart for being with me on this seven year journey of “redemption”. Thank you for believing in me and taking me on as a client when I did not expect much of anything at all. I cannot tell you how much […]...Read More