These were the top personal injury lawyers in Toronto based on the results of our 2021 yearly peer survey. The complete and current list of Ontario’s best personal injury lawyers and law firms is available at the link.
In our survey, personal injury law encompasses all manner of physical and psychological trauma suffered in a wide range of circumstances, excluding medical negligence, which has a separate survey. The practice includes the following areas: road traffic and street accidents; occupiers’ liability; uninsured losses; spinal, brain and serious injury; fatal and dependency cases; public liability; product liability; sports injuries; and catastrophic multiparty litigation such as air disasters.
Most frequently recommended personal injury lawyers representing plaintiffs
Geoffrey D.E. Adair
Law firm: Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1969
Geoffrey D.E. Adair is a partner at Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP, a boutique firm dedicated to civil litigation. Adair is one of Canada’s most experienced trial and appellate lawyers, having tried more than 250 jury and non-jury cases to verdict. He had also argued over 100 appeals in the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Adair devotes his practice to commercial litigation, commercial insurance litigation, and directors’ and officers’ liability and major tort cases, including products liability and professional negligence matters. He is a contributing editor to Ontario Courtroom Procedure and a frequent lecturer to the profession.
J. Patrick Brown
Law firm: McLeish Orlando LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1993
J. Patrick Brown serves as a partner at McLeish Orlando LLP, a firm he also owns. For more than 20 years, he has been fighting for victims who have suffered serious injury or been wrongfully killed. Brown is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as specialist in civil litigation. He is recognized as one of the top personal injury lawyers in Canada. Brown initiated the Ontario Coroners review of pedestrian and cycling deaths and received the Active Transportation Champion of the Year award by TCAT. He also received the Safety Award of Excellence by Ontario Safety League and the 2018 Professional Award from Ontario Brain Injury Association. Brown is a former director of Cycle Toronto, founder of Bike Law Canada and committee member of Friends & Families for Safe Streets.
Duncan N. Embury
Law firm: Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Duncan N. Embury is a partner and the head of the medical malpractice group at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers. He acts on behalf of plaintiffs in medical negligence cases, including obstetrical and surgical negligence and acquired brain injuries. He also acts in catastrophic personal injury claims, including institutional negligence, occupier’s liability, motor vehicle accidents and product liability. Embury handles complex multi-jurisdictional cases to assist Ontario residents in recovering damages for injuries occurring in foreign jurisdictions. He also acts as co-counsel to other lawyers in complex medical negligence cases at both trial and appeal. Embury is a regular speaker in all areas of medical negligence for the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association and the Law Society of Ontario.
Richard C. Halpern
Law firm: Gluckstein Lawyers
Year called to the Bar: 1984
Richard C. Halpern is a senior lawyer at Toronto-based personal injury boutique Gluckstein Lawyers. He acts exclusively for injured people in medical negligence cases, with a special focus on infants injured at or around the time of birth. Halpern is an expert in birth injury cases. He has more than 30 years of experience representing seriously injured people. Halpern is known for tackling some of the most complex and challenging medical malpractice cases. He has lectured and written extensively on matters concerned with obstetrics, the cause of newborn injury, general medical malpractice, and legal and trial strategies.
Alfred Kwinter
Law firm: Singer Kwinter
Year called to the Bar: 1972
Alfred Kwinter is a founding partner at Singer Kwinter, a Toronto-based law firm specializing in personal injury, disability claims and property loss. He co-founded the firm in 1974. Kwinter has appeared at all court levels including the Supreme Court of Canada. He has achieved some of the country’s largest jury awards for punitive damages against an insurer. Kwinter is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in civil litigation. He is also a past director of The Advocates' Society and Medico-Legal Society. Kwinter is considered among the country’s leading personal injury lawyers.
Sloan H. Mandel
Law firm: Thomson Rogers
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Sloan H. Mandel is a senior partner at Thomson Rogers, one of Toronto’s largest civil litigation firms. His practice focuses on personal injury and medical malpractice litigation on behalf of plaintiffs. He is recognized as among Canada’s top personal injury lawyers. Sloan has been published extensively in both medical and legal texts and journals. He is a past member of the Ontario Bar Association Health Law Executive and regularly lectures doctors, lawyers and health care professionals at a variety of educational seminars. Sloan has a wealth of court and litigation experience, achieving some of Ontario’s largest personal injury and medical malpractice awards.
John A. McLeish
Law firm: McLeish Orlando LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1975
John A. McLeish is a founding partner at McLeish Orlando LLP. He is recognized as one of the best personal injury lawyers in Canada. McLeish lectures and publishes extensively for various continuing legal education programs on trial advocacy and all matters related to actions for personal injury and wrongful death damages. He is a co-author of five texts on personal injury and trial advocacy. McLeish has also served as a past president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association. In 2016, he received the Award of Excellence in Insurance Law from the Ontario Bar Association. McLeish is also an elected fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Darcy R. Merkur
Law firm: Thomson Rogers
Year called to the Bar: 2000
Darcy R. Merkur is a partner at Thomson Rogers. He is a trauma lawyer who helps accident victims and their families following traumatic events such as serious motor vehicle accidents. Merkur is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in civil litigation and is considered as one of the top personal injury lawyers in Canada. Merkur is the first lawyer in Canada to be qualified as a certified brain injury specialist by the Brain Injury Association of America. He was also the proud recipient of the 2011 Dean Edgell Award, presented by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association for his significant contribution and excellence in legal writing, continuing legal education, and leadership activities.
Dale V. Orlando
Law firm: McLeish Orlando LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Dale V. Orlando is one of the founding partners of McLeish Orlando LLP. He practices exclusively in the area of plaintiff’s personal injury litigation. Orlando has represented catastrophically injured people and their family members throughout Ontario and is considered one of Canada’s leading personal injury lawyers. Orlando is a past president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association and is a member of the American Association for Justice and The Advocates’ Society. He has also acted as co-chair and lectured at conferences held by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, The Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Institute, the Law Society of Ontario, the Carleton County Law Association, the Ontario Bar and other legal organizations. Orlando is a contributing author to A Guide to Personal Injury Practice in Motor Vehicle Cases. He has also appeared as a guest lecturer at the University of Western Ontario, Osgoode Hall, Queen's University, George Brown College and various community hospitals and legal clinics.
Adam K. Wagman
Law firm: Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Adam K. Wagman is a senior partner and former managing partner at Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP. His practice is devoted to personal injury litigation, accident benefits claims, and other disability and insurance litigation. After serving many years on the board of directors, Wagman was elected as the president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association for 2016 to 2017. He is a certified specialist in civil litigation by the Law Society of Ontario. In 2008, Wagman was a recipient of the Ontario Brain Injury Association Professional Award. He has been a guest lecturer at Osgoode Hall Law School and is a regular speaker at continuing legal education programs. Wagman is considered one of the best personal injury lawyers in Canada.
Most frequently recommended personal injury lawyers representing defendants
Chris T.J. Blom
Law firm: Miller Thomson LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1987
Chris T.J. Blom specializes in insurance litigation, with a focus on insurance defence work in connection with both tort and accident benefits cases. He is also considered one of the top personal injury lawyers in the country. Blom is currently a partner at Miller Thomson LLP, one of Canada’s leading national business law and litigation firms. He is a certified as a specialist in civil litigation. Blom acts on behalf of insurers in Ontario with respect to claims across Canada and in the US and regarding all aspects of general insurance. He boasts extensive experience in the areas of personal injury, property damage and economic loss claims. Blom provides advice in connection with coverage opinions, general liability issues, accidents benefits and bad faith litigation. He also represents clients at all levels of the provincial court system, including the Court of Appeal in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Blom is also recognized for his expertise in mediation and private arbitration.
Read more about Miller Thomson LLP on the rise of virtual dispute resolution
Tom Curry
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1986
Tom Curry is the managing partner at Toronto-based litigation firm Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP. He is recognized as one of the most experienced trial and appellate advocates in Canada. Curry has a long record of success in high-profile commercial litigation, class actions, arbitrations, business disputes, administrative law, judicial review, intellectual property, competition and professional liability cases. He is a regular speaker on a wide variety of subjects relating to trial practice and substantive law. Curry was recently a recipient of the prestigious Law Society Medal for his exceptional career achievement and exemplary contribution to the profession.
Philippa G. Samworth
Law firm: Dutton Brock LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1979
Philippa G. Samworth is a partner at Toronto-based insurance litigation firm Dutton Brock LLP. She is a certified specialist in civil litigation. Samworth has authored numerous papers in the personal injury and motor vehicle accident fields. She is recognized as one of Canada’s leading personal injury lawyers. Samworth has lectured for the Law Society of Ontario, Canadian Bar Association (Ontario) and The Advocates’ Society. She was retained by the Ministry of Finance of Ontario as a consultant for its preparation and drafting of the Bill 59 automobile insurance legislation and its regulations. The Philippa G. Samworth Award for Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession, which recognizes individuals for distinguished service to women in the legal profession in Canada, was created by the Canadian Defence Lawyers and named after her.
Paul Tushinski
Law firm: Dutton Brock LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1985
Paul Tushinski is a certified specialist in civil litigation as conferred by the Law Society of Ontario. He is currently a senior partner at Dutton Brock LLP. Tushinski devotes his practice to defence, with an emphasis on products liability, class proceedings, environmental claims, construction and complex insurance matters, including coverage and property disputes and general liability. He previously served as president of the Toronto Lawyers Association and the Canadian Defence Lawyers Association, where he is also a founding member. Tushinski is also a past director of The Advocates’ Society. He is considered one of the best personal injury lawyers in Canada.