Since April 1985 I have maintained a civil litigation practice in Kingston and the surrounding area. Litigation involves the management and resolution of disputes between individuals or companies that very often can result in a lawsuit in the courts. How law suits are commenced and progress is a complex and challenging endeavour. Not all disputes require a lawsuit to resolve them as negotiation and, where indicated, mediation can be very effective in dispute resolution. The choice of solution and crafting it to fit the circumstances and parties is the challenge. As the result of 25 years experience representing either plaintiff or defendant in mediations, arbitrations and law suits in all levels of Ontario`s judicial system I have gained experience and insight into how best to advocate for the interests of my clients.

Throughout my years of practice I have acted for individuals, corporations and businesses in a variety of third party property and casualty insurance claims involving negligent or other tortious conduct. These include personal injury claims, products liability, automobile accidents, occupier’s liability and construction disputes. I have extensive experience in first party insurance claims involving property, commercial and disability insurance coverage issues.

I have also had extensive experience in a range of commercial disputes resulting in litigation involving

Contracts;

Employment disputes;

Shareholder agreements;

Oppression remedies;

Intellectual property;

Franchises;

Leases;

My office procedure utilizes electronic information organization and processing procedures taking full advantage of current computer and information technology. This allows us to be efficient and innovative in our approach to each client’s needs. To assist in the evaluation of a claim we have designed several forms which once completed provide essential information necessary for the effective pursuit of the most beneficial remedy. These may be viewed and downloaded from the Forms page or follow the link provided as follows

For general negligence claims please use the General Client Intake Summary

For motor vehicle accident claims please use the MVA Client Intake Summary

For other liability or commercial claims please use the Claim Summary

Once completed as far as possible these forms may be delivered to my office by email or otherwise for review and a timely response.

I require a formal written retainer agreement be entered into to retain my services and am not retained to represent any client until this is completed. This can involve either an hourly rate retainer where I would charge an hourly fee for work done and would bill based upon the amount of time spent and disbursements incurred for the work performed on a regular basis, such as at the end of each month. You should know that hourly rates may vary among other lawyers in other law firms and that you can speak with other lawyers to compare rates. In some cases an alternative to consider is what is called a contingency fee arrangement. In a contingency fee retainer I would charge a percentage of the amount of money awarded in a settlement or court judgment, and bill for this amount together with disbursements incurred only after a settlement or judgment is reached. No statement of account is sent to you, unless I make a recovery on your behalf. There are advantages and disadvantages to choosing either fee arrangement and I always discuss these matters candidly with any prospective client. Generally all fees and disbursements are subject to GST.

It is always my goal to provide effective, efficient and most of all successful resolution of any dispute.