Smockum Zarnett Percival LLP Legal Experts

2009 Lexpert Legal Directory

• One of the most "frequently recommended" medical negligence litigators in Ontario

Best Lawyers in Canada 2009

• Recognized by his peers as one of the top practitioners in personal injury litigation by The Best Lawyers in Canada.

Areas of Practice

• Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• Medical Negligence
• Hospital Liability
• Municipal Liability
• Child Protection Agencies
• Personal Injury
• Occupier's Liability
• Professional Negligence
• Automobile Insurance (tort)

Background

• Attended the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law school in 1975
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1977
• Active Member of Canadian Bar association, The Advocates' Society, Toronto Lawyers' Association, Medico–Legal Society of Toronto, Canadian Defence Lawyers' and Defense Research Institute of the United States
• Certified as a Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1991

2009 Lexpert Legal Directory

• One of the most "repeatedly recommended" personal injury litigators in Ontario*
• One of the most "repeatedly recommended" commercial litigators in Ontario*
• One of the most "repeatedly recommended" insurance litigators in Ontario

Areas of Practice

• Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• Automobile Litigation
• Commercial insurance
• General Liability
• Coverage Opinions
• Property
• Fire Losses
• Bad Faith & Punitive Damages
• Occupier's Liability
• Medical Malpractice
• Libel/Slander
• Directors and Officers Liability

Background

• Graduated from York University with a Bachelor of arts in 1981
• Graduated from Osgoode Hall Law school with a Bachelor of Laws in 1984
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1986
• Active member of Canadian Bar Association, Advocates' Society, American Association for Justice (formerly, the Trial Lawyers' Association), Defence Research Institute, Canadian Defence Lawyers, Medical–Legal Society, and the Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers' Association

Areas of Practice

• Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• Automobile Insurance (tort)
• automobile Insurance (accident benefits)
• Property
• Occupier's Liability Act
• Tavern Liability
• Social Host Liability
• Commercial Litigation
• Products Liability
• Coverage Opinions
• Subrogation
• WSIB

Background

• Graduated from University of Western Ontario with a B.A. in English Literature in 1991
• Graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1995
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1997
• Active Member of Ontario Bar Association, Advocates' Society, Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers' Association and Canadian Defence Lawyers' Association

Areas of Practice

• Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• Automobile Insurance (tort)
• Automobile Insurance (accident benefits)
• Property
• Occupier's Liability Act
• Tavern Liability
• Social Host Liability
• Commercial Litigation
• Products Liability
• Coverage Opinions
• Subrogation
• WSIB

Background

• Graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in 1977
• Graduated from Queen's University with a Bachelor of Laws in 1980
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1982
• Active Member of Ontario Bar Association, Advocates' Society, Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers' Association and Canadian Defence Lawyers' Association

Areas of Practice

• Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• Medical Negligence
• Hospital Liability
• Municipal Liability
• Child Protection Agencies
• Personal Injury
• Occupier's Liability
• Professional Negligence
• Automobile Insurance (tort)
• Commercial Litigation

Background

• Graduated from Royal Military College of Canada with a Bachelor of arts (Hons.) in 1990
• Graduate from Queens University with a Bachelor of Education in 1993
• Graduated from University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Laws in 1998 (Gold Medalist)
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2000
• Active member of the Canadian Bar Association, Advocates' Society, Medical–Legal Society and the Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers' association

Areas of Practice

• Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• Automobile Litigation
• Commercial Insurance
• General Liability
• Coverage Opinions
• Property
• Fire Losses
• Subrogation
• Bad Faith & Punitive Damages
• Occupier's Liability
• Medical Malpractice
• Municipal Liability
• Commercial Host Liability
• Social Host Liability
• Libel/Slander
• Directors and Officers Liability
• Products Liability
• Environmental Claims

Background

• Graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1990
• Graduated from the University of Ottawa and St. Paul University with a Bachelor of Theology (cum laude) in 1994
• Graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Laws in 2000
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2002
• Active Member of the Advocates' Society, The Canadian Bar Association, Defence Research Institute, Canadian Defence Lawyers, Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers' Association and The Medical– Legal Society

Areas of Practice

• Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• Municipal Liability
• Personal Injury
• Insurance Coverage Issues/Opinions
• Property
• Subrogation
• Occupiers' Liability
• Products Liability
• Fire and Casualty
• Professional Negligence
• Medical Negligence
• Hospital Liability
• Child Protection Agencies

Background

• Graduated from the University of Guelph with a B.A. in Economics in 2000
• Studied in Russia at St. Petersburg's University of Finance and Economics
• Graduated from the University of Western Faculty of Law in 2004
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2005
• Active member of the Canadian Bar Association, Advocates' Society, Toronto Lawyers' Association and Canadian Defence Lawyers

Klar, Canadian Tort Law (2008), Preface: "My friend and colleague, Mr. David Cheifetz... whose interest and knowledge of tort law rivals that of any full-time academic, also deserves special mention for assisting me in my own understanding of some difficult tort law issues."

Areas of Practice

• Coverage Opinions: Commercial, Property, Surety, Liability
• Coverage counsel
• Defence of First-Party Claims
• Defence of Insured Claims
• Subrogation
• Alternative dispute resolution of claims involving insurers
• Trial and Appellate Advocacy
• General Liability
• Fire and Casualty
• Products Liability
• Directors and Officers Liability
• Surety
• General Commercial Litigation
• Continuing Legal Education

Background

• Attended the Faculty of Arts and Science at York University, graduated from Osgoode Hall Law school in 1975
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1977
• Active Member of Canadian Bar association, The Advocates' Society, Toronto Lawyers' Association, Medico–Legal Society of Toronto, Canadian Defence Lawyers, the Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers' Association, and the Defense Research Institute
• Regularly involved in lecturing at or organizing continuing legal education programmes
• Regularly consulted by his peers on difficult issues relating to causation and apportionment
• Contributions acknowledged by name in leading Canadian and international scholarship on causation issues
• Member of the international "Obligations Discussion Group", a membership-restricted online discussion group of scholars with interests in areas including tort, contract, unjust enrichment and restitution, and insurance

Areas of Practice

• Trial Advocacy
• Automobile Insurance (tort)
• Occupier's Liability
• Property
• Personal Injury

Background

• Graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in 2006
• Graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Master of Arts in 2007
• Graduated form the University of Windsor with a Juris Doctor in 2010
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2011
• Active member of the Canadian Bar Association, Canadian Defence Lawyers, Advocates' Society, and Toronto Lawyers Association

Areas of Practice

• Trial Advocacy
• Automobile Insurance (tort)
• Property
• Occupier's Liability
• Personal Injury

Background

• Graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Psychology and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Hons.) in Natural Resource Management in 2006
• Graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School with a Juris Doctor in 2010
• Graduated from the Schulich School of Business with a Master of Business Administration in 2010
• Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2011
• Active member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Advocates' Society, Toronto Lawyers Association and Canadian Defence Lawyers