Email: Click here to Email
Phone: 416.868.3163
Fax: 416.868.3134
Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1980 and is Certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a Specialist in Civil Litigation
*Leslie Craig Brown Law Professional Corporation
Practice Highlights
Personal injury lawyer Craig Brown attributes much of his success to proper risk management. Craig, one of Lexpert Directory’s “Leading personal injury practitioners" and listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada® 2011, counts several multi-million dollar court verdicts among his recent achievements. Nevertheless, he makes every effort to settle before facing the uncertainties of a trial as he did in helping secure the $5 billion-plus deal for Aboriginal victims of the residential schools system. “Going to court obviously involves risk and almost always costs more, “he says. “I want to control that risk for my client, although I love going to court.”
In the past five years, Craig has helped hundreds of clients achieve lucrative awards for brain and spinal cord injuries and other harms sustained due to negligence. From serious motor vehicle accidents to two headline-making court battles: he won $3.5 million for a 16-year-old Fort Erie boy who suffered catastrophic head injuries after being thrown from a defective bicycle and $1.2 million for Jennifer Cowles, 25, of Cambridge who was mauled by a Siberian tiger while visiting the nearby African Lion Safari.
In the historic Indian Residential Schools case, Craig displayed his class-action experience by leading a cross-Canada, 19-law firm consortium that achieved compensation for some 86,000 former ex-students. “This was a national tragedy that needed to be dealt with,” he says.
Craig is passionate about seeking compensation for damages suffered by innocent people. In the African Lion Safari case, the trial verdict allowed the single mother to “overcome tremendous odds and start her life anew.” He adds, “she was justly compensated and they got what they deserved.”
An author and lecturer, Craig is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Advocates’ Society, Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and serves on the Board of the Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Queen’s University (1975)
- Bachelor of Laws, Queen’s University Faculty of Law (1978)
- Masters of Environmental Studies, York University (1997)
Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
- Insurance Disputes
- Professional Malpractice
- Product Liability
- Class Action
- Environmental
Professional Activities and Affiliations
- Canadian Bar Association
- The Advocates’ Society
- Ontario Trial Lawyers Association
Articles
L. Craig Brown, The benefits of advance payments
The Lawyers Weekly - October 29, 2010
L. Craig Brown, Is Mary Carter dead - or just wounded?
The Lawyers Weekly - October 30, 2009
L. Craig Brown, Striking the Jury - Why, When and How
The Litigator, Journal of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association
April 2009
Presentations
L. Craig Brown, How to Succeed before the Financial Services Commission of Ontario: Practice Tips from Mediation to Arbitration - The Insured's Perspective, presented at the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association's "FSCO Arbitrations & Accident Benefits: The Nuts & Bolts" seminar on September 27, 2011.
L. Craig Brown & Stacey L. Stevens, Future Care Cost Reports for Children and Young Adults - The Use of Pediatric Life Care Plans Prior to Trial and Beyond, presented at the Back to School with Thomson, Rogers - Catastrophic Brain Impairment: Children, Young Adults and their Families (Rehabilitation Strategies) conference on September 8, 2011.
- Paper: The Use of Pediatric Life Care Plans Prior to Trial and Beyond
- A Sample Management Plan
- PowerPoint Presentation
L. Craig Brown, Incurred Expenses - A New Challenge for Accident Victims, presented at the Navigating the New SABS: Practical Solutions Conference with Thomson, Rogers and the Toronto ABI Network on March 31, 2010
L. Craig Brown, Are Mary Carter Agreements Still Relevant? The Aftermath of the Laudon v. Roberts Case, presented at the Osgoode Hall Law School: Managing and Litigating Motor Vehicle Accident Claims on March 25, 2010
L. Craig Brown, Mary Carter - Friend or Foe?, presented at the OTLA Fall Conference - Mea Culpa: Lessons Lived & Learned on October 29, 2009
L. Craig Brown, Top 10 Accident Benefits Cases You Need to Know, presented at the Back to School Conference with Thomson, Rogers and the Toronto ABI Network on September 10, 2009
L. Craig Brown, Lessons from the Indian Residential Schools Tragedy, November 5, 2008
L. Craig Brown, Alan A. Farrer, When Tigers Attack, presented at the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association on June 15, 2007
The above paper discusses strategies for personal injury lawyers and other litigators to use in motions to strike jury notices in complex litigation. Sources include the Cowles v African Lion Safari case in which the the plaintiff suffered catastrophic personal injuries in a tiger attack.
L. Craig Brown, Mary Carter Meets the Jury 2, May 26, 2007
L. Craig Brown, Mary Carter Meets the Jury, May 2, 2007
L. Craig Brown, Jury Questions in Complex Cases, May 2, 2007
L. Craig Brown, Stacey L. Stevens, Jury Questions in Complex Cases, March 30, 2007
L. Craig Brown, Strategies for Success in Class Actions, February 19, 2007
L. Craig Brown, Toronto Judges Seminar, November 6, 2006
L. Craig Brown, Darcy R. Merkur, Effective Use of Technology at Trial, October 1, 2006
L. Craig Brown, Social Host Liability, December 1, 2003
In the Media
Municipalities testing new road standards
Law Times - January 10, 2011
Craig Brown is a Director at Large and a passionate supporter of the Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario. The DSAO was recently featured in a segment on GlobalTV.
Recent Reported Cases
Quadriplegic Motor Vehicle Accident Trial (Spring, 2011)
In the spring of 2011, Craig Brown, Darcy Merkur and Stacey Stevens were trial counsel to a motor vehicle accident victim who had lost control of his motor vehicle within days of his vehicle passing a safety inspection. The plaintiff was catastrophically impaired in the accident and was receiving catastrophic accident benefits from his accident benefit insurer. The claim was for in excess of $15 million. Three weeks into this jury trial, in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, a resolution was reached between the parties. The details of the resolution are confidential. With permission of the plaintiff, you can review a copy of the plaintiff's opening statement at the link below (to product privacy, all names have been redacted).
Class Action Against the Directors of Farm Mutual Financial Services Inc.
A Certification and Settlement Approval motion with respect to a class action against the directors of a bankrupt investment company that were alleged to have breached their duty to the customers of that company. The $21.25 million settlement was approved. For details see: the reasons of Justice Perell.
Banerjee v. Shire Biochem Inc. et al:
In this class action lawsuit, Craig Brown and Darcy Merkur were successful in having a class action certified on behalf of users of a Parkinson's Disease drug that claim they suffered compulsive behaviour, such as compulsive gambling, as a result of using the drug.
- Banerjee v. Shire Biochem Inc. et al., 2010 ONSC 889 (CanLII),
February 8, 2010
Baxter v Canada (Attorney General)
- Baxter v. Canada (Attorney General), 2006 CanLII 41673 (ON S.C.), December 15, 2006
- Baxter v. Canada (Attorney General), 2005 CanLII 18717 (ON S.C.), May 30, 2005
Cowles v Balac:
- Cowles v. Balac, 2006 CanLII 41806 (ON C.A.), December 15, 2006
- Cowles v. Balac, 2006 CanLII 34916 (ON C.A.), October 19, 2006
- Cowles v. Balac, 2005 CanLII 2038 (ON S.C.), January 27, 2005
- Cowles v. Balac Judgement, January 22, 2005
- Cowles v. Balac, 2004 CanLII 42936 (ON S.C.), November 19, 2004
- Cowles v. Balac, 2004 CanLII 35085 (ON S.C.), November 4, 2004
- Cowles v. Balac, 2004 CanLII 35084 (ON S.C.), November 4, 2004
Lytle v Toronto (City):
- Lytle v. Toronto (City), 2006 CanLII 33300 (ON C.A.), September 27, 2006
- Lytle v. Toronto (City), 2004 CanLII 12155 (ON S.C.), April 15, 2004
Resch v Canadian Tire Corporation - Defective Bicycle Sold By Canadian Tire
After achieving an extremely successful jury verdict of $3.5 million on behalf of an accident victim, Craig Brown and Darcy Merkur, the lawyers for the accident victim, were acknowledged by the Judge as having done a marvelous job advocating on behalf of the injured victim and his family. The Judge awarded Craig Brown and Darcy Merkur a very rare $100,000.00 costs premium for having achieved an outstanding result. An appeal by the defendants to the Ontario Court of Appeal was later marked as abandoned.
- Resch v. Canadian Tire Corporation, 2006 CanLII 24128 (ON S.C.), July 18, 2006
- Resch v. Canadian Tire Corporation, 2006 CanLII 11930 (ON S.C.), April 13, 2006
- Resch v. Canadian Tire Corporation, 2006 CanLII 11444 (ON S.C.), April 11, 2006
8 Million Dollar Settlement For Bryan Gill Who Was Injured As A Result Of A Drunk Driver
On June 25, 2000, Bryan Gill suffered a severe brain injury when the car he was riding in crashed into the ditch. The drunk driver of the car lost control on a township road under construction. Bryan was 30 years old when he was injured in this accident. As a result of the accident, Bryan will have life long care needs.
Craig Brown and Stacey Stevens of Thomson Rogers represented Bryan and his family in the action to recover compensation for his injuries. On the eve of trial, Brown and Stevens were able to settle Bryan's claims for more than 8 million dollars.
Testimonials
Craig,
On behalf of myself, Tracy, and my family I want to thank you, Carmen, Shelley, Michelle, and the rest of the team involved in my case for the effort and support over the years. We are extremely pleased with the results of the settlement and are grateful to have had such wonderful representation.
Sincerely,
- S. Flatt
Dear Craig:
I wanted to thank you for your work on the ___ file.
As you are aware, the case had a lengthy history and we were very pleased to see it finally resolved. I don't believe we would have been able to obtain the results that we did without the benefit of your knowledge, experience, and excellent work on this case. Please also extend my sincere thanks to the other members of your team and in particular, to Shelly Zachodniak, for her work and professionalism.
It was a great pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with you on this case and I hope we have the opportunity to do so again.
Yours truly,
CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ASSOCIATION
Ramani Nadarajah
Counsel
I wish to congratulate you and your staff for your diligent efforts in finally achieving closure regarding the Farm Mutual Financial Services Inc. claim. I am very grateful for your involvement, it could not have come at a more opportune time for me. Cudos to you all.
I most certainly will keep your name on file should I ever be faced with a similar situation.
Most sincerely,
- E. J. Eaton
Dear Craig,
I know that my file is not completely closed - Carmen is still working on a few outstanding issues. But I wanted to thank you for all of your assistance.
Were it not for you, I would never have been able to have undertaken this action & seen it through to completion. Your quiet & supportive conviction that I did have a case and your continuing encouragement gave me the confidence to move ahead.
I also can't say enough about your staff, Carmen & Shelley were (& are) just outstanding!
I hope you are enjoying this wonderful Summer.
Best regards
- M. Barr
Dear Craig and the TR Team,
What a relief!...The Battle is over! (but the war on spinal cord injuries continues!!).
We have been blessed to have such dogmatic people fight for us.
There is nothing we can say or give to you all that would be great enough to express our deep appreciation for all your efforts over the years.
- K. Whelan and Family
Dear Craig,
You have my heartfelt appreciation for taking on my case so many years ago, and for standing by me, standing up for me, and ultimately standing victorious!
- M. Pedersen
Craig, Stacey, Carmen & Staff,
Your professionalism, empathy and friendly approach have made a devastating experience much easier to bear.
- R. & J. McCardell
Dear Craig,
I am writing to thank you for doing a great job representing me in my personal injury suit. You and your associates (Carmen Spano and Stacey Stevens) were always professional, understanding and pro-active in moving my claim forward towards a settlement.
I was never disappointed with my decision to have you represent me. You achieved a settlement I am very happy with. The best part is, I did not have to go to court.
I would highly recommend Thomson, Rogers to anyone wanting professional help in settling a personal injury claim.
- M. Betz
Craig,
I went down on Sept 20th, 2007, and applied for my residential school compensation for common experience for the five years I spent in the St Philips Residential School in Keeseekoose Saskatchewan.
I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work yourself, Darcy Merkur, Alan Farrer and others in your firm put into ending one of Canada's most tragic legacies. I truly believe, (as a person who was on hand to see the day to day dealing with the federal government), that without your firm's relentless pursuit to end this legal and often painful experience, that it may not have been settled. You and your firm should take a bow and pat yourselves on the back for a great job well done.
So again, I want to thank you and your firm for all you have done on behalf of us survivors. Many don't realize the work your company put into settling this issue.
- B. J. Quewezance
Residential School Survivor 1965-1969 St Philips Residential School
Na- Me- Res would like to say CHI-MIIGWETCH! - (Thank you in Ojibway)
To Thomson Rogers:
(Alan Farrer, Craig Brown, Darcy Merkur, Marcia Schmitt)
Through your generous donation at this time of year, Na- Me- Res is able to provide much needed items to over 222 clients we serve through our Programs and Services offered at our Men’s shelter—14 Vaughan Road; our Youth Shelter- 26 Vaughan Road, as well as the clients in our Outreach Services Department assisted on the streets. Your donation goes along way in providing Christmas cheer to those less fortunate.
Glad Tidings and a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year!!!!!
Craig Brown and Stacey L. Stevens from Thomson, Rogers from the initial meeting till the end of the full duration of the case were extremely supportive and helpful. It is the first time we have ever encountered such an event in our lifetime and the whole ordeal at first felt surreal, nerve racking, and set our minds in a state of panic and confusion. As we have never dealt with taking legal action against another party. Having Craig Brown represent us was the best thing that happened as his knowledge, experience and professionalism helped us understand the direction that we needed to take for the case. As a client of Craig Brown and Stacey Stevens we felt at ease as their care for their clients is reflected in their work by the constant follow ups, feedbacks and suggestions.
It is our greatest gratitude that Thomson, Rogers represented us on our dog attack case. Not only did we receive the professionalism, knowledge and experience the fee structure offered was very reasonable for the care in detail they put into my case. The doctors recommended were freindly, helpful and understanding which assisted in our road to recovery.
Craig Brown and Stacey Stevens, patience and professionalism made what could have been a very difficult and emotional experience for us much easier to approach. We would gladly recommend Thomson, Rogers to anybody looking for exceptional legal services.
M. and S. Wong
Craig on a sunny day in February 2010 with the Adult Disabled Downhill Ski Club (ADDS) at Mansfield Ontario
