Email: Click here to Email
Phone: 416-868-3246
Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2000
Practice Highlights
Michael has experience as counsel for several insurance companies and The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee but has now restricted his practice to the representation of accident victims and their families.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts, University of McGill (1995)
- Bachelor of Laws, Osgoode Hall Law School (1998)
Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
Professional Activities and Affiliations
- The Canadian Bar Association
- The Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers Association
- Ontario Brain Injury Association
- Board member with the Brain Injury Association of Peel and Halton
Michael has authored publications on insurance law and has presented to other lawyers and representatives at The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee on subjects concerning benefit entitlements, the rights and responsibilities of insurers and accident victims.
- Michael L. Bennett, Duty of Utmost Good Faith , Accident Benefit Reporter, November 2008
Cases of Note
Greer et al v. Kurtz et al
On March 2, 2003, Donald Greer’s life tragically changed forever when he was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident on an icy highway near Hamilton. Mr. Greer was catastrophically brain-injured in the collision.
Presentations
Michael L. Bennett, Determining Catastrophic Impairment: The Role of the Occupational Therapist, presented at the OSOT Annual Conference, September 23 - 24, 2011.
Michael L. Bennett and Chris Brown, Community/Social Issues, presented at the Back-to-School II with Thomson, Rogers conference on September 30, 2010.
Michael L. Bennett, Finding Solutions to Key Challenges, presented at the Navigating the New SABS: Practical Solutions conference on April 26, 2010.
Michael L. Bennett, Future Care Costs, presented at The Canadian Institute's 8th Annual Forum on Personal Injury Settlements on January 26, 2010.
Congratulations on your 75th anniversary.
Today is the seventh anniversary of my accident. I reflect often on a most fortunate recovery, particularly as this time of year must weigh heavily on the driver who caused the event & lost her mother. I am sure my survival was due to the quick action of an off duty policeman & the help he was able to summons. I have no recollection of the jaws of life only a face at my window giving encouragement, the helicopter from highway 89 to Sunnybrook is vague as was the signing of a consent to operate & the ten days hooked up to a lung machine & my many shattered bones. My arrival at the wonderful St. Johns, I suspect, was due in part to the very nice case worker who got me there & also retrieved my jewelry. I would like to have properly thanked them both.
I was well looked after - a nice roommate, excellent care as well as continual support from fellow Anglicans plus many other good friends who visited, setting up bridge games & a fun 75th birthday party. Fortunately, this enabled me to truly accept the things I could not change & get on with the rigor of exercises, mental & physical this still took three months mostly in a wheel chair. My kids laughed that “only their mother would take that long to drive from The Blue Mts. to Toronto”. I had three more months of sleeping in my dining room & being monitored by care givers daily, with lots of physiotherapy. Like most happenings in my life I felt totally responsible for my well being & accepted the challenge, our fine health care system can do just so much.
I am truly grateful for these past seven years particularly as I was able to get back to driving, which is one of my main volunteer functions to-day.
This past May I broke my hip (my 12th fracture) while convening a coffee hour at church, once again I was lucky with immediate surgery, home within the week & managed to enjoy my already planned Holland American trip to The Yukon & Alaska in August.
So thank you for all your efforts on my behalf have not forgotten Barbara & Michael & do appreciate the opportunity you provided to express my gratitude.
Sincere best wishes for 2012 & future success.
- E. Ross
Dear Mr. Bennett,
On behalf of the Physical Therapy Department and the students we would like to thank you for participating in Unit 5, the Neurological Physical Therapy component of the professional master's curriculum. Your lecture on Business & Resource Management: Legal Issues was extremely interesting and well-received by the students. The students appreciated the presentation, commenting on the relevance of the content, especially as they embark on their journey into clinical practice.
We recognize the time and effort involved in preparing and delivering such lectures and would like to add that your contribution was a valuable part of the learning experience in Unit 5. It is the participation of dedicated and highly skilled professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds that makes the Unit a success.
Thank you again for sharing your expertise.
- A. Tang and K. Moody
Dear Michael Bennett,
On behalf of the Physical Therapy class of 2010 at the University of Toronto, I would like to thank you for taking the time to present your lecture about Business and Practice Management on September 1, 2009. This content will be very important to us during our clinical placements and subsequent career in Physical Therapy because legal matters play a crucial role in many injuries and accidents. We enjoyed your enthusiasm for the topic and your presentation of the information was interesting and engaging. We appreciate your expertise which helped us grasp the content with ease.
- T. Hunter
