James H. Bennett

About

Jamie is senior counsel with over 43 years of practical and successful experience in resolving claims and disputes.

Jamie completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Western Ontario and attended Law School at the University of Windsor. He articled at the firm in 1979 and has been a partner since 1984.

Jamie's litigation practice is restricted to civil litigation primarily in the areas of personal injury, estate matters, shareholder disputes and insurance claims and coverage. Although Jamie's civil litigation practice is wide ranging, he places particular emphasis on representing as preferred counsel liability insurers in the defence of claims brought against professionals, municipalities, and police officers. Jamie has had cases before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Divisional Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. He also has extensive experience resolving disputes out of court through Mediation and Arbitration and is himself a certified Mediator and experienced Arbitrator in family, estate, commercial and insurance matters.

Each year since 2006, Jamie has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Canada as a specialist in Insurance Law. He is named a leading practitioner in Insurance Law in the Legal Expert Dictionary. He was named in Best Lawyers in Canada since 2013 and as Lawyer of the Year for Insurance Law in the Central South Judicial District in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2023. He was awarded the Coulter A. Osborne Award for integrity by the Waterloo Region Law Association in 2018.

Jamie is a Deputy Judge in the Small Claims Court of the Ontario Superior Court. He has been a lecturer for the Waterloo District School Board, Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo Law Association, and the Advocates' Society. He is a member and past director of the Advocates' Society, the Waterloo Law Association, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

Jamie is actively involved in the community. He is a former Big Brother, Cancer Society volunteer and was a long-time member of the local Family and Children's Services Board as well as the Board of the Grand River Hospital. He is currently a board member of Lisaard and Innisfree House Hospices.

Jamie works and lives in Kitchener but was born and raised in Cambridge. His wife, Marlene, worked in Cambridge and his two children attended school there, all of which gives him a unique regional perspective on local issues.