Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant.
Lawyers being honored as “Lawyer of the Year” are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the exhaustive peer-review assessments we conduct with thousands of leading lawyers each year. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.
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Best Lawyers® began designating “Lawyers of the Year” in the U.S. in high-profile legal practice areas in 2009. Since then, we have extended this honor to many other countries where the Best Lawyers peer-review process is conducted as well.
We continue to believe — as we have believed for over 30 years — that recognition by one’s peers is the most meaningful form of praise in the legal profession. The Editors of Best Lawyers would like to congratulate all of the lawyers who have been selected as “Lawyers of the Year” for 2015.
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Roger G. Oatley
Oatley Vigmond LLP
Listed in Best Lawyers since 2006
Email: rgoatley@oatleyvigmond.comWebsite for Roger G. Oatley
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Roger’s practice is dedicated to personal injury and death claims. He leads a team of lawyers and highly trained staff that restrict their practice to the most seriously injured, many of whom are victims of permanent neurotrauma.
In 1998 the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association established an annual lecture series in Roger’s honour to recognize both his outstanding success as a jury lawyer and his contribution to the teaching of trial advocacy to other lawyers. He has also served as the past President of the Advocates’ Society.
Roger has written many articles on trial advocacy and personal injury law. He is the author of Canada’s only book on jury advocacy, Addressing the Jury, and co-author of four equally successful books; The Oatley-McLeish Guide to Personal Injury Practice in Motor Vehicle Cases, The Oatley-McLeish Guide to Brain Injury Litigation, The Oatley-McLeish Guide to Anatomy and Impairment, and the Oatley McLeish Guide to Demonstrative Advocacy.
Roger has helped thousands of accident victims and their families re-build their lives.
While Roger and his team do everything in their power to settle their clients’ claims as quickly as possible, they are prepared to go to court when necessary. Insurance companies never fail to recognize his success.
When Roger isn’t practicing law, he enjoys skiing, golfing, traveling and spending time with his family.
If you're facing a particularly serious or complicated injury claim, you'll probably need a personal injury lawyer's advice. You shouldn't turn to just any lawyer for help; look for someone who has experience representing injured folks (called "plaintiffs") in personal injury claims -- and whom you feel that you can trust.
Finding Experienced Lawyers
There are several ways to get referrals to experienced plaintiffs' personal injury lawyers. Once you get referrals, be sure to comparison shop. Get the names of several lawyers and meet with each of them to discuss your claim before you decide to hire someone. And be prepared for rejection. Many lawyers do not take cases if they fall below a certain potential recovery amount, or if the claim is not crystal clear.
Here's where to look for referrals:
Friends and Acquaintances
Talk with friends or coworkers who have been represented by a lawyer in their own personal injury claims. If the friend or coworker says good things to you about a lawyer, put the lawyer on your list of people to consult. But do not make a decision about a lawyer solely on the basis of someone else's recommendation. Different people will have different responses to a lawyer's style and personality; don't make up your mind about hiring a lawyer until you've met the lawyer, discussed your case, and decided that you feel comfortable working with him or her.
Referral Services
Most local bar associations have referral services in which the names of lawyers are available, arranged by legal specialty. There is a wide variation in the quality of lawyer referral services, however, even though they are supposed to be approved by the state bar association. Some lawyer referral services carefully screen attorneys and list only those attorneys with particular qualifications and a certain amount of past experience, while other services will list any attorney in good standing with the state bar who maintains liability insurance. Before you choose a lawyer referral service, ask what its qualifications are for including an attorney and how carefully lawyers are screened.
What you may not get from any lawyer referral service, however, is insight into the lawyer's philosophy -- for instance, whether the lawyer is willing to spend a few hours to be your legal coach or how aggressive the lawyer's personality is. Don't make a decision about a bar referral lawyer until you have met and interviewed him or her.
Choosing the Best Lawyer for You
To find out whether a lawyer is right for you, sit down with the lawyer to discuss your claim and possible ways of handling it. Bring copies of all your documents: police report, medical records and bills, income loss information, and all correspondence with the insurance company. Most lawyers do not charge anything for an initial consultation. But before you meet with a lawyer, find out whether he or she will charge you for the first interview. If the lawyer wants to charge you just for discussing whether or not to take your case, go somewhere else.
General Experience
After you tell the lawyer generally what your case is about, there are a few basic things you'll want to find out from the lawyer:
How long has the lawyer been in practice?
Roughly what percentage of the lawyer's practice involves personal injury cases?
Does the lawyer most often represent plaintiffs or defendants? You do not want to be represented by someone who has experience with personal injury cases but who has primarily been a lawyer for defendants. Their way of thinking may be too closely tied to the attitudes of insurance companies and they might not fight as hard -- consciously or unconsciously -- for your claim.
Would the lawyer personally handle your case or pass it along to another -- perhaps less experienced -- lawyer in the office? It's normal for more than one attorney in an office to work on the same case, and to have less experienced attorneys handle routine tasks. Find out which lawyer would have responsibility for the case and which lawyer you would be dealing with directly. If there is to be another lawyer directly involved, ask to meet that lawyer, too.
Settlement Goal
After you have discussed the facts of your case and the history of your negotiations with the insurance company, you may be able to get some sense from the lawyer about how much he or she thinks your case is worth, and how difficult it may be to get the insurance company to pay that amount. This is when you should let the lawyer know which of the following you want him or her to do for you:
Obtain a certain settlement amount for you with as few costs and as little hassle as possible.
Obtain an amount higher than what the insurance company has offered as soon as possible.
Obtain as much as possible, no matter how long it takes.
If you feel confident with the lawyer's experience, and comfortable with his or her idea of how to proceed with your case, chances are good that you've found a lawyer you can work with.
Information about Paying and Managing Your Lawyer
Once you've found a lawyer that you like, your job isn't entirely done. You'll need to create a clear, written fee agreement and then keep in contact with your lawyer to make sure your case is progressing as it should. For tips on working with the personal injury lawyer you choose, see How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim, by Joseph Matthews (Nolo). Also, the eBook The lawsuit Survival Guide: A Client's Companion to Litigation, by Joseph Matthews (Nolo), has detailed information on choosing and working with a lawyer.toronto personal injury lawyers
