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Login to watch this video if you have a subscription. Learn more about subscriptions.Christine Powell, Tara Sweeney, Marc Smith, Tara Lemke, Laurie Tucker, Fabrice Gouriou, Christopher Kelly, and Giovanna Toscano Roccamo discuss the following topics in the collateral benefits panel:
Fabrice Gouriou is the Legal Manager in the Ottawa office. His focus is Insurance defence litigation. He received his LLM from the University of Toronto in 2004. Before joining Intact, Fabrice practiced with McCague Borlack LLP and Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP in Ottawa and McFadden Samuc Tuovi in Toronto.
Chris Kelly was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994, following studies at the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa, and articles and bar admission in Ottawa.* Chris’ practice is based in Pembroke, at Kelly+Kelly Lawyers PC, a firm founded by him and his partner Caroline Kelly immediately after their call. Chris’ career has been in criminal and civil litigation, representing clients at all levels of the Ontario Courts, and at various tribunals, with a focus on serious charges and claims including sexual assault, murder, clergy abuse, and personal injury / disability torts and related insurance matters. For the past ten years Chris’ practice has been restricted to civil litigation. Outside of the practice of law Chris enjoys being a husband and father, playing music, riding motorcycles, hunting and shooting, and working and learning in the real, wild, woods of the Wilno Hills. (*Fun Fact: In 1993, during his articling year, Chris and his wife Caroline Kelly attended the untamed late 20th Century version of this conference, then held at Montebello. There was a talent contest. Chris and Caroline performed before a highly charged late evening audience, singing and playing on guitar and fiddle the Stan Rogers song “The Mary Ellen Carter”. They won.)
Tara is an associate at Williams Litigation. She has been practicing in Ottawa since her call to the bar in 2005. She represents both insurers and individuals with a focus on litigation including motor vehicle liability, slip and falls, negligence, brain injuries, product liability and Statutory Accident Benefits claims. She has regularly appeared before the Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Appeal, Financial Services Commission of Ontario and the License Appeal Tribunal. Tara is an active member of Kiwanis Ottawa and volunteers her time with both the Direct Assistance Committee and the Holiday Hamper Committees. In her spare time, Tara enjoys adventure travel and spending time with her young family.
Christine Powell joined Soloway Wright in 2011 as a civil litigation lawyer in Ottawa, where she is currently one of the managing partners. She received her LLB from the University of Windsor in 1998 and was called to the Bar in 2000. Christine is proud to serve as a CCLA Trustee. In her spare time she enjoys volleyball, soccer and acting as an UBER driver, soccer coach, and horse groom to her two busy daughters.
Justice Giovanna Toscano Roccamo graduated from the University of Ottawa Law School and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1985. She was a partner with the Ottawa law firm Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP, practicing in the area of insurance and personal injury litigation at the time of her appointment. She served on the Case Management Implementation Committee for the Eastern Region, as well as the Provincial Steering Committee for implementation of mandatory mediation in Case Management. Justice Toscano Roccamo served as President of the CCLA and was a member of the CCLA Civil Litigation Updated Conference Planning Committee from 1983 to 2008. She was appointed to the Bench of the Superior Court of Justice on April 11, 2003. She has been a regular speaker at conferences put on by the CCLA, OBA, Family Institute and Advocates’ Society. She has served on the Civil Bench and Bar Committee since 2008.
Marc is a founding member of Forget Smith, a boutique litigation firm. His practice focuses primarily on defending claims related to bodily injury, accident benefits, automobile, professional liability and claims related to construction. He represents local and national insurance companies as well as individual and corporate clients in other areas of litigation such as estate litigation. Marc has also developed a subrogation practice and he has been able to achieve cost-effective recoveries for his clients. Marc is fluently bilingual and he promotes access to justice for French-speaking people in the province. He is the Treasury and a member of the Board of Directors of L’Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario. He is also a member of the Attorney General’s Access to Justice in French Advisory Committee, a permanent committee created to provide advice and guidance to the Attorney General regarding current issues connected to access to justice in French.
Tara completed a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons.) and a Master of Arts before attending the University of Windsor Law School, where she graduated in 1998. While at law school, Tara received the Paroain, Raphael, Courey, Cohen & Houston Insurance Law award and the Nelligan Power Trial Advocacy Award. Tara articled at, and later joined, Soloway Wright in 2000, where she became a partner in 2007. Tara's practice is restricted to civil litigation. Tara has appeared before the Superior Court of Justice, Divisional Court of Ontario, the Court of Appeal for Ontario and various administrative tribunals, both Federal and Provincial. Tara has also been qualified as an expert in Motor Vehicle and Accident Benefits Litigation in the Superior Court of Justice. When not seeking refuge at the office, Tara follows the beautiful game (aka soccer) which she tries to play (although sadly not very well) and also acts as maid/butler/unpaid Uber driver for her three demanding (and possibly demonic) children.
Laurie obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours History) from the University of Waterloo in 1996 and her Law degree from Queen’s University in 1999 and was called to the Bar in 2001. Laurie practices exclusively in personal injury and long term disability claims with Burn Tucker Lachaîne in Ottawa. Laurie served a long time on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA), from May 2004 to May 2016. An avid proponent of continuing legal education, Laurie has presented papers at OTLA’s continuing legal education conferences and has published papers in The Litigator. In addition to her work with OTLA, Laurie has presented at the County of Carleton Law Association’s Litigation Conference and has been on their planning committee since 2013. Laurie has done work for the Advocates Society’s Child Advocacy Project and the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program’s pro bono project. From 2010 to 2015, Laurie was a member of the Board of Directors for the Youville Centre, an Ottawa non-profit organization which assists young mothers and their children by providing education and daycare in a specialized setting, allowing the young moms to complete high school. In 2010, Laurie was awarded the CCLA’s Regional Senior Justice Award. In 2013, she was the recipient of OTLA’s Women’s Caucus Award, and in 2016, she received OTLA’s Distinguished Service Award. In her personal life, Laurie enjoys spending time with friends and her dogs. She loves live theatre and she travels as often as she possibly can.
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*see individual programs and jurisidictional allowances for accredited hours/requirements for Canadian law societies.
