John A. Olah, recipient of the Ontario Bar Association Award for Excellence in Insurance Law 2020, was called to the bar in 1975 and since then has litigated complex tort litigation matters, ranging from product liability cases to high-profile sporting matters. John is a recognized national and international expert, acting for resorts and hotels across Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. John’s practice includes private international law cases, complex environmental law litigation as well as class action matters.
Beyond John’s contributions as an advocate, he is also best known for his contributions to the profession as an academic. He is the author of articles on civil litigation and criminal law, having lectured extensively across Canada and the United States on trial advocacy.
John is the author of The Art and Science of Advocacy, a textbook for lawyers on trial tactics and trial procedure. He was the co-chair of the Advocacy Symposium, a program that brought together top international trial lawyers and judges in Toronto. John also taught advocacy at Osgoode Hall Law School.
John has argued numerous cases at the appellate level, both at the Court of Appeal and at the Supreme Court of Canada. John’s unquestionably significant contributions to the development of civil litigation span the areas of choice of forum (Van Breda v. Club Resorts), waivers (Schnarr v. Blue Mountain), expert testimony (Moore v. Getahun and Westerhof v. Gee Estate), and civility (Groia v. Law Society of Upper Canada).
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