Jim Vigmond, recipient of the Ontario Bar Association Award for Excellence in Insurance Law 2022 (Regional), has been practicing personal injury litigation on behalf of plaintiffs for over 30 years. He is former president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association and the Simcoe County Law Association. Jim continues to be a leading figure of Ontario’s personal injury trial bar. At Oatley, Vigmond, Jim leads a team of lawyers and support staff with broad expertise in spinal cord, brain injury and serious orthopedic cases.
Frequently called upon to help further the education of other trial lawyers, Jim has travelled across Canada, speaking on matters of trial advocacy and trial practice. Jim created the course ‘Personal Injury Advocacy’ which he teaches at Queen’s University Law School along with Insurance Law. His students have twice awarded him the Queen’s Law School Teaching Excellence Award. Jim is a Certified Litigation Specialist by the Law Society of Upper Canada, and an inducted Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America and the American College of Trial Lawyers. In November 2016, Jim was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association.
In the courtroom, Jim is a force. He gets to the point, finds the weaknesses in the defence’s case and takes aim, rarely missing.
Jim puts his clients first and tells their story in a compelling and compassionate manner. Jim has over 65 reported decisions, including those in which he appeared as an intervenor. In his status as an intervenor, Jim helped establish the law of contingency fee retainers, and the definition of catastrophic impairment.
Jim is also widely known amongst counsel for his professionalism, integrity, and civility in all matters. He is dedicated to mentoring younger lawyers and gives up his time to those who ask.
Beyond his professional achievements, Jim has a strong philanthropic side. He has spearheaded significant fundraising efforts with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario, Royal Victoria Hospital and, more recently, Cambodian Legal Education for Women, an organization supporting young, disadvantaged women from rural Cambodia to study law.
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