Harvey Thomas Strosberg

Harvey Thomas Strosberg, QC (born September 1, 1944) is a Canadian lawyer. He is a senior partner at the law firm of Strosberg, Sasso, Sutts LLP.[1]

Harvey T. Strosberg
55th Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada
In office
1997–1999
Preceded byEleanor Susan Elliott
Succeeded byRobert Patrick Armstrong
Personal details
Born
Harvey Thomas Strosberg

(1944-09-01) September 1, 1944
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian and United States
EducationUniversity of Windsor (B.Sc)
Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B)
Occupationlawyer
Websitehttps://www.strosbergco.com/

Early life

Harvey Strosberg was raised in Windsor, Ontario, and graduated from Kennedy Collegiate Institute. At Kennedy Collegiate Institute, he was an avid participant in team sports, including football, basketball and track and field. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Windsor and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Strosberg was an articling student for John Sopinka on Bay Street in Toronto, Ontario before Sopinka became a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.[2]

Strosberg was called to the bar in 1971 and became a Queen's Counsel in 1982.

Strosberg served as Commission Counsel to Mr. Justice Horace Krever in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Confidentiality of Health Records in Ontario (1977-1980).

Strosberg has been a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1987 and was its 55th Treasurer from 1997–1999.[3] His portrait at the Law Society was painted by Curtis Hooper.[4]

Strosberg was named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1991.

Strosberg has recovered more than $3.6 billion for his class action clients.[5] Mr. Strosberg was co-lead counsel in the Hepatitis C class action, co-lead counsel in the YBM Magnex securities class action, co-lead counsel in the Vitamins price fixing class action and lead counsel in the Money Mart class action.[6] He has also acted or is acting as lead or co-lead counsel in class actions against, among others, The Bank of Nova Scotia, Merck & Co., Inc., Guidant Corporation, NovaGold Resources Inc., Ford, General Motors, VW in the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the Federal Government of Canada.[7][8][9][10] A part of the VW case settled for $2.1 billion.[11]

Strosberg was recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada's top 25 commercial litigation counsel. He was appointed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice as Plaintiff's Counsel Representative to oversee the administration of a class action settlement relating to the Walkerton tragedy and as a member of the Joint Committee overseeing the administration of the Hepatitis C class action settlement.[12]

Strosberg's firm has represented wrongfully convicted persons including William Mullins-Johnson, Anthony Hanemaayer, Robert Baltovich and James Driskell in their civil lawsuits.[13]

In 2010, Strosberg secured the largest cost award in Canadian history, $11 million to the plaintiff's lawyers.[14]

In October 2010, Mr. Strosberg suffered a debilitating stroke, which took away his ability to speak.[15] His remarkable recovery has allowed him to return to the courtroom. In 2012 he was lead plaintiff's counsel in the case of Mandeville et al. v. Manufacturers Life Insurance Company.[16]

Strosberg is currently seeking the largest punitive damage award in Canadian history against the Canadian Transit Corporation and the owners of the Ambassador Bridge for their handling of property owned on the Canadian side of the crossing.[17]

Strosberg has been partners with some of the most accomplished lawyers in Canada. Mr. Strosberg's former partners include Allan Rock and Patrick Ducharme.[18]

Academic career

Strosberg taught a course in class action law at the University of Windsor law school with his partner David Robins and until recently, lectured annually at the University of Ottawa.[19]

Public service

In 1995, Strosberg served as the first Board chair of LPIC, the organization which eventually became LawPro.[20] He led the investigation into and proposed the solution to the Law Society of Upper Canada's approximately $154 million insurance fund deficit.[21]

He served as a member of the Board of Directors for Legal Aid Ontario (1999- 2002).

He has also been a panelist at the Ontario Bar Association Cross Border Litigation Program, the Metropolitan Toronto Law Association Class Action Update, the American Bar Association, the Canadian Council on International Law and the Superior Court of Ontario Seminar for Judges.

Awards and honours

Strosberg's work as a civil litigator has been widely recognized in the form of honorary degrees and medals. In 2002 the Law Society of Upper Canada awarded him an Honorary LLD.[22] He received a DCL from the University of Windsor in 2003. He also received an LLD from Assumption University (Windsor, Ontario) in 2004.

Strosberg was awarded the Law Society Medal in 2010.[23]

Most recently, one year after he suffered the stroke, he was awarded the Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation in 2011.[24] His speech was delivered at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.[25][26]

Personal life

Strosberg is married to Cathy Strosberg.[27] His first marriage ended in divorce. Strosberg had three children with his first wife: Elaine, Sharon and Jay. They all went on to become lawyers as well.

He is the nephew of Olympian Irving Meretsky.[28]

Strosberg was friends with judges Edward Ducharme of the Ontario Court of Appeal and Paul Stephen Andrew Lamek of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and delivered both of their eulogies.[29][30]

Bibliography
  • The Class Action Struggle Continues: Challenges for Canadian Class Actions into the Millennium; Report to Convocation on Insurance (1996)
  • Tort Actions Among Family Members (with Kathryn L. McKerlie) in The Law Society of Upper Canada's Special Lectures (1993)
  • Family Law: Roles, Fairness and Equality Programme (1993).

Strosberg is currently the editor of the Canadian Class Action Review.[31]

References
  1. Sutts, Strosberg, LLP firm website
  2. Ivor Shapiro, March 30, 1998, published in Maclean's Archived 2006-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. The Law Society of Upper Canada, List of Law Society Treasurers
  4. Curtis Hooper's website
  5. Market wired, April 07, 2014
  6. The Globe and Mail, Jeff Gray, April 12 2011
  7. Bio Archived 2014-08-19 at the Wayback Machine from the Canadian Bar Association
  8. CTVNews Windsor, February 1, 2013
  12. "Bio from the Law Society of Upper Canada" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
  13. "Man wrongfully convicted of niece's murder wins $4.25 M from Ontario, Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star, October 21, 2010". Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  14. Cassano v. Toronto-Dominion Bank, 2009 CanLII 35732 (ON SC)
  15. A debilitating stroke, a remarkable recovery, Jeff Gray, January 3, 2012, the Globe and Mail
  16. CanLII published decision of the Superior Court
  17. The Windsor Star, Claire Brownell, August 27, 2013
  18. article from Ducharme Fox website.
  19. Bio from Businessweek
  20. LawPro website
  21. The Law Society of Upper Canada and Ontario's Lawyers, 1797-1997, Christopher Moore, p. 330
  22. The Law Society of Upper Canada, list of Honorary Doctors of Law
  23. The Law Society of Upper Canada, List of Law Society Medal Recipients
  24. Ontario Bar Association list of Award recipients in Civil Litigation
  25. Strosberg's speech on YouTube
  26. Strosberg receives OBA civil litigation award, Financial Post, Legal Post, Drew Hasselback, October 26, 2011
  27. "The Windsor Star, Anne Jarvis, January 23, 2012". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  28. Windsor Star, May 22, 2006
  29. "Strosberg`s eulogy, Published in the [[Windsor Star]], June 21, 2013". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  30. Obituary by Bill Gladstone, October 26, 2011
  31. Class Action Review Website
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