James R. Howie has been an experienced personal injury lawyer in Toronto since his call to the Ontario Bar in 1980 – a career of over four decades that spans the Ontario Superior Court, the Divisional Court, the Court of Appeal, and various administrative tribunals. He is a founding partner of Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP, which he helped establish on January 1, 2000, after leaving Thomson Rogers with Neil Sacks and Michael Henry. The three partners set out to build a personal injury firm that combined the highest professional standards with efficient, modern methods of litigation.
Called to the Ontario Bar: 1980
Jim’s Toronto personal injury practice covers motor vehicle accidents, accident benefits, medical malpractice, and long-term disability lawyer claims. He has been formally recognized and qualified as an expert in personal injury law by the Ontario Superior Court – a judicial acknowledgment of his standing in the field that distinguishes him from most personal injury lawyers. His outcomes include results reaching $11.5 million for a teenager rendered a quadriplegic in a car crash and $10.32 million for a teen severely injured in a motor vehicle accident.
In over four decades of practice in Toronto, Jim has represented clients across the full range of serious injury: children with catastrophic brain injuries, quadriplegics who require lifetime care funding, families devastated by wrongful deaths, and Canadians injured while travelling in the United States. He approaches each file the same way – build the strongest possible evidentiary foundation and pursue the outcome the case warrants, whether through negotiated settlement or trial. He is direct, thorough, and, when necessary, hard-nosed on behalf of his clients.
Cross-Border Motor Vehicle Accident Expertise
Jim has specific expertise in cross-border motor vehicle accidents involving Canadian snowbirds and travellers injured in the United States. He is a member of Cross Border Confidence and has written and lectured on jurisdiction over cross-border accidents, what Canadian snowbirds need to know about US motor vehicle accidents, how Ontario courts handle American truck drivers, and how to maximize recovery when a Canadian is injured in another jurisdiction. His clients include snowbirds who were told they had no recourse for injuries sustained in the United States – and who received full compensation because Jim knew how to pursue the claim correctly.
Practice Areas
- Motor vehicle accidents lawyer – car, truck, bus, motorcycle, and transport collisions
- Accident benefits lawyer (SABS) disputes and denials
- Medical malpractice
- Long-term and short-term disability claims lawyer
- Catastrophic injury lawyer – brain, spinal cord, severe orthopaedic injuries
- Wrongful death and fatal accident claims lawyer
- Cross-border and snowbird accident claims (Canada–US) lawyer
- Pedestrian and cycling accident claims lawyer
Notable Results
Past results are not predictive of future outcomes. Each case requires individual legal advice.
- $11.5 Million – Teen suffered severe head injury, rendered a quadriplegic in crash
- $10.32 Million – Teen severely injured in a car accident
- $5.6 Million – Child with Pervasive Developmental Disorder struck by car, suffered head injury
- $3.1 Million – Personal trainer suffered catastrophic injuries after being hit by car
- $2 Million – Fast food owner/chef suffered brain injury after being struck by car
- $2 Million – 15-year-old suffered spinal cord injury jumping in swimming pool
- $1.55 Million – 20-year-old passenger sustained brain injury in a car accident
Selected Reported Decisions
- Opoku, Sarpong v. Coseco Insurance Co., 49 O.R. (3d) 97 (C.A.) (Ontario Court of Appeal, 2000)
- Adabi Ghomi and Allstate Insurance Company of Canada and Wellington Insurance Company, FSCO Appeal P96-00065 (1997)
- Cole and Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, FSCO A96-000394 (1997)
- Alfred and Allstate/State Farm, FSCO Appeal P96-00015 (1997)
- Meandro and Pilot Insurance Company, FSCO Appeal P-004433 (1997)
Awards and Recognition
- 2018 Plaintiff’s Lawyer of the Year – Ontario Trial Lawyers Association
- Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation – Law Society of Ontario
- Qualified Expert in Personal Injury Law – Ontario Superior Court (formal judicial recognition)
- Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory – Consistently Recommended (1997–2015); Most Frequently Recommended (2016) in Personal Injury
- Annual Peer-Reviewed Canadian Legal Directory – Personal Injury Litigation, since 2007
- National Post personal injury lawyers recognition – annually since inception
Speaking Engagements and Publications
Jim lectures regularly at continuing education programs across Ontario:
- OTLA Webinar: Updated Catastrophic Impairment Criteria
- “The Post-Concussion Syndrome: Medical Debate and Legal Discussion” (May 2018)
- Diagnosing Traumatic Brain Injury, Osgoode Professional Development CLE (April 2015)
- Canadian Defence Lawyers Conference (April 2016)
- Why Does My Head Hurt? Acquired Brain Injury Litigation and Medicine (May 2013)
- Qualification of Family Doctor by Plaintiff Lawyer, Canadian Defence Lawyers (March 2012)
- Regular auto insurance lecturer at Osgoode Hall Law School
- Published: “Medical Expert Evidence – What’s Old, What’s New,” The Lawyers Weekly, Vol. 17, No. 33 (1998)
- Media: The Disability Channel (SABS changes); City News (falling concrete, January 2017)
Professional Memberships
- Advocates’ Society – Former Director; Current Member (1985–Present)
- Medico-Legal Society of Toronto – Council Member (2000 – Present)
- American Association for Justice – Member (1984 – Present)
- Toronto Lawyers Association – Past President (2002); Member (2002–Present)
- Ontario Trial Lawyers Association
- Ontario Bar Association
- Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America (APITLA) – Member
- Cross Border Confidence – Member
Community Involvement
- “Out of the Rough” Golf Tournament – Chair (2013–2018), raising $100,000+ annually for St. Michael’s Hospital Head Injury Clinic
- Brain Injury Society of Toronto – Board of Directors
- Medico-Legal Society of Toronto – Member of Council
Education
- Called to the Ontario Bar: 1980
- LLB – Queen’s University, Faculty of Law (1978)
- BA (Honours, Dean’s List) – University of Western Ontario (1975)
Contact James R. Howie
Call: 877-771-7006 | Direct: 416-361-3551
Email: jrhowie@hshlawyers.com
Website: hshlawyers.com/team/james-r-howie/
Free Consultations · Contingency Fee Basis · Home and Hospital Visits · Multilingual Services
FAQ’s
What Ontario courts has Jim Howie appeared before?
Jim has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Divisional Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and administrative tribunals including the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (now the Licence Appeal Tribunal). He has also been qualified as an expert in personal injury law by the Ontario Superior Court — a formal evidentiary designation.
Is Jim Howie a Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation?
Yes. The Law Society of Ontario has certified Jim as a Specialist in Civil Litigation. He has also been formally qualified as an expert in personal injury law by the Ontario Superior Court, which is an additional and distinct recognition of his expertise.
What is Jim Howie’s approach to catastrophic injury cases?
Jim takes a structured, evidence-driven approach. His goal is a settlement or verdict that genuinely reflects the client’s long-term needs – not just their immediate medical costs. For Rory, a quadriplegic car accident victim, Jim engineered a settlement that funded round-the-clock care so Rory could live at home with his family rather than in an institution.
How do snowbird accident claims work for Canadians injured in the US?
Cross-border accident claims involve questions of jurisdiction, applicable law, the interaction between Canadian accident benefits and American liability systems, and the procedural requirements of both systems. Jim is a member of Cross Border Confidence and has written extensively on these issues. He can advise whether and how to pursue a claim in both jurisdictions.