Partner
"The most essential trait of a good litigator is not a readiness to fight, but a willingness to listen."
A litigator in subrogation, insurance defence, construction and personal injury, with extensive experience at trial and on appeal.
Joel Cormier earned his LLB from Queen's University in 2005 and was called to the Ontario bar in 2006. He practises in subrogation, insurance defence, construction and personal injury litigation, with considerable experience representing clients at trial and on appeal.
Joel is known for a direct, long-term approach with the individuals and businesses who retain him, and has spoken regularly on personal injury trial practice and litigating in a changed litigation landscape.
He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada for personal injury litigation since 2023.
Joel acts primarily in insurance and subrogation matters, with a parallel personal injury practice. His work also extends to construction claims.
A selection of Joel's reported decisions. Each links to the judgment on CanLII.
From the blog
Notes on insurance, subrogation and civil litigation.
A subrogating insurer steps into its insured’s shoes, and inherits its insured’s contractual breaches along the way. In Chippewas v Sexton’s Mechanical Limited, the owner cancelled the required builder’s risk policy before occupancy and before the loss. On summary judgment, the subrogated claim was dismissed. A cautionary read for insurers and contractors alike.
Calls to abolish Ontario’s civil juries resurface from time to time, usually on the argument that they are slow, costly, or biased. This article makes the case for keeping them, explaining how juries check judicial bias, bring public participation and diversity to the justice system, and why the common arguments against them do not hold up.
The Team
Joel works with a law clerk in the firm's Toronto office, your day-to-day point of contact on a file.
Tanyka Thomas
Law Clerk
Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP
For a subrogation, insurance, construction or personal injury matter, Joel brings a practical, trial-tested approach and a record of taking cases through to appeal. The first conversation is straightforward and without obligation.
Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP · 220 Bay Street, Suite 1400, Toronto · dcmlaw.ca