Are personal injury lawyers ambulance chasers? Are insurance companies only interested in denying claims and generating profits for their shareholders? There are many misconceptions about the insurance industry despite the important role that insurance law plays in regulating so many areas of our lives. Through this course, students will achieve a better understanding of the role that an insurance law lawyer plays in advancing and defending claims arising out of a motor vehicle collision, a slip and fall accident, or a long term disability claim. Through a case study approach, student simulations and by attending litigation events involving real litigants, students will experience first-hand the application of insurance law and procedure. This will also involve an analysis of the Rules of Civil Procedure, the Rules of the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT) and case law generated by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, the License Appeal Tribunal and multiple levels of the Superior Court of Justice.
Students are required to participate in one of the following insurance litigation events throughout the term: an examination for discovery, a mediation session, a LAT case conference, a LAT Hearing, a pre-trial hearing and a day of trial. The course instructor will facilitate this process. Students will be required to prepare a paper of 5 pages at the end of their real world litigation experience.