Richard J. Sommers

Richard J. Sommers was called to the Ontario Bar in 1968 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1980.

Since his call to the Bar, Mr. Sommers had focused his practice on civil litigation, particularly in medical malpractice litigation. Repeatedly he had been recognized by his peers as a leading counsel in his field representing victims of medical malpractice. Mr. Sommers’ particular area of interest had been representing infants brain damaged or physically damaged at birth due to medical or nursing negligence. He had been counsel on some of the leading cases in this field.

Mr. Sommers had been selected by his peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers’ list for Canada. He had also been named as a leading lawyer in the medical negligence field by Lexpert, the Canadian legal expert directory. Toronto Life magazine named him as one of The Lawyers Other Lawyers Call, a guide to the most respected legal practitioners in the city. Canadian Business magazine listed Mr. Sommers as one of the “heavy hitters” in its article, “Hard cases: the best lawyers money can buy”.

Mr. Sommers had lectured in trial practice at Osgoode Hall Law School and at numerous legal education programs organized by the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Institute, and the American Trial Lawyers’ Association and was for many years a member of the editorial board of Advocates’ Quarterly.

He was a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, the Advocates’ Society, the Medical-Legal Society and the American Association for Justice (formerly ATLA).