How to Choose a Lawyer
Choosing the right personal injury lawyer is one of the most important decisions you will make after a serious injury. This page gives you a practical framework for that decision, a set of direct questions developed by PIA Law member firms that a prospective client should ask any lawyer they are considering. A qualified lawyer will be able to answer each one clearly and without hesitation.
The questions are grouped into four areas: the financial terms of your retainer, the lawyer’s trial and case management experience, their standing within the personal injury bar and healthcare community, and whether they hold specialist certifications recognized by the Law Society of Ontario. Ask them at a first consultation, or use them to compare lawyers you are evaluating.
PIA Law is an alliance of three Ontario personal injury law firms, McLeish Orlando LLP, Oatley Vigmond LLP, and Thomson Rogers LLP. Each firm is ranked National Tier 1 for Personal Injury Litigation by Best Law Firms™ Canada 2026 with several PIA Law partners recognized in the 2026 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, and counting Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialists in Civil Litigation among their ranks.
If you are not sure where to start, call 1-855-4-PIA-LAW for a free consultation and you will speak directly with a lawyer at one of the three firms.
The Financial Terms of Your Retainer
Q: How do you set your fees? Do you require any money from the client as a retainer? Does your firm finance the entire case, including disbursements?
A reputable personal injury lawyer should be able to explain their fee structure clearly and in plain language before you retain them. In Ontario, most personal injury cases are handled on a contingency basis, meaning no upfront payment and no fee unless the case succeeds. Ontario lawyers are required to use a standard form of contingency fee agreement set by the Law Society of Ontario, which sets out how disbursements, including court costs, expert fees and medical records are handled and when they get paid. Ask to see this before signing anything.
Q: Will you confirm in writing that you require no monetary retainer and that the client will owe nothing if the case is not successful?
Any commitment about fees and costs should be in writing; verbal assurances are not enforceable. Under Ontario’s Solicitors Act, contingency fee agreements must be documented in a signed written agreement that specifies the percentage, the treatment of disbursements, and the conditions under which fees are owed. If a lawyer is reluctant to put this in writing, that is a signal to keep looking. PIA Law’s member firms put this in writing as a matter of course. Ask to see it before you sign anything.
Q: With respect to accident benefits, do you charge a percentage of any benefits paid on a periodic basis, or do you charge only for collection of a lump sum?
Accident benefits and tort (injury) claims are handled separately under Ontario’s insurance system, and fee arrangements for each can differ. Some lawyers charge a percentage on periodic benefits paid throughout the claim while others charge only on the final lump-sum resolution. Ask your lawyer directly which applies to your case and get it in writing as part of your contingency fee agreement.
Your Experience in Managing and Taking Cases to Trial
Q: How long have you been practising personal injury law on behalf of injured people? Do you also act for insurance companies? What proportion of your work is solely for injured people?
Plaintiff-only personal injury lawyers dedicate their practice entirely to injured people, which means their experience, relationships, and strategies are built exclusively around achieving the best outcomes for claimants, not insurers.
The three member firms of PIA Law work exclusively with those who have been seriously injured.
Q: Do you have real experience taking personal injury cases to trial in Superior Court?
Trial experience is not the same as settlement experience. A lawyer who has taken cases to verdict has demonstrated they can build and present a case under real adversarial conditions, and that experience directly strengthens their negotiating position in settlements because insurance companies know they will go to court. Ask how recently they were last in a courtroom at trial. A lawyer confident in their trial record will answer plainly. Lawyers at Oatley Vigmond, McLeish Orlando, and Thomson Rogers LLP have this experience; ask your PIA Law lawyer directly about their trial record.
Q: How often do your cases go to trial, and how much time and resources go into preparing a case for trial versus settling it?
Most personal injury cases settle before trial, but the strength of that settlement is shaped by how seriously the file was prepared to go the distance. Retaining expert witnesses, completing full discovery, and building a case for a judge or jury takes significant time and resources long before a trial date is ever set. A lawyer who invests in that preparation on every file, rather than aiming for the fastest settlement, negotiates from a position of strength; insurers respond differently to a firm they know is trial-ready. Ask what portion of a firm’s caseload proceeds to trial and how they prepare files that ultimately settle. Lawyers at McLeish Orlando LLP, Oatley Vigmond LLP, and Thomson Rogers LLP have this experience; ask your PIA Law lawyer directly about their trial record and how they prepare cases.
Q: Can you connect me with a former client who had a similar injury, for a reference or testimonial?
Speaking with a former client who had a similar injury gives you a realistic picture of what the process looks like from the client’s side: timelines, communication, and outcomes. A lawyer confident in their work should be willing to facilitate that connection with the former client’s consent. PIA Law lawyers are always happy to provide references; ask at your consultation.
Q: Do you have a network of community healthcare providers whom you call on to assist your clients?
A lawyer with established healthcare relationships can connect clients to credible providers quickly, which benefits both recovery and the strength of the legal claim. Should the case proceed to trial, these expert reports and testimony become vital to the proceedings. The Law firms of PIA have access to top tier rehabilitation professionals in brain injury, spinal cord injury and other serious injuries, across the province of Ontario.
Q: Who else at the firm will work on my case, and what will they do?
Serious personal injury cases often involve a team that may include legal assistants, law clerks, Accident Benefits professionals, and associate lawyers who support different aspects of the file. Knowing who is working on your case, their role, and who is responsible for each part of your claim helps you understand how your case will be managed. Ask your PIA Law lawyer to walk you through your team at the outset so you know who will be handling your file.
Q: Will you, either by yourself or with a colleague within your own firm, be the lawyer responsible for the client’s case? Or, will you be referring the case to some other lawyer in another law firm?
Before retaining a lawyer, ask whether the lawyer and firm you are meeting with will actually be responsible for your case or whether it may be referred elsewhere. This is because some firms advertise extensively for personal injury clients but do not necessarily handle every case they take in. Instead, a case may be referred to a lawyer at another firm, sometimes in exchange for a referral fee. Referral arrangements are permitted in Ontario, subject to rules governing disclosure and client consent. You are entitled to know who will be handling your case from the outset. Should a member firm of PIA Law be unable to assist with your case or accept your retainer, the firms may discuss other options with you, including, where appropriate, a referral to another lawyer or law firm who may be better positioned to assist. Any referral would be discussed transparently with you, and the decision about who you choose to retain remains yours.
Q: When was the last time you appeared in court at a trial that went to judgment or verdict?
Many personal injury lawyers settle the majority of their cases without ever going to trial. While settlement is often the right outcome, a lawyer who has not been in a courtroom recently may be less prepared to take a case to verdict if that becomes necessary. Recent trial experience matters. Ask your PIA Law lawyer about their recent trial record.
Q: Can you provide the names of 3 cases you have tried in the last 5 years? What were the results? Were the cases settled during trial or taken to verdict or to judgment?
Serious injuries require lawyers who have handled those specific injury types in court, not just generally. For example, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and orthopaedic cases each have distinct medical, functional, and legal complexity. A lawyer who can cite specific cases of the type relevant to your situation has demonstrated competence in the area that directly affects your outcome.
To learn more about successful results from PIA Law member firms please visit our Success Stories page.
Q: Do you use illustrators and animators to prepare demonstrative evidence to prove your client’s impairments or to illustrate case theories?
Lawyers who invest in demonstrative evidence signal that they prepare cases thoroughly and are willing to spend what is necessary to present a client’s injuries compellingly.
Visual demonstrative evidence, anatomical illustrations, accident reconstructions, and day-in-the-life videos, can be compelling to help a jury understand a person’s injuries.
PIA Law member firms invest significantly in their clients files in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Your Reputation within the Personal Injuries Bar Association and Healthcare Professionals
Q: In the last five years, have you been invited to present to other lawyers or health care professionals, or to chair any programs?
Lawyers who are invited to teach and present to their peers are recognized within the profession as leaders in their area. This kind of peer recognition is a meaningful signal of expertise; it is the legal community itself affirming that the lawyer has knowledge and experience worth sharing.
PIA Law lawyers frequently participate in speaking engagements for both fellow legal professionals and members of the health care community. PIA Law has also hosted its own “Back-to-School/School’s Out” Conference, where its lawyers have served as chairs and presenters.
Q: Have you written any articles or books on personal injury, courtroom advocacy or insurance law?
Publishing in the legal field demonstrates a lawyer’s engagement with the intellectual development of their practice area. It also signals that the lawyer thinks carefully about legal strategy beyond individual cases, an indicator of depth that can benefit complex, high-stakes files.
PIA Law lawyers have written articles and books on a wide array of topics such as personal injury, courtroom advocacy, and insurance law.
Q: What peer-reviewed awards, rankings, or professional memberships have you received or hold – for example, recognition from Lexpert®, Best Lawyers in Canada, or Canadian Lawyer’s Top Personal Injury Boutiques list, or membership in the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association?
Peer-reviewed recognition, as opposed to self-nominated directories or paid placements, carries real weight because it reflects how other lawyers in the field evaluate a colleague’s work. Lexpert®, Best Lawyers in Canada, and Canadian Lawyer’s Top Personal Injury Boutiques list base their rankings on surveys and nominations from other practising lawyers – a lawyer does not join or pay for these; they are named to them by their peers. The Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, by contrast, is a professional membership organization for lawyers who represent injured plaintiffs, and active involvement in it can be a further signal of standing in the field. PIA Law’s member firms hold this recognition; ask your PIA Law lawyer which designations they hold.
Are you recognized by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in civil litigation?
Q: Are you recognized by the Law Society of Ontario as a Certified Specialist in civil litigation?
The Certified Specialist designation in civil litigation is awarded by the Law Society of Ontario to lawyers who meet strict experience requirements and pass a rigorous peer-review process. Fewer than 200 lawyers in Ontario hold this designation. It is one of the clearest independent markers of expertise available to a personal injury claimant evaluating a lawyer. Several lawyers across PIA Law’s member firms hold this designation; ask your PIA Law lawyer directly.
Q: Have you or any member of your firm co-authored any submissions to the government, or the law society, relating to legal issues in the personal injury field?
Lawyers who participate in shaping insurance legislation, court rules, or legal policy have a front-row understanding of how those systems work and how they are likely to evolve. For claimants with serious injuries navigating Ontario’s complex accident benefits and tort system, that level of systemic knowledge can be a meaningful advantage.
Choosing the Right Lawyer Starts with One Call
You don’t have to figure this out alone. When you call PIA Law, you’ll be connected with one of our member firms – Oatley Vigmond, McLeish Orlando, or Thomson Rogers – to discuss your situation and the next steps available to you.
Three leading personal injury law firms. One number: 1-855-4-PIA-LAW.
