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Robert B. Bell
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Tel: 416-367-6160
E-mail: rbell@blgcanada.com
Practising in civil litigation since 1980, with extensive trial experience and appellate experience at all levels, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Areas of specialty are products liability including design and manufacturing issues in automotive, aerospace and consumer products industries; class proceedings; commercial insurance including defence in mass tort and major losses; complex claims such as abuse allegations in the Maple Leaf Gardens cases and defamation cases. Published widely, created and led advocacy training programs for the Law Society, The Advocates’ Society and the University of Toronto. Frequently invited to participate at numerous conferences as keynote speaker, facilitator, panelist, and moderator. Elected January 2000 to BLG’s inaugural National Council and to the Toronto Management Committee; 2005 became Head of the Toronto office’s litigation department; 2006-2008 Managing Partner, Toronto; 2008 Chair of the firm’s National Council.
Board of Directors, The Advocates’ Society since 2006. Member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Canadian Bar Association. Martindale Hubbell AV rating; CEDR Accredited Mediator, September 2006 (CEDR is the leader in U.K. in providing dispute resolution services) named in Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, Best Lawyers in Canada Guide and in International Who’s Who.
Retained primarily as a defence counsel on numerous class actions. Has been at the forefront with innovative settlement techniques, e.g. validity of Mary Carter agreements [Pettey v. Avis (1994), 13 O.R. (3d) 725]; bar orders in class proceedings [ONHWP v. Chevron et al (1999), 46 O.R. (3d) 130 (Gen. Div.)]. Representative reported decisions: Rogacki v. Belz (2004), (Ont. C.A.) successfully holding favourable jury verdict on behalf of plaintiff in a defamation case; Ticketnet v. Air Canada (1997), 154 D.L.R. (4th) 271 (Ont. C.A.) leave to the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed, leading decision on damages in favour of a start up company, judgment totalled $27.7 million; Cloud v. Canada (Attorney General) (2004), 2 C.P.C. 96th) 199 (Ont. C.A.) class proceeding involving residential schools; Canadian Bearings v. Celanese Canada Inc.; Celanese Canada Inc. v Murray Demolition Cor. et al (2006), 269 D.L.R. (4th) 193 (SCC) successful appeal to Supreme Court of Canada in respect of solicitor client privilege and disqualification of counsel in context of Anton Piller order.
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