BONNIE A. TOUGH
Bonnie is a litigator with expertise in commercial litigation, class actions and insurance litigation. Bonnie graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1976. Following a clerkship at the Supreme Court of Canada and a year of graduate studies at Oxford University, Bonnie joined the litigation department of a major Canadian law firm where she became a partner in 1985.
In 1999 Bonnie left the “big firm” to pursue a boutique litigation practice. She subsequently joined with Kathryn Podrebarac to found the new firm of Tough & Podrebarac LLP.
Bonnie has litigated a wide variety of commercial lawsuits and has acted as counsel before various administrative tribunals and courts up to and including the Supreme Court of Canada.
She has extensive experience acting for both plaintiffs and defendants in class actions ranging from securities and financial disclosure class actions to health related class actions.
Bonnie has also represented both plaintiffs and defendants in insurance litigation. She has handled many claims involving complex engineering issues including the representation of manufacturers of electrical generation and pressure vessel equipment. She has experience both in direct and in subrogated claims. Bonnie teaches Insurance at Osgoode Hall Law School. She developed this course specifically for Osgoode covering all aspects of insurance law, including claims processing, defense obligations, policy interpretation, waiver and estoppel, relief from forfeiture, conflict of interest, misrepresentation and nondisclosure.
Bonnie has broad experience in health-related civil litigation. In the late 1980s, she was Chair of the Health Facilities Review Board sitting in appeal from licensing decisions made by officials of the Ontario Ministry of Health. Bonnie was counsel to the Canadian Hemophilia Society before the Krever Inquiry into the Canadian Blood System. She was counsel to a class of hemophiliacs claiming damages as a result of their infection with hepatitis C. She is currently one of four lawyers appointed by the courts to supervise the administration of the Hepatitis C settlement.
Bonnie was named by LEXPERT Magazine in 2003 as one of the top 25 women lawyers in Canada.
Bonnie is certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in civil litigation. In 2002, she became a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In 2007, Bonnie was elected Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
Bonnie is a former director of The Advocates’ Society. She is a member of The Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association and the Toronto Lawyers Association.
Bonnie speaks frequently on a number of issues relating to litigation. Recent topics include:
- Insurance Law and Coverage Disputes – March 2007
- Twelve-Minute Insurance Lawyer – July 2006
Recent Decisions Defining What a Claim Is and Is Not
- Civil Litigation Skills Certificate Program: A Trial from A to Z – May 2006
- National Class Actions: Your First Class Action - November 2005
- Skirting the Issues – September 2005
- Rule Traps and Triumphs – January 2005
Rule 21 and Rule 20 Issues and Interplay with Certification and s.5 of the Class Proceedings Act
- Practice Tips for Developing a Successful Legal Practice: Marketing, Networking, Rainmaking and Establishing a Clientele – November 2004
- The Advanced Round Table in Civil Litigation – October 2004
- Recent Developments in Corporate Litigation – June 2004
Statutory Civil Remedies for Non-Disclosure or Misrepresentations by Public Companies
- Advocacy – The Art of Persuasion – April 2004
Sealing the Court File: How Public is our Court System?
- Class Actions: An Update – April 2002
A Review of the Latest Developments in Class Actions – Views from the Bar and from the Bench
Bonnie has a keen interest in the use of technology to enhance the effectiveness and reduce the cost of the litigation process.
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