Harvey Thomas Strosberg, (born September 1, 1944) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

lawyer. He is a senior partner at the law firm of Strosberg, Sasso, Sutts LLP.

Early life

Harvey Strosberg was raised in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...

, and graduated from Kennedy Collegiate Institute. At Kennedy Collegiate Institute, he was an avid participant in team sports, including football, basketball and track and field. He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree from the

University of Windsor , mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge , established = , academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada , former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963) , type = Public universi ...

and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the '' Osgoode Hall L ...

Legal career

Strosberg was an articling student for John Sopinka on Bay Street in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario before Sopinka became a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Strosberg was called to the bar in 1971 and became a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...

in 1982. Strosberg served as Commission Counsel to Mr. Justice Horace Krever in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Confidentiality of Health Records in Ontario (1977-1980). Strosberg has been a

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...

of the

Law Society of Upper Canada The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; french: Barreau de l'Ontario) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; frenc ...

since 1987 and was its 55th

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

from 1997–1999.The Law Society of Upper Canada, List of Law Society Treasurers
/ref> His portrait at the Law Society was painted by Curtis Hooper. Strosberg was named a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

American College of Trial Lawyers The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) is a professional association of trial lawyers from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, especially trial ...

in 1991. Strosberg has recovered more than $3.6 billion for his class action clients. Mr. Strosberg was co-lead counsel in the Hepatitis C class action, co-lead counsel in the YBM Magnex securities class action, co-lead counsel in the Vitamins price fixing class action and lead counsel in the

Money Mart Money Mart Financial Services, formerly Dollar Financial Group, is a financial services company with over 600 locations in Canada and the U.S. The company offers a range of financial services, including installment loan, cash advance/payday loan, ...

class action. He has also acted or is acting as lead or co-lead counsel in class actions against, among others, The Bank of Nova Scotia, Merck & Co., Inc.,

Guidant Guidant Corporation, part of Boston Scientific and Abbott Labs, designs and manufactures artificial cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, stents, and other cardiovascular medical products. Their company headquarters is lo ...

Corporation, NovaGold Resources Inc.,

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, General Motors, VW in the

Volkswagen emissions scandal The Volkswagen emissions scandal, sometimes known as Dieselgate or Emissionsgate, began in September 2015, when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to German automaker Vol ...

and the Federal

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

. A part of the VW case settled for $2.1 billion. Strosberg was recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada's top 25 commercial litigation counsel. He was appointed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice as Plaintiff's Counsel Representative to oversee the administration of a class action settlement relating to the

Walkerton tragedy The Walkerton ''E. coli outbreak'' was the result of a contamination of the drinking water supply of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, with '' E. coli'' and ''Campylobacter jejuni'' bacteria. The water supply was contaminated as a result of improper wa ...

and as a member of the Joint Committee overseeing the administration of the Hepatitis C class action settlement. Strosberg's firm has represented wrongfully convicted persons including William Mullins-Johnson, Anthony Hanemaayer,

Robert Baltovich Robert Baltovich (born July 17, 1965) is a Canadian man who was wrongly convicted in 1992 of the murder of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Bain, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. He spent eight years in prison and nearly another decade trying to clear h ...

and James Driskell in their civil lawsuits. In 2010, Strosberg secured the largest cost award in Canadian history, $11 million to the plaintiff's lawyers. In October 2010, Mr. Strosberg suffered a debilitating stroke, which took away his ability to speak. His remarkable recovery has allowed him to return to the courtroom. In 2012 he was lead plaintiff's counsel in the case of Mandeville et al. v. Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. Strosberg is currently seeking the largest punitive damage award in Canadian history against the Canadian Transit Corporation and the owners of the

Ambassador Bridge The Ambassador Bridge is a tolled international suspension bridge across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1929, it is the busiest international border crossing in North ...

for their handling of property owned on the Canadian side of the crossing. Strosberg has been partners with some of the most accomplished lawyers in Canada. Mr. Strosberg's former partners include

Allan Rock Allan Michael Rock (born August 30, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer, former politician, diplomat and university administrator. He was Canada's ambassador to the United Nations (2004–2006) and had previously served in the Cabinet of Jean Chrétien ...

and Patrick Ducharme.

Academic career

Strosberg taught a course in class action law at the

law school with his partner David Robins and until recently, lectured annually at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

Public service

In 1995, Strosberg served as the first Board chair of LPIC, the organization which eventually became LawPro. He led the investigation into and proposed the solution to the Law Society of Upper Canada's approximately $154 million insurance fund deficit. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for

Legal Aid Ontario Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is a publicly funded and publicly accountable non-profit corporation, responsible for administering the legal aid program in the province of Ontario, Canada. Through a toll-free number and multiple in-person locations suc ...

(1999- 2002). He has also been a panelist at the Ontario Bar Association Cross Border Litigation Program, the Metropolitan Toronto Law Association Class Action Update, the American Bar Association, the Canadian Council on International Law and the Superior Court of Ontario Seminar for Judges.

Awards and honours

Strosberg's work as a civil litigator has been widely recognized in the form of honorary degrees and medals. In 2002 the

awarded him an Honorary LLD. He received a DCL from the

in 2003. He also received an LLD from

Assumption University (Windsor, Ontario) Assumption University is a Roman Catholic university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada federated with the University of Windsor. It was founded in 1857 as Assumption College by the Society of Jesus and incorporated by an Act of the Parliament of Upper ...

in 2004. Strosberg was awarded the Law Society Medal in 2010. Most recently, one year after he suffered the stroke, he was awarded the

Ontario Bar Association The Ontario Bar Association is a bar association representing more than 16,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Ontario. It is also a branch of the Canadian Bar Association. Approximately two-thirds of all pract ...

Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation in 2011. His speech was delivered at the

Fairmont Royal York Hotel The Fairmont Royal York, formerly and still commonly known as the Royal York, is a large historic luxury hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Front Street West, the hotel is situated at the southern end of the Financial District, in ...

Personal life

Strosberg is married to Cathy Strosberg. His first marriage ended in divorce. Strosberg had three children with his first wife: Elaine, Sharon and Jay. They all went on to become lawyers as well. He is the nephew of Olympian Irving Meretsky. Strosberg was friends with judges Edward Ducharme of the

Ontario Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law Socie ...

and Paul Stephen Andrew Lamek of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and delivered both of their eulogies.

Bibliography

* ''The Class Action Struggle Continues: Challenges for Canadian Class Actions into the Millennium; Report to Convocation on Insurance'' (1996) * ''Tort Actions Among Family Members'' (with Kathryn L. McKerlie) in The Law Society of Upper Canada's Special Lectures (1993) * ''Family Law: Roles, Fairness and Equality Programme'' (1993). Strosberg is currently the editor of the Canadian Class Action Review.Class Action Review Website
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strosberg, Harvey Thomas 1944 births Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada Living people University of Windsor alumni People from Windsor, Ontario Osgoode Hall Law School alumni Lawyers in Ontario Canadian King's Counsel