The Anatomy of a Personal Injury Claim – Best Practices, Caselaw, and Trends
2025-06-11 13:00 - 15:30 (America/St_Johns) | 3rd Floor, Law Society Building, 196-198 Water Street, St. John’s, Canada
Seminar Overview:
Join us for an in-depth seminar exploring the key stages of a personal injury claim from both the plaintiff and defence perspectives. This session will cover best practices for claim assessment, pleadings, discovery, expert evidence, and settlement negotiations, while examining recent caselaw and emerging trends in personal injury litigation. Gain insights from experienced practitioners on strategic litigation approaches, risk management, and evolving legal frameworks. A must-attend for those practicing in personal injury law or seeking to refine their litigation skills.
In-person attendance is strongly encouraged where possible. Attendees are invited to stay after the seminar for an informal social reception.
Seminar Presenters:
Blair Pritchett, Intact Insurance
Blair Pritchett is part of the in-house counsel team at Intact Insurance. Blair joined Intact in 2019 to manage the in-house Legal Team in St. John’s. In 2024, Blair transitioned to the role of Legal Consultant, where he now helps to oversee Intact’s national external litigation portfolio. Prior to joining Intact, Blair served 20 years in private practice, most of which time was spent as a partner with McInnes Cooper.
Sophie St. Croix, Roebothan McKay Marshall
Sophie St. Croix was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador bar in 2014. After completing her articles with Valerie Hynes at Roebothan McKay Marshall, she has been practicing with the firm since 2014. Sophie’s areas of practice include personal injury, family law, and real estate.
Registration Fee: $115.00 ($100.00 + HST) HST # R108086463
Registration Includes:

Seminar attendance and materials
Snacks and refreshments

PLEASE NOTE: THE REGISTRATION PROCESS IS ONLINE ONLY. TO REGISTER FOR THIS SEMINAR, PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dxeamUe_Tjezwln1hpEvOg
CPD Credit: 2.5 hours

Disciplinary Hearing: Gregory Stack
2025-06-20 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-25 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-09-15 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-09-18 09:30 - 2025-09-19 11:30 | 3rd Floor, Law Society Building, 196-198 Water Street, St. John’s, Canada
Respondent:
Gregory Stack

Date:
June 20, 2025
June 25, 2025
September 15, 2025
September 18, 2025
September 19, 2025

Time:
9:30 a.m.

Place:
Offices of the Law Society 196-198 Water Street

General Nature of the Charges:
In accordance with s. 45(3) of the Law Society Act, 1999, (the “Act”) the Complaints Authorization Committee (the “Committee”) has determined that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Gregory Stack (the “Respondent”) has engaged in conduct deserving of sanction and, in accordance with s. 45(3)(b) of the Act, the Committee has instructed the Vice-President to file the within Complaint against the Respondent on the basis that the Respondent is guilty of conduct deserving of sanction in that he:
Breached the following sections of the Code of Professional Conduct:

Section 2.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 6.3 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto; and
Section 7.2-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto.

The factual particulars of the Complaint are as follows:
That the Respondent:
i. Failed to act with integrity; and
ii. Engaged in some form of harassment and/or discrimination of another person.
View a list of disciplinary hearings here.

Call to the Bar
2025-06-26 13:30 - 17:00
This event is limited to those being Called to the Bar and their invited guests.

Effective Strategies in Working with High Conflict Personalities
2025-09-10 13:00 - 15:30 | 3rd Floor, Law Society Building, 196-198 Water Street, St. John’s, Canada
Seminar Overview
This engaging and practical seminar explores effective approaches to working with high conflict personalities. Legal professionals frequently encounter clients or opposing parties whose behaviour escalates conflict and complicates legal processes. This training provides insight into the nature of high conflict personalities and equips participants with tools to manage these challenging dynamics more effectively.
This presentation will draw from the following topics:

Recognizing potential indicators and key characteristics of high conflict personalities
Managing professional roles and responsibilities when collaborating with other professionals (e.g., custody assessors, child protection workers, therapists)
Understanding relevant personality disorders (e.g., borderline, narcissistic, antisocial, histrionic)
Implementing hostility reduction strategies and identifying intractable or high-risk situations
Maintaining impartiality, managing personal triggers, and applying self-care strategies
Exploring legal and clinical interventions for navigating complex and high-conflict cases

This seminar is ideal for lawyers, mediators, and professionals working in high-conflict environments who are looking to build confidence, develop specialized skills, and foster more effective outcomes in their practice.
Seminar Presenters
Howard Hurwitz, MSW, RSW, AccFM (Ontario)
Howard is a social worker in private practice, specializing in supporting families navigating separation and divorce. He is also a certified family mediator. With a Master of Social Work and more than 46 years of experience in child protection, children’s mental health, and family counselling, Howard has held senior roles, including 16 years as Director of a child protection agency in Toronto.
Howard founded and chaired the High Conflict Forum, a community-based network bringing together lawyers, judges, mental health professionals, and child protection staff from over 30 agencies to support high-conflict families experiencing separation or divorce. This model has been so successful that it has been adopted in five other Canadian cities.
An experienced trainer, Howard regularly delivers training to professionals in the child protection, children’s mental health, and family law sectors. He has presented at international conferences in the United States and the Netherlands and is recognized by the courts as an expert in working with high-conflict families and cases involving parental alienation. He is frequently consulted by professionals across disciplines on these matters. Howard is also co-author, with Dr. Barbara Fidler and Professor Nicholas Bala, of Emotional Harm and Parent-Child Contact Problems in High Conflict Separations.
Howard is a lead clinician in Families Moving Forward, a treatment program designed for children who have disrupted contact with a parent following parental separation or divorce.
Registration Fee
$115.00 ($100.00 + HST)
HST # R108086463
Register Here
CPD Credit
2.5 hours

Up She Rises! Women and Gender in Newfoundland and Labrador Public Forum by the Newfoundland and Labrador Historical Society
2025-11-07 19:00 - 21:00
Inspired by the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in NL, Up She Rises! constitutes a public discussion about women and gender in NL history. It involves academics, researchers, activists, writers, and poets who have studied and written about women and gender in NL history. This is a capstone event to the anniversary year of women’s suffrage in this province. We hope it will inspire people to learn more about the historical experiences of women and gender-diverse folks and to continue the work of engaging with our collective history.
Friday, November 7The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Avenue
7:00–8:00 pmOpening RemarksHer Honour, The Honourable Joan Marie Aylward, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
Keynote AddressMargot I. Duley – “Fishing for Answers”: Does the Newfoundland Women’s Suffrage Movement neatly fit into other scholarship on suffrage?
8:00–9:00 pmReception
View the event poster here.

Andrew Martin Disciplinary Hearing
2025-11-20 10:00 - 13:00 | 3rd Floor, Law Society Building, 196-198 Water Street, St. John’s, Canada
NOTICE OF A HEARING DATE

Respondent:
Andrew Martin

Date:
November 20, 2025

Time:
10:00 a.m.

Place:
Offices of the Law Society, 196-198 Water Street

General Nature of the Charges:
In accordance with s. 45(3) of the Law Society Act, 1999, (the “Act”) the Complaints Authorization Committee (the “Committee”) has determined that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Andrew Martin (the “Respondent”) has engaged in conduct deserving of sanction and, in accordance with s. 45(3)(b) of the Act, the Committee has instructed the Vice-President to file the within Complaint against the Respondent on the basis that the Respondent is guilty of conduct deserving of sanction in that he:
2023-027:
Breached the following sections of the Code of Professional Conduct:

Section 2.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.2 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.4 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 7.1-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct;
Section 7.1-3 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 7.2-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto; and
Section 7.8 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto.

C2023-033:
Breached the following sections of the Code of Professional Conduct:

Section 2.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.2 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 7.1-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct;
Section 7.2-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 7.2-4 of the Code of Professional Conduct; and
Section 7.8 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto.

2023-047:
Breached the following sections of the Code of Professional Conduct:

Section 2.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.2 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.4 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 7.1-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct;
Section 7.2-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 7.2-4 of the Code of Professional Conduct; and
Section 7.8 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto.

C2023-055:
Breached the following sections of the Code of Professional Conduct:

Section 2.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 3.2 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 7.1-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct;
Section 7.1-3 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto;
Section 7.2-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto; and
Section 7.8 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto.

2023-065:
Breached the following sections of the Code of Professional Conduct:

Section 2.1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and related commentaries thereto; and
Section 7.1-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct.

Breached the following Law Society Rules:

Rule 9.04; and
Rule 9.07.

For a list of Disciplinary Hearings, please click here.

Deadline for PLC Licence Applications, Amendments, and Cancellations
2025-12-05
Please be advised that all initial applications for, amendments to, or cancellations of Professional Law Corporation (PLC) licences must be submitted by 5 December 2025 to ensure sufficient time for review and processing before the Christmas break. Applications received after this date may not be processed until the New Year.
The necessary forms are available as follows:

Form 11.03A: Submit this form along with the required documentation to apply for a Professional Law Corporation Licence. Please carefully review the ‘Instructions for Completion’ found at the beginning of Form 11.03A.
Form 11.03B: Submit this form, along with the applicable fee and any required supporting documentation, to the Law Society for amendments to your PLC.
Form 11.07: If you wish to cancel your PLC licence, please submit this completed form and the required documentation as outlined in section 2.

Benchers' Meeting
2025-12-08 | Online
Please note that the next Benchers’ meeting will take place on 8 December 2025, at 9:30 am. Anyone wishing to attend a Benchers’ meeting:

is required to provide notice of attendance to the Law Society by emailing erowe@lsnl.ca;
will not be permitted to use audio or video recording devices or communication devices during the meeting;
shall not speak, unless invited to do so by the President;
must observe and obey all rulings of the President; and
shall leave if the meeting is declared closed to the public or if asked to do so by the President.

At this time, attendance shall be via Zoom. An invite will be provided upon receipt of an attendance notice. Agendas will be posted on the Law Society website in advance of each meeting, and the Minutes for the Public portion of each meeting will also be posted on the website.
Please RSVP by noon on 4 December 2025 to Erin Rowe at erowe@lsnl.ca if you plan to attend the Benchers’ Meeting.

Benchers’ Reception
2025-12-10 16:00 - 18:00 | 3rd Floor, Law Society Building, 196-198 Water Street, St. John’s, Canada
The President and Benchers of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador request the pleasure of your company at the Benchers’ Reception. Please see the details below:
Where: 196-198 Water Street, St. John’s
When: 10 December 2025
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Please send your RSVP to Erin Rowe at erowe@lsnl.ca by 4 December 2025.

Law Society Closed for the Holidays
2025-12-24 - 2026-01-04
Benchers and staff of the Law Society would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Please note that we will be closed for the holidays from 25 December 2025 to 1 January 2026. Staff will not be monitoring email during that time. These dates may change slightly as the holiday approaches.
The Law Library will be accessible to members and approved legal professionals with a valid fob card. Please remember that only circulating items may be borrowed.
