Harvey Strosberg will be honoured with the Ontario Bar Association Award for Excellence in Civil Litigation at a gala dinner on October 25, 2011 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The OBA Award for Excellence in Civil Litigation was created by the Executive of the Civil Litigation Section of the OBA to recognize contributions and achievements by members of the association in the areas of outstanding advocacy skills, professionalism, integrity and civility, the teaching of civil litigation, and the enhancement of the practice of civil litigation.

“Selecting a winner for this award is never an easy task, but we unanimously agreed that Harvey was the perfect choice,” said Audrey Ramsay, chair of the Nomination and Selection Committee. “He is a pioneer in the development of class action law in Ontario and is dedicated to the service of his profession and the community.  He epitomizes the highest ideals of civility, professionalism and achievement in our profession.”

David Sterns, chair of the Civil Litigation Section, added “Strosberg is an outstanding member of the bar whose lengthy career has been distinguished by his authoritative practice in the areas of class action and commercial litigation.”

Strosberg is a senior partner at Sutts, Strosberg LLP, located in Windsor, Ontario. He practises almost exclusively in the areas of class action and commercial litigation. Strosberg has vast trial and appellate experience in the areas of class actions, negligence, personal injury, commercial law, product liability and insurance law. He has appeared as counsel in more than 30 class action certification motions.

Currently, he is a member of the counsel team prosecuting, among others, the following class actions:

• Mass torts – Sunrise Propane, 2 Secord Avenue, Kingston Road and Woodstock  explosions
• Medical devices and drugs – Guidant, Vioxx
• Product liability/negligence - Kitec, RetroFoam
• Price Fixing - Chocolates, Hydrogen Peroxide
• Securities - Bre-X, NovaGold

Strosberg was lead counsel for the City of Windsor when, after trial, it obtained ownership of the Canadian portion of the Windsor Detroit Tunnel, which is valued at over $200 million.

Strosberg was called to the bar in 1971 and is considered a leading counsel in Canada and widely recognized for his service to the governance of the profession. He was elected as a Law Society bencher in 1987, 1991 and 1995, and served on many committees including the Professional Conduct Committee, the Compensation Fund Committee and the Research and Planning Committee. He was elected as Law Society Treasurer from 1997 to 1999.

While Treasurer, Strosberg initiated the Government Relations Committee, which was instrumental in lobbying for the Law Society Act, 1999 the first significant revision in 30 years, and the Legal Aid Act which relieved the Society from the burden of administering the Legal Aid Plan.

He was the primary author of the 1994 Insurance Task Force Report to Convocation. Strosberg investigated, analyzed and quantified the extent of the debt and its causes. He then decisively created a blueprint for the ongoing operation of the insurance program. Thanks to his vision, work and powerful leadership, LAWPRO (the Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company) exists today as a healthy institution.

Strosberg has also been greatly involved in legal education and has prepared countless papers and spoken at seminars and special lecture series concerning civil litigation and class action law. He has been the editor of Canadian Class Action Review since 2004.

He also played a pivotal role in helping to make the Law Society's successful Feed the Hungry Program a reality, with his ongoing support.

Today, the program serves 1,600 people per week in Toronto, Windsor and several other cities in Ontario.

For ticket information please visit www.oba.org/civilaward