Richard Halpern
- Emailhalpern@gluckstein.com
- Phone(416) 408-4252 ext. 263
- Fax(416) 408-4235
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Amanda Ragobeer
Bio.
Richard Halpern is a senior lawyer acting exclusively for injured people in medical negligence cases, with a special focus on infants injured at or around the time of birth. Richard is known across Canada for his expertise in birth injury cases. He has more than 30 years of experience representing seriously injured people.
Richard has a detailed understanding of the highly technical medical issues, particularly relating to birth injury cases. His experience allows him to provide meaningful advice and direction to families considering a medical negligence lawsuit following a review of the medical records.
Richard is a founding member of the Birth Injury Lawyers Alliance (BILA). BILA was formed by a group of lawyers from across Canada to promote the effective representation of children and families affected by avoidable injuries to children occurring at or around the time of birth. BILA members meet regularly to share strategies, review scientific literature, and develop best practices.
Richard is known for tackling some of the most complex and challenging medical malpractice cases. He has lectured and written extensively on matters concerned with obstetrics, the cause of newborn injury, medical malpractice cases more generally, and legal and trial strategies. He has delivered more than 90 presentations to professional groups, including lawyers and health care providers. Richard has written a paper called “Birth Trauma Litigation: Proving the Cause of Newborn Neurologic Injury”, an essential read for lawyers acting for children injured around the time of birth. He has also recently written a critique of new obstetrical guidelines, called “Fetal Surveillance in Labour, a Review of SOCG 2020 Guideline 396: Oversights, Omissions and Opportunities Squandered”.
Recently, Richard has taken on the complex issue of causation in tort law. He has written a comprehensive paper exploring the roots of causation, called “Causation on Trial – A Call for Change in How We Think About Causation in Tort”. He has written a second paper on causation called “What Should the Causal Questions Look Like”.
In 2015, Richard was the recipient of the Award for Distinguished Service to the legal profession, conferred by his peers at the Ontario Bar Association. Richard has been recognized by and listed in The Best Lawyers™ in Canada. He has been recognized in The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory.
Richard has acted in hundreds of medical malpractice cases. He has achieved significant settlements for his clients, many exceeding $10,000,000, though past results are not necessarily indicative of future outcomes. He has appeared in the Superior Court of Ontario and the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Richard is currently a member of The Holland Group, a group that promotes reforms in medical malpractice law and practice aimed at increasing access to justice and timely and equitable resolutions of medical malpractice claims. The Holland Group is chaired by former Ontario Court of Appeal Justice John Laskin.
Richard is a past President of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association. He is a past member of the Judicial Advisory Committee on Judicial Appointments (GTA) appointed by the Federal Minister of Justice. This committee evaluated candidates for appointment to the Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal.
In addition to his Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) and Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB), Richard earned a Masters Degree in Law (LLM) in Civil Litigation at Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a member of the Advocates’ Society, the Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association, the Ontario Bar Association, Litigation Counsel of America, and the American Association of Justice.
Expertise.
Education.
- University of Toronto, Bachelor of Arts, 1979
- University of Windsor, Bachelor of Laws, 1982
- Osgoode Hall Law School, Masters of Law (Civil Litigation), 1998
Professional Involvement.
- Birth Injury Lawyers’ Alliance, Founding Member
- Ontario Trial Lawyers Association
- Member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group of the AAJ
- The Canadian Bar Association
- The Advocates’ Society
- American Association for Justice
- Past President of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, 2007 – 2008
- Member of the American Association for Access to Justice
Blog & News.
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12 Gluckstein Lawyers Named in the 2025 Editions of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ and The Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch in Canada™
We are thrilled to announce that 10 of our esteemed lawyers have been named in the 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ and 2 of our up and coming lawyers have been acknowledged ...Read Full Story -
Labour Progress and Fetal Safety
Prolonged or stalled labour can be a factor in poor neonatal outcomes. Labour progress is measured in terms of the rate of cervical dilatation over time and the descent of the fetus in the birth canal...Read Full Story -
2 Gluckstein Lawyers Nominated in Canadian Lawyer Magazine's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada - Vote Today
We are thrilled to share that Richard Halpern and Simona Jellinek are nominees in the Changemakers Category for the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers!This prestigious nomination cele...Read Full Story -
Gluckstein Lawyers Recognized in 2024 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
We are excited to announce that four of our esteemed Gluckstein Lawyers have been recognized as Leading Legal Practitioners across Canada in the 2024 Canadian Lexpert Directory.Charles Gluckstein (Per...Read Full Story -
16 Gluckstein Lawyers Nominated for 2025 Best Lawyers® List
We're delighted to share that Gluckstein Personal Injury Lawyers has received a total of twelve nominations in The Best Lawyers in Canada™ 2025 edition, along with four in The Best Lawyers in Canada: ...Read Full Story -
11 Gluckstein Lawyers Shine in The 2024 Editions of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ and The Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch in Canada™.
Gluckstein Lawyers is thrilled to announce that 11 of our esteemed lawyers have been recognized in the prestigious 2024 Editions of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ and The Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch in C...Read Full Story
Events.
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Upcoming
Risky Business 2024 - Medical Malpractice: Trailblazing Insights
Gluckstein Lawyers is excited to announce our 6th Annual Risky Business Conference, taking place in-person on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This year's theme, "Medical Malpractic...Continue Reading -
Past
Risky Business 2023 - Starting and Finishing the Case: Common Pitfalls of Medical Malpractice Cases
Overview.Gluckstein Lawyers is excited to welcome you to our fifth annual Risky Business Conference, taking place using a hybrid model, on October 18, 2023, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with a networking ...Continue Reading -
Past
Risky Business - 2022
Risky Business is a CPD-accredited Medical Malpractice Conference designed to educate those who may wish to learn about the complex nature of medical negligence lawsuits.Continue Reading
Guides & Papers.
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Paper
Structured Settlements Under Section 116.1 of the CJA: Getting It Right
Introduction.I am concerned about how lawyers are preparing and presenting their claims for damages in serious medical malpractice cases when section 116.1 of the Courts of Justice Act is invoked to r...Continue Reading -
Paper
Causation: How to Ask the Right Questions
In every tort action, the trier of fact must decide whether the act or omission of one or more defendants can be linked to the harm suffered by the plaintiff. This is factual causation. Where there ar...Continue Reading -
Paper
Medical Literature in Birth Injury Cases: Real, Reliable, or Junk Science?
The key to success in a birth injury case is proving liability. Liability has two essential elements: a breach of the standard of care and causation. Where the allegation is that a newborn suffered in...Continue Reading -
Guide
Post-Settlement Resource Guide
Please fill out the form to the right to download this free guide.Accepting a settlement in a personal injury lawsuit is usually a celebratory moment. Often years in the making, it can provide a sense...Continue Reading