Experienced Toronto Personal Injury Lawyer

Michaelson Law

At most firms, a senior lawyer wins the meeting, and a junior runs the file. At Michaelson Law, Daniel Michaelson takes the case on himself – from the first phone call through to settlement or judgment. He has practised personal injury, medical malpractice and fire loss litigation in Ontario since 2008.

Called to the Ontario Bar: 2008  ·  19+ years in practice

Two Decades of Serious Injury Work

Daniel built his career at one of Canada’s leading personal injury and medical negligence firms, working his way from associate to partner over close to twenty years. He founded Michaelson Law to work directly with a smaller number of catastrophically injured clients – the kind of files that demand a senior lawyer’s sustained attention rather than a delegated one.

His caseload runs across motor vehicle accidents, occupiers’ liability and premises claims, road design and signage negligence, fire loss, product liability, wrongful death, Statutory Accident Benefits disputes, insurance brokers’ negligence, short- and long-term disability, and complex medical negligence.

Trial, Appeal and Tribunal Experience

Daniel appears at every level of the Ontario court system. He has conducted numerous matters at the Superior Court of Justice, argued at the Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and appeared repeatedly at the Licence Appeal Tribunal – including at catastrophic impairment hearings, where the difference between designations can determine whether an injured person receives the care they will need for the rest of their life.

Systemic Litigation

Daniel’s practice has extended from individual claims into systemic accountability work. He acts as co-counsel for the plaintiffs in Pugliese v. Chartwell (2024 ONSC 1135), one of eight proposed class actions brought on behalf of residents, families and visitors affected by COVID-19 outbreaks in Ontario’s long-term care homes. In March 202,4 the Superior Court certified six of those eight actions – including Chartwell – to proceed in negligence. The litigation continues.

Selected Reported Decisions

• Amin v. CAA Insurance Company, 2026 CanLII 6233 (LAT) – established a catastrophic impairment; the Tribunal accepted a combined 55% whole-person impairment over the insurer’s contested ratings.
• Kidman v. Christoforatou, 2012 ONSC 2981 – acting for a family in a $5-million fire claim after a converted-building fire killed two children; defeated the defendants’ summary judgment motion and won costs
• Decision No. 333/16, 2016 ONWSIAT 956 – on appeal from a Board denial, won recognition of a permanent shoulder impairment and entitlement to a non-economic loss award
• Azzopardi v. John Doe, 2014 ONSC 4685 – defeated an insurer’s motion to cap recovery at $200,000 in an unidentified-driver motorcycle claim.
• White (Re), 2009 CanLII 92119; 98 O.R. (3d) 291 – had a trustee in bankruptcy’s claim dismissed for inordinate delay and recovered $200,000 held in court.

Past results are not a guarantee of the outcome of any future case. Citations refer to publicly reported decisions available on CanLII.

Practice Across Ontario – Including the North

Daniel acts for clients well beyond the GTA. He regularly travels to represent people in northern, rural and Indigenous communities – Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay, Cochrane, Kenora and Fort Frances among them – communities that have historically had limited access to senior injury counsel-more on his Northern Ontario practice.

Writing and Speaking on Technology and Liability

Daniel is frequently asked to speak and write on how rapid technological change is reshaping civil liability – robotics and remote surgery in medical malpractice, vehicle automation and telematics in motor vehicle claims, and the growing evidentiary role of dashcam footage and location data. His argument is straightforward: the legal system is inherently backward-looking, and the profession can no longer afford to be.

Background

Daniel completed an Honours BA at York University – graduating cum laude and receiving the Merit Award as the top graduating student in his history and archaeology program – before earning his LLB at the University of Western Ontario. Both disciplines involved reconstructing events from incomplete evidence, which is much of what civil litigation actually requires.

Recognition and Memberships

The Best Lawyers in Canada – Personal Injury Litigation and Products Liability (2022–2026)

Lexpert Directory – listed

Law Society of Ontario

The Advocates’ Society

Community

Daniel has served on the Board of Directors of Canadian Young Judaea and supports Lawyers Feed the Hungry and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He is active in the Jewish-Canadian community and assists Hebrew-speaking clients navigating the Ontario civil justice system in their own language.

Areas of Practice

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Medical Malpractice & Negligence

Catastrophic Injury

Accident Benefits & LAT Disputes

Slip & Fall / Occupiers’ Liability

Fire Loss & Property Damage

Wrongful Death

Long-Term & Short-Term Disability

Product Liability

Long-Term Care & Class Actions

Dog Attacks & Dog Bites

Speak With Daniel Michaelson

The consultation is free and confidential, with no obligation. Most cases run on a contingency fee basis – nothing up front, and no legal fees unless the claim succeeds, with terms set out in writing beforehand.

Phone: 416-301-2020   ·   Email: dan@michaelsonlaw.ca

Office: 2 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 303, North York, ON M2N 5Y7

Request a free consultation · English and Hebrew  ·  Meets clients across the GTA and travels throughout Ontario  ·  No fees unless you win