Samantha Shatz

Samantha Shatz is a partner in the medical malpractice group at Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP focusing on birth injury and obstetrical negligence – among the most complex and consequential personal injury lawmatters in Ontario law. She has appeared as trial counsel multiple times and achieved outcomes reaching $12.5 million in medical malpractice cases.

Called to the Ontario Bar: 2016

Samantha’s caseload concentrates on cases where children and families have suffered permanent harm from clinical failures during pregnancy, labour, or delivery – cerebral palsy, HIE from oxygen deprivation at birth, shoulder dystocia, brachial plexus injury, and other birth traumas. She also handles spinal cord injury cases from surgical or diagnostic failures, brain injury claims from medical negligence, and motor vehicle accidents.

She is a member of the AAJ’s Birth Trauma Litigation Group and has served on the AAJ Board of Governors since March 2025 – one of very few Canadian lawyers with this distinction. She is Vice Chair of the OTLA Medical Malpractice Section (2024 – Present), chaired the OTLA Annual Medical Malpractice Conference in 2025, and has served on the Brain Injury Society of Toronto Board of Directors (2021–2024). She holds a JD from the University of Western Ontario and a BA (Honours) from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Samantha approaches every birth injury file with the understanding that for the family, this is not just a complex legal proceeding – it is the most consequential matter they will ever face. She takes time to understand each family’s situation, communicates clearly, and tailors her advocacy to what each client genuinely needs.

Practice Areas

• Medical malpractice lawyer – birth injuries and obstetrical negligence
• Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy lawyer
• Birth trauma lawyer – shoulder dystocia, brachial plexus injury
• Medical malpractice lawyer – spinal cord injury from surgical or diagnostic failure
• Surgical and anaesthesia negligence lawyer
• Motor vehicle accidents; brain injury claims lawyer

Notable Results

Past results are not predictive of future outcomes. Every case requires individual legal advice.

• $12.5 Million – Medical negligence resulting in birth injury
• $9.5 Million – Medical negligence resulting in birth injury
• $9 Million – Medical negligence resulting in birth injury
• $8.25 Million – Medical negligence resulting in birth injury
• $3.3 Million – Medical negligence resulting in spinal cord injury
• $2.5 Million – Medical negligence resulting in spinal cord injury
• $1.5 Million – Medical negligence resulting in spinal cord injury
• $1 Million – Medical negligence resulting in amputation

Professional Involvement and Leadership

• American Association for Justice – Board of Governors (March 2025 – Present)
• AAJ Birth Trauma Litigation Group – Member
• OTLA – Vice Chair, Medical Malpractice Section (2024 – Present)
• OTLA Annual Medical Malpractice Conference – Chair (2025)
• BIST Board of Directors (2021 – 2024); Brain Injury Awareness Committee (2020 – Present)

Awards and Recognition

• Listed in the annual peer-reviewed Canadian legal directory – Ones to Watch, Medical Negligence Category
• Top Personal Injury Law Firms in Canada – Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP (Canadian Lawyer Magazine, annually since 2011)

Professional Memberships

• CBA; OBA (General and Health Law Section); The Advocates’ Society; Medical Legal Society; OTLA; AAJ

Education

• Called to the Ontario Bar: 2016
• JD – University of Western Ontario (2015)
• BA (Honours) – Wilfrid Laurier University (2011)