Michael Giordano

Michael Giordano is a founding partner of Avanessy Giordano LLP. Prior to establishing his own practice, he was a partner of a prominent personal injury firm.

He completed his law degree at the University of Ottawa. Prior to law school, Michael studied English and Law & Society at York University.

Michael is an active member of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA). He was elected Chair of OTLA’s New Lawyers’ Division in 2017 and previously held the Vice-Chair position in 2014 and 2016. Michael was also the 2017 recipient of the Martin Wunder, Q.C. Outstanding New Lawyer Award. In 2018, he was voted onto OTLA’s Board of Directors.

He is a regular contributor to the OTLA blog and has also written articles for The Litigator.

Renovations Beware and Take Extra Care!

From weekend projects to monumental ventures, summertime renovations are common amongst homeowners. Unfortunately, not all renovations go as planned and they can get sidetracked quite easily.

Warnings for Winter Warriors

We are now well into another exceptionally cold winter. While freezing temperatures and mountains of snow may make many people want to stay indoors, others race outside to take advantage of the ideal conditions for winter activities. This blog post will discuss the case of Crocker v. Sundance Northwest Resorts Ltd., a decision from the Supreme Court of Canada that involved an intoxicated person who …

Impaired Driving Over the Holidays

This is a topic that we unfortunately have to revisit every year. With the holiday season right around the corner, many of us will be going to parties and holiday gatherings. These events often involve drinking and now that it is officially legalized, recreational marijuana will be an added concern. While the vast majority of people do not drive while impaired, there are always going …

Rowan’s Law: Precedent Setting for Concussion Awareness

September 25th was Rowan’s Law Day, a day dedicated to concussion awareness. This follows the enactment of Rowan’s Law, an instrumental law created to protect youth and those involved in amateur sports from concussions and head injuries.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Applying for CPP Disability when receiving Long-Term Disability Benefits

Many individuals who find themselves unable to work as a result of a serious injury or illness have disability benefits available through a group policy with their employer or through private coverage they have purchased independently. These policies typically provide 66.6% of your salary if the insurer determines that you meet the definition of disability as outlined in the contract. The initial test to qualify …

Not Your Fault? Navigating Ontario’s Fault Determination Regime

Ontario’s Fault Determination Rules (“the Rules”) outline over 40 common collision scenarios each depicted with simplistic diagrams. Each collision scenario has a corresponding liability percentage assigned to each driver.  These Rules are largely used by your insurance company to determine who is at-fault for an accident. The challenge for drivers and insurance adjusters is determining which templated scenario in the Rules fairly applies to the …