35 Years, 35 Voices highlights the members who have contributed to the Ontario Trial Lawyers Associations (OTLA) growth, strengthened access to justice and supported a collaborative plaintiff-side community across Ontario over the past 35 years.
Meet Tracy Romanowski, member since 2000.
Member Profile
Name: Tracy Romanowski
Firm: Campisi LLP
Practicing Since: 2008
Joined OTLA: 2000
We asked Tracy to reflect on her time with OTLA, the role the association has played in her career and what being part of the OTLA community means to her.
What motivated you to join OTLA?
At the time, I was working with Steve Rastin, and several clerks at the firm were already OTLA members. He registered me for my OTLA membership, and my colleagues talked about how great the conferences were and how there was always something to learn. They also said it’s a great membership to have because it allows us to share ideas, procedures and develop precedents with like-minded individuals.
If you’ve been a member for more than five years, what has inspired you to renew
your membership?
Since becoming a member, I have benefited from the collective and combined approach to tackling all accident benefits (AB) practices, rules and legislation and developing strategies and a clear understanding of how to best advance our clients’ claims. I have continued to grow as OTLA has grown and my learning has not stopped. Renewing my membership every year keeps me engaged, current and inspired. Additionally, with the upcoming Civil Rules overhaul, now more than ever felt like the right time to renew my membership, as members will need to navigate the new Rules and AB changes collectively.
Do you have a memorable OTLA moment or story you’d like to share?
I don’t have any one particular story or moment to share, because I have benefitted from my membership since the beginning. I was in awe at the first few conferences I attended with the technology advancements, PowerPoint’s and other presentations. I aways walk away from an OTLA conference having learned something new.
Have you made any meaningful professional connections through OTLA? If so, who or in what way?
One of the first people I really connected with was Cesar Carranza. In later years, I also got to know Amy Hofstetter, Peter Murray, Joseph Campisi and many others. Amy and I bonded over AB injustices, particularly the way HST was being charged and handled on AB claims. This ultimately led to class actions against the insurers for the improper handling of HST and how it was improperly deducted from the med/rehab limits of injured insureds. In time, these efforts contributed to legislative changes regarding the payment and handling of HST. I cannot say how delighted I was to meet Amy – a person who was filled with as much passion as I was and filled with the same disappointment I had over the way insurers treated our clients, especially through mismanagement of their benefits.
Cesar and I stayed in contact over the years. He was an amazing source of wisdom and showed dedication and compassion to the work we were both doing. Through my connection with Cesar, I was invited to participate in the Constitutional Challenge brought by Joseph Campisi, by preparing an affidavit about my interactions with FSCO. I had the opportunity to tell FSCO what I thought of them when cross-examined on my affidavit, which formed part of the record for the Constitutional Challenge. To date it was the most rewarding day of my career.
How has OTLA influenced your practice or contributed to your career growth?
Without OTLA, I would have never met Cesar, Joseph, Peter and Amy. I found my home with the amazing team of my Campisi colleagues in April 2020.
With Amy, she has never stopped being the voice of reason, has never stopped listening to me vent and has never stopped being supportive of good ideas, and telling me when they are bad.
What advice would you give to new OTLA members or lawyers just starting out?
Ask questions. Ask for precedents. Trust the information stream given to you by fellow members who have tried and tweaked processes over the years to net positive outcomes.
What does being part of the OTLA community mean to you?
Being part of the OTLA community means being a respected member who practices with honour and integrity and whose voice is heard, even in the loudest of rooms.
