Sep 1, 2023
Brenda Agnew, your host, welcomes Linda O’Brien to today’s conversation. Linda joined the Gluckstein family from Evans Philp, where she was a Managing Partner, leading the team in insurance defense tort litigation. She is now a key member of our Sexual Abuse group with the Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein team, helping to advocate for survivors.
Linda has experience before all levels of courts in Ontario and before both the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) and private arbitrations. She has been a speaker at both legal and insurance industry-sponsored seminars. She is a past member of the Hamilton Law Association, The Advocate’s Society, The Canadian Defence Lawyers, and the Defence Research Institute.
Linda is proud to have been involved in the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Justicia Project, which includes fifty law firms across Ontario pledging commitment to discussing and promoting policies and practice to retain and advance women lawyers in the private practice area of law. Linda is a past member of the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board and most recently served as a Mentor to second-year law students in the Civil Procedure course at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Key Takeaways:
[3:30] Linda discusses her professional journey before arriving at Gluckstein Lawyers.
[6:48] Linda confesses some lawyers are actually the “bad guys”.
[8:30] Linda emphasizes the value of kindness and compassion when communicating with clients.
[10:17] Brenda shares how she waited seven years to speak in court and found a heartwarming lawyer on the defense side who respected and valued her feelings and apologized sincerely.
[14:08] How did Linda decide she wanted to work as an Insurance Defense lawyer?
[15:31] Linda became interested in the field of sexual abuse and started working with Jellinek Ellis at Gluckstein Lawyers.
[18:45] Linda confesses her passion for this area of the law, even though it is such a traumatic field.
[20:45] Did Linda have to experience a shift in perspectives to work on the defense side?
[25:54] Linda became friends with so many clients over the years.
[26:44] What are some of the most difficult aspects of working with sexual abuse cases?
[30:33] Linda shares how hard is to prove the effects reflected on the client were caused by the sexual abuse experienced decades before.
[32:56] How long does it take to reach a resolution on an institutional sexual abuse case?
[35:32] Brenda and Linda address the matter of compensation, which in most cases is the only acknowledgment received by the victim.
[42:24] Brenda and Linda confess they wish they didn’t have work.
Mentioned in this episode:
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