Ontario Trial Lawyers Association elects new president

The Ontario Trial Lawyers Association has elected Toronto personal injury lawyer Charles Gluckstein as its new president for 2013-14.

Gluckstein has served on the association’s board of directors since 2001 and has been on its executive committee for the past seven years.

Gluckstein was called to the Ontario Bar in 1999, and specializes in insurance litigation, which encompasses personal injury, disability matters, occupier’s liability issues, product liability and medical malpractice. His firm, Gluckstein Personal Injury Lawyers, is based in Toronto.

He will begin his year as president with a two-day strategic planning discussion with the board of directors this month to set the association’s priorities.

“We have a voice and it is stronger than ever,” Gluckstein commented in a statement. “Over the past few years, I have watched our organization not only get a seat at the table but have our proposals listened to and taken seriously,” he said.

“We intend to remain vigilant and ensure that lawmakers are cognizant of the real-life consequences of the changes to insurance laws, and to do our best to advance the interests of our clients.”

Gluckstein added that OTLA will continue to work with the insurance industry and other stakeholders to “encourage dialogue about the serious issues surrounding automobile insurance in this province.”

“Too often people are not aware of the impact of the cuts to their insurance coverage until they are faced with a devastating automobile injury, at which point it is too late,” he said. “By raising awareness, the idea of insurance reform is not going to seem too complex or too remote for the public to get behind.”