Jim Vigmond was called to the Bar in 1983, and is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Queen’s University Law School. At Oatley Vigmond, Jim leads a team of lawyers and support staff with broad expertise in spinal cord, brain injury and serious orthopaedic cases.
The ability to make a profound difference in people’s lives is what attracted him to personal injury law. For Jim, the clients’ right to fair compensation is the pillar of his deep commitment to improving the lives of injured persons and their families.
In his spare time, Jim enjoys traveling, scuba diving and fishing. He also enjoys staying active and has run the New York and Toronto marathons – he is not very fast, but always persistent.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
-Past-president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association
-Past-president of the Simcoe County Law Association
-Elected Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Less than one half of one percent of eligible lawyers are chosen.
-Elected Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Membership is limited to only those trial lawyers who are “unquestionably and eminently quality, in addition to being regarded as the best in their state/province.”
-Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation
-Listed in Best Lawyers since 2006
-Lexpert Directory Ranked as Most Frequently Recommended
-Received a lifetime achievement award from the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association
-2017 Recipient of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association’s H. Bruce T. Hillyer Award
PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT
Jim has appeared as counsel at all levels of Courts in Ontario, has been retained by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association to intervene on their behalf in the Court of Appeal and has appeared in every case where the Court has considered “catastrophic impairment.”
Frequently called upon to help further the education of other trial lawyers, he has travelled from British Columbia to New Brunswick, speaking on matters of trial advocacy and trial practice. Jim designed the course ‘Personal Injury Advocacy’ which he teaches at Queen’s University Law School, where he was awarded Seasonal Instructor of the Year. He has also been an instructor with the Ontario Centre for Advocacy Training.
Jim has published several articles and presented seminars in the area of personal injury litigation and trial advocacy for numerous associations including the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Advocates’ Society. A regular featured speaker at the Oatley-McLeish Lecture Series, Jim is a contributing author in the loose-leaf text the “Oatley-McLeish Guide to Personal Injury Practice in Motor Vehicle Cases.”
Jim’s fundraising efforts have included pledging $100,000 to the new Royal Victoria Hospital to help develop their leading Cancer Care Centre. He was also the founding director of the Thompson Foundation Centre, and has given over $1,000,000 to the Canadian Paraplegic Association where he was a Director for ten years and Fundraising Chair for five years.
Not only has Jim been involved in the medical community, he has actively participated in his local Barrie community by supporting the nationally renowned McLaren Art Centre, sponsoring Barrie’s minor lacrosse team, and serving as the Director of the Robert Thompson Youth and Family Centre.
In 2018, Jim was appointed to the council of the Medico-Legal Society of Toronto.
