Profile Summary
About John A. Olah at a glance
John A. Olah is a personal injury and insurance attorney based in Toronto, Ontario, practicing at Beard Winter LLP. Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Insurance Law (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Personal Injury Litigation (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Special Focus: (2026). Serands clients in Toronto, ON and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- John A. Olah practises Civil Litigation
- He specializes in complex tort litigation ranging from cases involving product liability, a wide variety of sports cases and the liability of hotels, resorts and bars
- He is involved in private international law cases, complex environmental law litigation as well as business litigation matters
- John is the recipient of the 2020 Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in Insurance Law
- John has appeared at all levels of courts, often appears at the Court of Appeal for the Province of Ontario and has argued several cases before the Supreme Court of Canada
- John was counsel at the Royal Commission into certain deaths at the Hospital for Sick Children where he acted for one of the members of the nursing team under suspension
- He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Association of Ski Defense Attorneys, the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA) (by invitation) and the International Association of Defense Counsel (by invitation)
- John served as Chairman of the Criminal Justice Section (Ontario), as Secretary-Treasurer of the Legal Education Section (Ontario) of the Canadian Bar Association, and served as Co-Chairman of the Annual Advocacy Symposium presented by the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario) and the Law Society of Upper Canada
- He was a member of the Constitutional Initiatives Committee of the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario)
- He is also a past director of the Advocates’ Society and served on the Council of the Medico-Legal Society
- He is a former Director of the Association of Ski Defense Attorneys
- John is the author of a number of articles on civil litigation and criminal law
- He has lectured extensively across Canada and in the United States on trial advocacy
- He was a guest instructor and demonstrator in advocacy at the Intensive Advocacy Programme for trial lawyers at Osgoode Hall Law School
- He also taught advocacy at Osgoode Hall Law School
- He is the author of “The Art and Science of Advocacy”, a two-volume textbook for lawyers on trial tactics and trial procedure
- John has been counsel to the Ontario Snow Resorts Association for over 20 years
- He is also counsel to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs
- He has and continues to act for a number of snow resorts across Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces
- He also has and continues to act for a number of resorts and hotels across Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico
- Mr. Olah has argued some of the leading cases in this area including Cejvan v
- Blue Mountain in which a lift ticket waiver defence was accepted for the first time in Ontario
- John was counsel for the defendant resort in the Van Breda case decided by the Supreme Court of Canada as to when a Canadian court can take jurisdiction over a tort occurring abroad
- He was also counsel in Blue Mountain v
- Ministry of Labour in the Ontario Court of Appeal as to the reach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the province of Ontario
- More recently he was successful on appeal in the case of Ziebenhaus v
- Mount St. Louis as to the right of the defence to have non-medical examinations based on the court’s inherent jurisdiction powers
- As well, John acted for the Canadian Defence Lawyers Association in the closely watched cases recently decided by the Ontario Court of Appeal in Moore v
- Getahun, Westerhof v
- Gee Estate and Groia v
- The Law Society of Upper Canada
Practice Areas Explained
John A. Olah's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases John A. Olah handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Personal injury attorneys help accident victims recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain & suffering. Most work on contingency — no fee unless you win.
John A. Olah is one of 264,852 personal injury attorneys indexed nationally. Browse personal injury attorneys in Ontario →
Insurance attorneys for coverage disputes, bad faith claims, denied claims, and policy disputes.
John A. Olah is one of 121,912 insurance attorneys indexed nationally. Browse insurance attorneys in Ontario →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in Ontario
Practicing law in Ontario. Legal matters in Ontario are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Toronto are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate Ontario state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in Ontario brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in Ontario courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional Ontario attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Toronto or all attorneys in Ontario.
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