From the track to the courtroom
Before the starting gun fires, the race is already decided. That’s what competing as an NCAA Division I track athlete taught Gavin Cosgrove, who since 2024 has been recognized as one of Eastern Ontario’s top personal injury lawyers and a partner at Bergeron Clifford LLP.
Cosgrove’s experience competing at a high level taught him discipline, resilience, and how to perform under pressure. These lessons still resonate with him today and apply to personal injury litigation as much as they did on the track.
“I learned that success comes from preparation long before race day, and setbacks are inevitable; what matters most is how you respond,” Cosgrove says. “Every file requires preparation, persistence, and the ability to adapt. It reinforces that success is a team effort – and that’s how we practise law at Bergeron Clifford.”
The road to Bergeron Clifford Injury Lawyers After law school, Cosgrove was eager to use his degree in an area where he could make a real difference in people’s lives. Personal injury law fit that mandate.
“Our clients don’t come to us on their best day,” he notes, adding that they cross the threshold in crisis, carrying pain, uncertainty, and financial stress and battling a claims system that often feels deliberately designed to outlast them.
“Helping them through the process is incredibly rewarding,” Cosgrove says.
Cosgrove joined Bergeron Clifford Injury Lawyers as a first-year associate in 2009. The firm, founded in Kingston a decade prior by Chris Clifford and Ted Bergeron, was made up of just three lawyers at that point. He’s never left, attributing his loyalty to the firm’s client-first philosophy, the culture and the people, and its overarching commitment to doing excellent work.
Learning alongside those veteran founding partners shaped the lawyer and leader he’s become. Cosgrove describes the mentors he’s had over the years as outstanding and describes himself as someone who intentionally stays curious and believes in leading by example.
“I want people to know they can rely on me, whether that’s a client or a colleague,” he says. “We all know the best results come from collaboration, mutual respect, and preparing together.”
“We combine regional reach with personal service, and we’re proud of it,” Cosgrove states.
The latest challenge: Ontario’s auto insurance reform Personal injury law is an area of practice marked by regular changes to legislation, regulations, insurance coverage, and the claims process. When the rules shift – as they did most recently on July 1, 2026, when Ontario’s Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) was overhauled under Ontario Regulation 383/24 – the lawyers serving injured Ontarians must quickly adapt to continue delivering top-tier service.
For Bergeron Clifford Injury Lawyers, that means more than working on the files in front of them. It also includes helping people understand what the reform means for them, well before an accident occurs.
The SABS changes are material. Most of the benefits built into every Ontario auto insurance policy for decades, such as income replacement, caregiver expenses, and death and funeral benefits, are no longer automatic. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, only medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care benefits remain mandatory. Everything else is now optional coverage that consumers must actively choose and pay higher premiums for. For personal injury lawyers around the province, alarm bells are ringing.
“Many people assume that they have more protection than they actually do through their policies,” Cosgrove says. “Reduced mandatory benefits mean individuals may face larger gaps after, especially, a serious collision. The reforms place greater responsibility on consumers to review their policies carefully. Education has never been more important.”
Cosgrove urges people to review their existing policies before renewal and speak to a broker about optional benefits. Now is not the time to assume anything about coverage, he stresses, adding that “spending a little bit more time today can make an enormous difference after a catastrophic injury.”
“Hopefully, you’ll never need that coverage. But if you do, you’ll be very glad you have it.”
‘Trial-level preparation, regardless’ The cornerstone of Bergeron Clifford Injury Lawyers’ practice dovetails with Cosgrove’s early learnings as an athlete: prepare, prepare, prepare. Knowing that most cases settle, it’s critical to fully investigate the facts and thoroughly grasp not just the strengths of a case but also its weaknesses.
A demonstrated capability to take the fight as far as it needs to go also moves the needle: when the other side knows you’re prepared to take a case to trial, it often leads to a more meaningful settlement.
“Our clients benefit from what we call trial-level preparation regardless,” Cosgrove says. “Our goal is always to achieve the best possible outcome, whether that’s in the courtroom or across the negotiating table.”
Cosgrove is adamant that what separates the good from the great is the preparation that ensures nothing is left to chance. That consistency, he suggests, is what ultimately builds a firm’s reputation.
The big wins aren’t the Best Lawyers rankings or the Litigation Counsel of America fellowship. While grateful for the recognition, which is reflective of the entire firm’s hard work, “awards aren’t something we chase,” he states. The point of it all is the feedback they get from the people behind the files.
“The greatest measure of success is when a client comes to us and says: ‘You helped me through a very difficult time,’” he says. “That’s what continues to motivate me.”
Spotlight
All we do is injury law – and we’ve been doing it since 1999. Our focused approach allows us to develop expertise and gather resources to secure favourable outcomes for our clients. By concentrating exclusively on personal injury cases, we ensure our clients receive knowledgeable, effective representation tailored to their unique needs.
Company Profile
1983
YEAR FOUNDED
100
MANPOWER
43%
PROPORTION OF WOMEN AMONG FUNDSERV EMPLOYEES
60%
PROPORTION OF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
63,514,128
NUMBER OF ORDERS PROCESSED IN 2019
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Fast Facts
Cosgrove is an identical twin
Gavin Cosgrove
Partner at Bergeron Clifford LLP
When Gavin Cosgrove joined Bergeron Clifford LLP as a first-year associate in 2009, he brought a philosophy forged in NCAA track athletics. That approach found a home with like-minded
lawyers, and it still drives one of Eastern
Ontario’s most respected personal
injury practices
Read on
“I learned that success comes from preparation long before race day and setbacks are inevitable; what matters most is how you respond”
Gavin Cosgrove,
Bergeron Clifford LLP
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IN Partnership with
2008
2009
2019
2019
2024
2025
Graduated from the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law
2008
Called to the Ontario bar and joined Bergeron Clifford LLP as an associate
2009
Became partner at Bergeron Clifford LLP
2019
Earned Certified Specialist designation in Civil Litigation from the Law Society of Ontario
2019
Recognized in Best Lawyers for Personal Injury Litigation
2024
Inducted as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America
2025
Milestones
Published September 28, 2026
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He ran NCAA D-I track at Manhattan College in the Bronx, NY
He is a father of two sports-obsessed boys
“Our clients benefit from what we call trial-level preparation regardless. Our goal is always to achieve the best possible outcome, whether that’s in the courtroom or across the negotiating table”
Gavin Cosgrove,
Bergeron Clifford LLP
Media
Five offices, one philosophy From its roots as a much smaller firm, Bergeron Clifford Injury Lawyers has grown into a five-office operation spanning Kingston, Ottawa, Perth, Carleton Place, and Pembroke. With a reach that now covers communities right across Eastern Ontario, it’s an intentional geographic footprint.
“We’re part of these communities,” Cosgrove says. “Our lawyers live here, we raise families here, and we understand the people we represent.”
Being close to clients during some of the hardest periods of their lives is a major benefit. The firm can build sustained relationships with local healthcare providers, rehabilitation professionals, and other legal communities in the region, allowing for greater support for injured parties long after the initial claim.