Headquarters:
1443 Woodroffe Ave., Ottawa, ON K2G 1W1
Year founded:
2004
Number of employees:
42
Phone:
613 233 4529
Email:
info@ahinjurylaw.com
Website:
ahinjurylaw.com
LinkedIn:
ca.linkedin.com/company/auger-hollingsworth
“We hear time and time again from defence counsel and mediators that our lawyers and their files are the most prepared for mediations and pre-trials. That reputation matters when it comes to achieving top settlements”
Brenda Hollingsworth,
Auger Hollingsworth Accident & Injury Lawyers
Richard Auger
Co-founder
Brenda Hollingsworth
Co-founder
Richard Halpern
Senior Counsel
Leadership
Richard Auger is a veteran personal injury lawyer and co-founder of Auger Hollingsworth Accident & Injury Lawyers. Called to the bar in 1997, he built a strong foundation in both criminal and civil litigation before launching the firm in 2004.
Early in his career, Auger gained national recognition through his involvement in high-profile public inquiries, including the Gomery Commission. His practice is defined by a strategic, hands-on approach and a focus on helping clients recover physically, emotionally, and financially.
Co-founder
Richard Auger
Brenda Hollingsworth is a senior litigator and co-founder of Auger Hollingsworth Accident & Injury Lawyers. With nearly three decades of experience, she serves as a respected voice in the legal community.
Hollingsworth has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario and is widely recognized for her advocacy and leadership. She has received numerous honours, including recognition in The Best Lawyers in Canada, and is a frequent media commentator and speaker. She is also an active educator and will serve as president of the Ontario Bar Association in 2027.
Co-founder
Brenda Hollingsworth
Richard Halpern is a senior lawyer acting exclusively for injured people in medical negligence cases, with a special focus on infants injured at or around the time of birth. He is known across Canada for his expertise in birth injury cases.
With more than 30 years of experience representing seriously injured people, Halpern has a detailed understanding of the highly technical medical issues, particularly relating to birth injury cases. His experience allows him to provide meaningful advice and direction to families considering a medical negligence lawsuit following a review of the medical records.
Halpern is known for tackling some of the most complex and challenging medical malpractice cases. He has lectured and written extensively on matters concerned with obstetrics, causes of newborn injuries, medical malpractice cases more generally, and legal and trial strategies. He has delivered more than 90 presentations to professional groups, including lawyers and health care providers.
Senior Counsel
Richard Halpern
Simona Jellinek
Senior Counsel
Simona Jellinek leads the sexual abuse and assault team as counsel. She has more than 25 years of experience in representing survivors of childhood abuse as well as adult assaults.
Jellinek has litigated against religious institutions, Childrens’ Aid Societies, all levels of government, Big Brothers, Scouts, school boards, and many other institutions where people are placed in harm’s way. She has litigated hundreds of cases and has helped her clients achieve some of the highest settlements for sexual abuse cases in Canada.
Jellinek is one of Canada’s most experienced and successful lawyers in the complex and unique area of sexual abuse and assault litigation. Her experience in the area allows her to provide effective legal advice with knowledge and compassion. She has dedicated her life to helping survivors of sexual trauma in their journey towards healing.
Senior Counsel
Simona Jellinek
M. Steve Rastin
Senior Counsel
Steve Rastin is a senior counsel who represents seriously injured and wronged people with a focus on motor vehicle litigation, disability law, medical negligence and birth trauma cases, and class action/mass tort proceedings. He has close to 30 years of experience and has argued cases for clients in the Superior Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.
In 2021, he joined Gluckstein Lawyers to lead the Rastin Gluckstein offices in central Ontario and to assist with complex litigation, serious medical negligence, and class action/mass tort litigation. Rastin also acts as trial counsel for Gluckstein in cases across Ontario. He has acted as lead counsel in hundreds of serious injury cases and has obtained multimillion-dollar recoveries.
Rastin is dedicated to helping injured victims recover after suffering an injury and is an advocate for his clients, and takes the time to listen to their concerns.
Senior Counsel
M. Steve Rastin
Trial preparation starts early at Auger Hollingsworth Accident & Injury Lawyers, with files built to a level that carries into mediation and pre-trial. The firm has been named one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top Personal Injury Boutiques 2026 and is known among defence counsel and mediators for the level of preparation behind its files.
That model reflects the influence of its founders, Richard Auger and Brenda Hollingsworth, who established the firm in 2005 after working in national firms. From the outset, they set a level of legal expertise and service that mirrors what institutional clients receive, applying it to individuals pursuing personal injury claims. The firm’s operations are structured around a defined set of core values that guide both legal work and client service.
“We hear time and time again from defence counsel and mediators that our lawyers and their files are the most prepared for mediations and pre-trials,” says Hollingsworth, co-founding partner. “That reputation matters when it comes to achieving top settlements.”
Liability and damages are developed to the point where missing evidence does not lead to discounts at settlement. Each case is built with the materials required to support its position, with preparation carried through each stage of the process.
That discipline is supported by structured training and development. Lawyers and staff receive daily technical updates, along with regular firm-wide sessions that review strategy and file progression. A dedicated internal program also examines each stage of a case, from intake to trial, with a focus on strengthening execution and improving client experience.
“It’s hard to be strategic or proactive without strong technical skills,” Hollingsworth says. “We work hard to ensure our team members have both.”
Client service is built with the same level of attention. The firm has developed a system of educational materials to guide clients through each stage of litigation, including a 240-page book and step-by-step audio explanations. The aim is to reduce uncertainty while ensuring clients understand the process and can focus on recovery.
“We have created an entire system of educational materials to accompany our clients as their cases advance. Working to minimize the stress and uncertainty caused by litigation allows clients to focus on the hard work of rehab and adaptation”
Brenda Hollingsworth,
Auger Hollingsworth Accident & Injury Lawyers
David Lackman
Senior Counsel
Jonathan Burton
Senior Associate
Erin Ellis
Senior Associate
Liane Brown
Partner
David Lackman graduated with honours from Montreal’s McGill University in 1978. Thereafter, he received his Juris Doctorate degree, cum laude, from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles.
In 1982, he was admitted by the Supreme Court of California to practice as an attorney and counsellor-at-law in the state’s courts. He was admitted by the Law Society of Ontario as a barrister, solicitor and notary public in 1985.
Lackman’s litigation practice now extends over 35 years, encompassing serious and complex personal injury and disability claims, and wrongful death claims. He has achieved outstanding results against some of the country’s largest corporations, including railway operators.
Senior Counsel
David Lackman
Jonathan Burton is a senior associate at Gluckstein Lawyers, a prominent personal injury law firm based in Toronto. With over 18 years of experience, he has established himself as a knowledgeable, compassionate, and dedicated personal injury lawyer.
Burton joined the firm in 2005 and has since been instrumental in providing expert legal representation to clients seeking justice for their injuries. His broad expertise and commitment to his clients make him an invaluable member of the Gluckstein Lawyers team.
Senior Associate
Jonathan Burton
Erin Ellis has over a decade of experience and a proven track record of success advocating for survivors of both recent and historical sexual and physical abuse. She represents plaintiffs from across Canada, demanding acknowledgment and compensation for the harms perpetrated or facilitated by individuals and institutions, including abuse by teachers, coaches, relatives, foster parents, doctors, and clergy.
Ellis has a deep understanding of civil abuse litigation. Her extensive experience allows her to work effectively with her clients to determine the best approach for each individual case. She is passionate about representing survivors and uses compassion, dedication, and strong advocacy skills to assist her clients.
Senior Associate
Erin Ellis
Liane Brown is committed to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries and to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Her practice concentrates on personal injury law, including accident benefits, motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, occupiers’ liability, product liability and wrongful death cases.
Partner
Liane Brown
One of its crucial strategies has been consistently driving the litigation process promptly and efficiently. In doing so, clients have come to expect a clear pathway to successfully resolving their cases, substantially reducing the strains and stresses of litigation.
“Our extensive experience in the field allows us to provide these services with skill and ability, no matter how complex the medical, legal, and insurance issues are,” notes Bogoroch.
From celebrating special occasions, hosting guest speakers, conducting town halls, and mentoring young lawyers and co-op students, its culture exemplifies an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
Superior client service has propelled the firm’s growth and recognition within the legal community and with the public. Client testimonials attest powerfully to the mutual respect and trust the firm has built and aims to build with each new client.
Client empowerment is paramount at the firm, along with distinguishing factors such as trial experience, knowledge of the law, and compassion. The firm’s longstanding reputation as trial lawyers is matched only by its commitment to fostering a trusted lawyer-client relationship based on respect, open communication, and understanding.
“Our onboarding process provides constant and continued communication with our clients, ensuring that they are involved and informed throughout the litigation process,” Bogoroch adds. “It is a core principle that clients are entitled to straightforward, direct, effective, and practical legal advice.”
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Through its unwavering focus on employee engagement, Accolade strives to create a welcoming and diverse environment where talent is excited to come to work every day.
· serious injury claims
· medical malpractice claims
· long-term disability denials
· slip-and-fall accidents
· Day-to-day Shout-outs – to award outstanding work, employees can exchange earned points for gift vouchers of up to $150
· Quarterly Stars Award – employees demonstrating core values have the chance to win $500
· Annual Hero’s Celebration – manager-nominated and peer-voted awards where outstanding employees earn a $5,000 bonus
Ben Irantalab
Partner
Ben Irantalab enjoys the complexities of personal injury litigation. His practice is exclusively devoted to representing clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. For him, the cases that require special creativity and thinking outside the box are the most gratifying.
Partner
Ben Irantalab
“We have created an entire system of educational materials to accompany our clients as their cases advance,” Hollingsworth says. “Working to minimize the stress and uncertainty caused by litigation allows clients to focus on the hard work of rehab and adaptation.”
That emphasis on communication has contributed to a referral base that includes lawyers, paralegals, medical professionals, and former clients. Ongoing engagement, including direct feedback channels, informs adjustments to service delivery and supports long-term relationships.
In recent years, the firm has maintained a largely virtual structure, allowing it to recruit talent from across the province. That flexibility has expanded its reach while supporting consistent performance across files.
The firm also contributes to the development of personal injury law, including work relating to expert evidence, winter maintenance, and accident benefits. Its lawyers are regularly asked to write, speak, and present on these issues.
Recognition reflects that work. The firm is a three-time recipient of the Consumer Choice Award for Personal Injury Law in Ottawa from 2024 to 2026 and is included in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms in Canada for personal injury litigation. Hollingsworth has also been recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2026 for personal injury litigation.
After more than two decades, the firm continues to build its practice around preparation, technical execution, and client understanding.
Award Winner
AUGER HOLLINGSWORTH ACCIDENT & INJURY LAWYERS