Headquarters:

595 Bay Street Unit 301, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C2

Year founded:

1962

Number of partners and employees:

Phone:

416 408 4252

Email:

info@gluckstein.com

Website:

gluckstein.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/gluckstein-personal-injury-lawyers

“Our track record of successful outcomes speaks to our commitment to fighting tirelessly for clients’ rights and promoting their well-being”

Mathieu Picard, Fidelis Law Droit

GLUCKSTEIN LAWYERS

Charles Gluckstein

Managing Partner

Richard Halpern

Senior Counsel

M. Steven Rastin

Senior Counsel

Leadership

Charles Gluckstein, managing partner at Gluckstein Lawyers, is a recognized leader in personal injury law and a specialist in civil litigation. Called to the Ontario Bar in 1999, his expertise spans medical and professional negligence, motor vehicle claims, occupier’s liability, and product liability. Gluckstein is celebrated for his innovative use of legal technology to provide efficient, client-focused services while maintaining the highest standard of care. Deeply committed to the medical and disability communities, he strives to restore dignity and lifestyle for his clients, guiding them through recovery with compassion, integrity, and accountability. His leadership embodies excellence and full-circle care.

Managing Partner

Charles Gluckstein

Richard Halpern is a senior lawyer with over 30 years of experience, exclusively representing injured individuals in medical negligence cases, with a particular focus on infants injured at or around birth. Renowned across Canada for his expertise in birth injury cases, Halpern offers families insightful advice following a detailed review of medical records. His deep understanding of complex medical issues allows him to tackle the most challenging malpractice cases. A prolific writer and speaker, he has delivered over 90 presentations on obstetrics, newborn injuries, and trial strategies. Halpern’s distinguished career has earned him numerous accolades and recognition in legal directories.

Senior Counsel

Richard Halpern

Steve Rastin is a senior counsel with nearly 30 years of experience advocating for seriously injured clients and those seeking justice. Specializing in personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, disability law, medical negligence, and class action/mass tort cases, Rastin has argued at all levels of the court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Since joining Gluckstein Lawyers in 2021, he has led Rastin Gluckstein offices in central Ontario and serves as trial counsel across the province. An award-winning lawyer, he has achieved precedent-setting decisions and multimillion-dollar recoveries, while also dedicating his time to advancing legal education nationwide.

Senior Counsel

M. Steven Rastin

David Lackman

Senior Counsel

David Lackman graduated with honours from McGill University in 1978 and earned his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. Admitted to the California Bar in 1982 and the Law Society of Ontario in 1985, Lackman has over 40 years of legal expertise. Lackman’s practice focuses on complex personal injury, long-term disability, wrongful death claims, and criminal injury compensation. Known for achieving outstanding results, he has taken on some of the nation’s largest corporations, including railway operators, earning a reputation as a highly skilled litigator in high-stakes cases.

Senior Counsel

David Lackman

Simona Jellinek

Senior Counsel

Simona Jellinek leads the sexual abuse and assault team with over 25 years of experience representing survivors of childhood abuse and adult assaults. She has successfully litigated against various institutions, including religious organizations, government bodies, school boards, and children’s aid societies. Jellinek has helped clients secure some of the highest settlements in sexual abuse cases in Canada, combining extensive legal knowledge with empathy and compassion. She has been instrumental in legislative changes such as removing limitation periods for abuse cases and protecting ODSP benefits for survivors. Jellinek is dedicated to guiding survivors on their path to justice and healing.

Senior Counsel

Simona Jellinek

For over 60 years, Gluckstein Lawyers has remained steadfast in our mission to prioritize our clients’ needs. The firm understands that its personal injury clients often face life’s most challenging moments, marked by fear, anger, and overwhelm. In these difficult times, the team of experienced and compassionate lawyers is dedicated to guiding and empowering clients to rediscover their best selves after experiencing a catastrophic injury. Gluckstein Lawyers pride themselves on being more than just legal representatives; they walk alongside clients as their advocates throughout their legal journeys and beyond, truly exemplifying their commitment to full-circle care. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 10 Personal Injury Firms, the award-winning team is known for handling complex cases with trusted expertise and a trauma-informed approach. Through strategic partnerships with experienced personal injury lawyers across Ontario, the firm has grown, enabling its lawyers to bring extensive experience to a wide variety of cases, including motor vehicle accidents, birth injuries, sexual abuse, class actions, medical malpractice, and long-term disability claims. Gluckstein Lawyers’ dedication to excellence and advocacy extends well beyond the courtroom. They understand that personal injury cases are about more than just financial compensation – they are about fostering accountability and driving positive change in their communities.

“It’s more than just ensuring full financial compensation; we tirelessly strive to secure the treatment [our clients] require to recover from their injuries”

Mathieu Picard, Fidelis Law Droit

Jonathan Burton

Senior Litigation Lawyer

Pinta Maguire

Senior Counsel

Erin Ellis

Senior Associate

Liane Brown

Partner

Jonathan Burton is a senior litigation lawyer at Gluckstein Lawyers, with over 18 years of experience in personal injury law. He specializes in insurance litigation, including personal injury, disability claims, occupier’s liability, medical malpractice, and product liability. After earning his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario in 2006, Burton joined the firm as an articling student and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2007. Known for his compassion and dedication, he is committed to helping injured individuals and their families while delivering expert legal representation and exceptional client care.

Senior Litigation Lawyer

Jonathan Burton

Pinta Maguire is an experienced trial lawyer specializing in medical negligence. She advocates for plaintiffs facing birth injuries, surgical errors, and catastrophic brain injuries. Having previously served as defense counsel for physicians, Maguire leverages this unique dual perspective to strengthen her advocacy for injured patients in civil and regulatory proceedings. She also acts as counsel on select plaintiff-side class actions targeting systemic wrongdoing.

Senior Counsel

Pinta Maguire

Erin Ellis has over a decade of experience advocating for survivors of sexual and physical abuse, both recent and historical. She represents clients across Canada, seeking recognition and compensation for harm caused or enabled by individuals and institutions, including teachers, coaches, clergy, foster parents, and more. Ellis earned her Bachelor of Science from Cornell University (2003) and her law degree from Queen’s University (2007), joining the Ontario Bar in 2008. With a deep understanding of civil abuse litigation, she is highly compassionate and dedicated, providing client-centered representation and leveraging her expertise to support survivors with determination and care.

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

Since the firm’s founding in 2014, the partners have built a robust network of relationships within the legal profession and beyond. Its lawyers are also instrumental in building trust within the legal community and nurturing strong relationships with healthcare providers in their clients’ best interests. The firm’s all-encompassing approach differentiates it as among the best nationwide. Canadian Lawyer recognized it as a Top Personal Injury Boutique of 2024. “Ultimately, we want our clients to feel satisfied with the outcome of their legal case and the support provided along the way,” Picard says. “It’s more than just ensuring full financial compensation; we tirelessly strive to secure the treatment they require to recover from their injuries.” That philosophy extends to their involvement in the legal community, where the firm’s lawyers participate in professional associations, present their research at industry conferences, contribute to analysis and legal system improvements, and advocate for change in the laws and regulations that promote road safety and protect the rights of accident victims. The firm also stands as an industry leader for successfully transitioning its practice to thrive in a remote workforce environment and electronically executing legal documents and procedures. “This proactive and forward-thinking mindset allows us to quickly identify creative solutions to legal challenges, potentially resolving issues more efficiently and cost-effectively for our clients,” adds Picard.

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Award Winner

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

https://www.gluckstein.com/long-term-disability-lawyers