Roderick S.W. Winsor

Partner
P: 416-593-3971
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  • Called to the Bar of Ontario, 1975
  • LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School, 1973
  • B.A., English and Political Science, Carleton University, 1970
Roderick Winsor Photo ©2024 Blaney McMurtry LLP
 Overview

Roderick Winsor is a senior partner and head of Blaneys' Aviation Law Group. He has concentrated on complex and multi-jurisdictional litigation in Canada and the United States involving aviation and marine, technology, product liability, conspiracy and pollution claims acting for claimants, government, insurers, and business.   

He has been involved in many high profile aviation and marine cases such as claims arising out of:

  • Shooting down of Korean Air Lines 007 by the Soviet Union - acting for the families of all the Canadian victims
  • Air India Flight 182 bombing - appointed by the Ontario Supreme Court as one of four lawyers to act on behalf of all families’ lawyers with respect to liability
  • Air Canada 797 Cincinnati fire - acted for the largest number of claimants including families and survivors
  • Ethiopian Airlines Hijacking
  • Munich Hijacking
  • EgyptAIr Flight 804 crash following fire (bomb alleged but not proven)

Other cases have involved airlines and manufacturers such as:

  • Eastern
  • Lufthansa
  • Air Canada
  • Air Transat
  • Ethiopian Airlines
  • EgyptAir
  • Boeing
  • BahamasAir
  • EagleXpress
  • Airbus
  • Bombardier
  • Hawker Beechcraft
  • Teledyne Continental
  • Rolls Royce
  • Mitsubishi

He has represented families of victims and survivors of various small aircraft crashes. 

Rod acted for an international airline in a year-long trial involving allegations of conspiracies relating to bribes to high government officials.

Recognition has included:

  • “AV” ranking by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest-ranking possible
  • Ranked as a leading litigation lawyer in the 2019 Lexpert Special Edition – Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers
  • In Best Lawyers® in Canada 2020 for Class Action Litigation and Insurance Law
  • Listed in Legal Media Group’s Guide to World’s Leading Insurance & Reinsurance Lawyers (one of 33 peer-selected Canadian lawyers)
  • Recommended in Class Actions and Commercial Insurance by Lexpert

He has also written and lectured widely.  He is the co-author of The Insurance Act of Ontario Annotated, published by Butterworths.  He is the author of Good Faith in Canadian Insurance Law published by Canada Law Book and Implied Obligation of Good Faith in Contract published by Carswell.

He has published over 30 papers relating to topics such as Multi-jurisdictional and Mass Tort Litigation, Class Actions, Crown Duty of Care, Regulatory Negligence, Punitive and Compensatory Damages, and Causation.

Rod is frequently sought out by the media to comment on victim compensation relating to international airline disasters, including most recently:

 Education
  • LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School, 1973
  • B.A., English and Political Science, Carleton University, 1970
 Practice Areas  Called to the Bar
  • Called to the Bar of Ontario, 1975
 Assistant  Experience
  • Completed a year-long trial involving allegations of conspiracies relating to bribes to high government official

  • Handled the defence of a large class action against government brought on behalf of special needs children

  • Acted for the class in a class action against a Crown Corporation which resulted in substantial changes to how customers are charged for parcel shipping in Canada and the amounts paid

  • Resisted the statutory claim by a provincial health insurer to share in the award to a permanently severely injured child against his doctor, contrary to the long established practice

 Recognition

Recognition

  • Ranked as a leading litigation lawyer in the 2023 Lexpert® Special Edition – Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers
  • Ranked as a leading litigation lawyer in the 2021 Lexpert® Special Edition – Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers
  • Recognized in Best Lawyers® in Canada 2025 for Class Action Litigation, Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law
  • Av rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Rated by Lexpert® Canadian Legal Directory as a Leading Practitioner (repeatedly recommended) in Commercial Insurance Litigation
  • Listed in Expert Guides' Guide to the World's Leading Insurance & Reinsurance Lawyers
 Publications  Textbooks

Textbooks

 In the Media

In the Media

 News
 Memberships

Memberships

  • Law Society of Ontario
  • Ontario Bar Association
  • The Advocates’ Society

2023 Lexpert Ranked Firm

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