Background
Bruce Churchill-Smith is a partner at our Calgary office. Mr. Churchill-Smith was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1982 and received his LLB from the Faculty of Law of the University of Calgary in 1981. Mr. Churchill-Smith is the Regional Leader of the Insurance and Tort Liability Practice Group.
Areas of Practice
- Mr. Churchill-Smith practices primarily in the areas of Insurance, Products Liability, Transportation, Oil and Gas Litigation and Municipal and Police liability.
Professional Experience
- Mr. Churchill-Smith's background includes:
- Appearances before the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta, the Alberta and British Columbia Courts of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Yukon and the Federal Court of Canada
- Representing a number of property and casualty insurers and his insurance litigation practice includes professional liability and coverage disputes
- Representing many manufacturers on product liability claims including in the oil and gas sector, as well as food contamination, medical devices, drugs and sports related equipment.
- Representing oil and gas companies with a focus on oil and gas insurance matters. His experience includes provision of coverage opinions on energy, comprehensive general liability, and pollution/environmental policies.
- Bruce has completed his Advanced Mediation Civil Litigation, through The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia and has acted as a mediator in a number of mediations.
Professional Activities
- Member, Canadian Defence Lawyers' Association (CDL)
- Member and on Board of Directors of Canadian Transport Lawyers Association and member of Transport Lawyers Association
- Firm Member Representative for ALFA International
- Member, ALFA Products Liability Practice Group and ALFA Transportation Practice Group
- Member, Federation of Defence & Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
- Member, Association of Defense and Trial Attorneys (ADTA)
- Member, Defence Research Institute (D.R.I.)
- Member, Trucking Insurance Defense Association (TIDA)
- Member, Alberta Arbitration & Mediation Society
- Member, Canadian Bar Association, Civil Litigation, Labour & Employment, Alternate Dispute Resolution Subsections
- Member, Professional Responsibility - Code Subcommittee, The Law Society of Alberta
- Practice Assessor, The Law Society of Alberta
- Member, Pro Bono Initiative, The Law Society of Alberta
- Chair, Volunteer Lawyers Service
- Member, Canadian Bar Association Mentor Program
Presentations, Papers and Publications
- Speaker, Products Liability; The Canadian Insurance Claims Manager's Association; October 2007
- Panelist, from “Ashes to the Courtroom”, Fire Investigation Seminar for the Insurance Institute of Southern Alberta, Calgary, Alberta February; 2006
- Speaker, Product, Safety and Liability Conference, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Chicago, Illinois; 2005
- Speaker, Effective Advocacy in Judicial Dispute Resolutions, Legal Education Society of Alberta; 2004
- Speaker, Motor Carrier Liability: A Canadian Perspective, Association of Transportation Law, Logistics & Policy (ATLLP), Jackson Hole, Wyoming; 2004
- Speaker, 4th Annual Insurance Conference; The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia; 2004
- Speaker, Manufacturer's Duty to Warn: A Canadian Perspective; Canadian Defence Lawyers Association; 2003
- Speaker, Mediation, Alberta Association of Insurance Adjusters; 2000
- Manufacturer's Duty to Warn: A Canadian Perspective; Published in the Federation of Defence & Corporate Counsel Quarterly; 2004
- Spoliation Issues in Canada; Product Liability Compendium, ALFA International; 2001
- Wrongful Death; Transportation Law Compendium, ALFA International; 2004
Community Activities
- Member of Board of Directors of Pro Bono Law Alberta (PBLA)
- Past Chair, Forum for Young Albertans and continued as Trustee
- Chair, Alberta Volunteer Lawyers Service
- Member of the Board of Directors of Pro Bono Law Alberta (PBLA)
- Coordinator, Child Advocacy Pro Bono Project; (Joint Initiative) BLG, the Children's Legal Education Resource Centre (CLERC) and Pro Bono Law Alberta (PBLA); October 2007
- Council Member, Foothills Medical Centre Development Council
- Member, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
- Past Member, Board of Directors, Women's Health Development Council
