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 has developed a national reputation for his expertise in birth injury cases, drawing on more than 30 years of experience representing those seriously injured.

Richard’s work is guided by his detailed understanding of medical issues, particularly relating to birth injury cases. This knowledge allows him to provide meaningful advice and direction to families considering a medical negligence lawsuit, even in the most complex and challenging malpractice cases. 

Along with lecturing, Richard has written extensively on obstetrical matters, the cause of newborn injury, and legal and trial strategies for malpractice cases. During the past decade, he has delivered more than 70 presentations to professional groups including a recent paper titled Birth Trauma Litigation: Proving the Cause of Newborn Neurologic Injury.

In 2015, Richard received an Award for Distinguished Service to the legal profession, conferred by his peers at the Ontario Bar Association. He has also been recognized by and listed in The Best Lawyers™ in Canada, along with being included in The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory.

Richard has acted in hundreds of medical malpractice cases, achieving significant settlements for his clients. While many have exceeded $10 million, he cautions that past results are not necessarily indicative of future outcomes. He has appeared in the Superior Court of Ontario and the Ontario Court of Appeal, and has acted in medical malpractice cases in other Canadian provinces.

Richard is currently a member of The Holland Group. Under the leadership of former Ontario Court of Appeal Justice John Laskin, the group promotes reforms in medical malpractice cases aimed at increasing access to justice and timely and equitable resolutions of medical malpractice claims. He is also a member of a bench and bar committee established by the Ontario Court of Justice, which looks at reforms that will improve the administration of justice.

Richard is a past president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association and is a past member of the Judicial Advisory Committee on Judicial Appointments (GTA). This committee evaluated candidates for appointment to the Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal.

In addition to his Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) and Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB), Richard earned a Master’s Degree in Law (LLM) in Civil Litigation at Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a member of the Advocates’ Society, the Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association, the Ontario Bar Association and the American Association of Justice.