Adam R. Little
Adam Little earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto in 1996. He graduated from Queen’s University Faculty of Law in 2000 and was called to the bar in 2002. Adam was practicing on Bay Street for a leading Toronto litigation firm that represented doctors in medical malpractice claims when he realized that helping people through personal injury litigation was what he wanted to do. “I wanted to work for the best,” he said. A partner at Oatley Vigmond had written the best-known book available about addressing jury trials, which Adam had read and admired. He wrote to the partner, went through an intense interview process and became a partner at the firm in 2005.
“There is a real drive at Oatley Vigmond for quality,” Adam says. “Not just in outcomes, but in a quality of representation, and a quality of evidence that I do not see anywhere else.”
Having spent the early days of his career representing physicians, Adam gained valuable insight into how Canadian doctors are defended by their professional association. He now uses that knowledge to advocate for those who have been injured due to medical negligence. He also specializes in advocating for those suffering due to a motor vehicle accident, an occupiers’ liability claim, or other insurance disputes.
Always prepared to take his client’s case as far as required, Adam has practical experience before all levels of the court. One of his best-known cases is Vokes Estate v. Palmer, which saw Adam representing the family of a 30-year-old mother of two. She and her unborn child died in a motor-vehicle collision in Owen Sound when a vehicle going 110 km/h in a 50 km/h zone collided with her car. The decision set a new precedent in the province for claims made on behalf of children who have lost a parent in a motor vehicle collision.
Adam speaks regularly at law conferences around the country. He co-authored The Personal Injury Practice Manual, and co-wrote chapters of The Oatley-McLeish Guide to Personal Injury Practice in Motor Vehicle Cases. A past president of the Simcoe County Law Association, Adam has also received the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association’s “Distinguished Service Award” and the prestigious “Dean F. Edgell Award,” presented annually to a lawyer who has promoted the goals of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association through significant contribution and excellence in legal writing, continuing legal education and leadership activities. When Adam isn’t practising personal injury law, he enjoys running, mountain biking, riding his ATV — and doing just about anything outdoors.
Accomplishments
- Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation
- Author of the Personal Injury Practice Manual
- Past President of the Simcoe County Law Association
- Recipient of the Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association Dean F. Edgell Award, 2013
- Recipient of the Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association Distinguished Service Award, 2009
Professional Involvement
Adam has experience before all levels of court in the province, from jury trials in the Superior Court of Justice, to appeals at the Ontario Court of Appeal. In Vokes v. Palmer, Adam established a new high water mark for claims made on behalf of children who have lost a parent. The case remains a leading decision in the Province of Ontario.
Adam is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and a co-author of the chapters dealing with “Catastrophic Impairment” in the well-known Oatley, McLeish Guide to Personal Injury Practice in Motor Vehicle Cases.
