Smockum Zarnett LLP
9 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 306 handling Personal Injury.
About Smockum Zarnett LLP
Smockum Zarnett LLP is a litigation and insurance defence firm in downtown Toronto. Founding partner D. Keith Smockum was called to the Ontario bar in 1986 and began at Lawson McGrenere LLP, making partner there and then managing partner by 1991, before opening Smockum Zarnett LLP in 2008. The firm has practised litigation and insurance defence for more than 30 years, and its work spans personal injury, life and disability insurance, professional negligence, defence of child protection agencies, and coverage disputes.
Several lawyers at the firm came to law from other careers, including a decade as an Advanced Care Paramedic in the Greater Toronto area and a stint as a liability claims adjuster for a major insurance company. The firm hires articling students most years and has kept many of them on as associates, a practice it calls growing from within. The firm's founding partner received the Ontario Bar Association's 2022 Award of Excellence in Insurance Law and serves as a trustee of the Toronto Lawyers' Association. In January 2026, the firm's greenhouse gas emissions target was approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founding partner D. Keith Smockum was called to the Ontario bar in 1986, made partner and then managing partner at Lawson McGrenere LLP by 1991, and opened Smockum Zarnett LLP in 2008.
- D. Keith Smockum received the Ontario Bar Association's 2022 Award of Excellence in Insurance Law.
- The firm's founding partner has been listed in Best Lawyers in Canada and in Lexpert's Legal Directory.
- D. Keith Smockum serves as a trustee of the Toronto Lawyers' Association.
- In January 2026, the firm's near-term greenhouse gas emissions target was approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.
In the community
- The firm's articling program gives students hands on litigation experience, including drafting and arguing motions, conducting insurance law research, and running Small Claims Court files independently.
- The firm typically takes on two articling students a year and has historically kept most of them on as associates after call.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentLawyers 9
D. Keith Smockum
Founding Partner
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
Elizabeth Scott
Lawyer
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
Emily Lum
Lawyer
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
Jeffrey R. LeRoy
Lawyer
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
Joe Bowcock
Managing Partner
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
Kenneth Wace
Partner
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
Patrick Monaghan
Lawyer
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
Tamara Maurer
Lawyer
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
William Jesseau
Managing Partner
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1985–2015 · median 22 years in practice 8 of 9 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School (3), Dalhousie Law School, University of British Columbia, University of New Brunswick, Faculty of Law, University of Western Ontario, University of Windsor and 1 more 9 of 9 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
The firm's office is in the Thomson Building at 65 Queen Street West, a high rise office tower completed in 1972 in downtown Toronto's financial and civic core. The address sits on Queen Street West near Bay Street, close to Old City Hall at 60 Queen Street West, which faces the present Toronto City Hall across Nathan Phillips Square. It's a civic core address that suits a litigation practice whose lawyers appear at all levels of court and before tribunals across Ontario.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Smockum Zarnett LLP represent people who have been injured, or only insurance companies?
- The firm practises on the defence side. It represents insurers and other defendants in personal injury, motor vehicle tort, occupiers' liability, and related insurance litigation, rather than acting for injured plaintiffs.
- Can Smockum Zarnett LLP defend a children's aid society or other child protection agency?
- Yes. The firm has a dedicated practice defending child protection agencies in litigation, work it describes as often sensitive and requiring particular care.
- Does the firm handle life, disability, or critical illness insurance disputes?
- Yes. Smockum Zarnett LLP defends insurers in first party life, long term disability, and critical illness claims.
- Is the firm's office at 65 Queen Street West wheelchair accessible?
- Yes. The building has automatic door operators and ramp access at two entrances, an accessible ground floor washroom, and elevators with audio and tactile signals, and the firm accommodates service animals.
- Is Smockum Zarnett LLP hiring articling students?
- The firm typically takes on two articling students a year and has historically kept most of them on after call. Applications go to managing partner Joe Bowcock by email, with a copy to Eleni Makris.
- How long has Smockum Zarnett LLP been practising insurance defence law?
- The firm's lawyers have practised litigation and insurance defence for more than 30 years combined. Smockum Zarnett LLP itself was established in 2008 by founding partner D. Keith Smockum, who was called to the Ontario bar in 1986.
Where to find them
65 Queen Street W., Suite 1700, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2M5 · 416-214-9646
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