What kind of legal work does ZTGH handle?

ZTGH focuses on insurance defence litigation, covering accident benefits, coverage disputes, and catastrophic loss claims, along with appeals, alternative dispute resolution, estate litigation, class actions, and health law matters for regulated professionals and institutions.

What is an insurance umpire and does ZTGH handle that process?

An insurance umpire hearing is an appraisal process required by the Statutory Conditions in every Ontario property insurance policy when the value of a loss is disputed. ZTGH's insurance umpire practice handles this process, which is typically resolved within a few weeks and can be conducted virtually.

Does ZTGH offer articling or summer student positions?

Yes. The firm runs an articling and summer program that gives students direct file responsibility and court appearances from early on, rather than a strict hierarchy of assignments.

Where is ZTGH located and how do I contact the firm?

ZTGH's office is at 480 University Avenue, Suite 900, Toronto, ON M5G 1V2. The firm can be reached at 416-777-2811.

Zarek Taylor Grossman Hanrahan LLP

About Zarek Taylor Grossman Hanrahan LLP

Zarek Taylor Grossman Hanrahan LLP (ZTGH) is a Toronto insurance defence firm founded in 1997 by four lawyers, David Zarek, Michael Taylor, Eric Grossman, and Thomas Hanrahan, who had each built their insurance defence experience at other firms before going into practice together. The firm says it has grown from those four founders to more than 40 lawyers, working out of a single office at 480 University Avenue in downtown Toronto.

The firm's work centres on insurance litigation, including accident benefits, coverage disputes, and catastrophic loss claims, alongside appellate work, alternative dispute resolution, estate litigation, and class actions. A health law group represents nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors, as well as institutional clients such as hospitals and long term care facilities, in professional liability matters. ZTGH also runs an insurance umpire practice, handling the appraisal process that Ontario's Statutory Conditions require when an insurer and a policyholder can't agree on the value of a property loss, a hearing that's typically resolved within a few weeks and can now be conducted virtually.

The firm describes its approach to estate disputes plainly: clients pay to end a dispute, not prolong it. ZTGH also runs an articling and summer program built around early file responsibility and court appearances, and its lawyers regularly publish commentary on insurance and accident benefits decisions on the firm's website.

Practice areas

Insurance Law

Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Wills, Estates & Trusts

Class Actions

Health Law

Administrative & Regulatory Law

Milestones & recognition

Founded in 1997 by David Zarek, Michael Taylor, Eric Grossman, and Thomas Hanrahan, who had each developed their insurance defence experience at other firms before establishing the practice together.
The firm's lawyers have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada and Best Law Firms rankings for insurance law and personal injury litigation.
The catastrophic loss group has worked on claims since Ontario's catastrophic impairment provisions in the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule took effect in 1996, and its lawyers have published articles on the catastrophic threshold that have been referenced by the Divisional Court in a leading case interpreting the threshold.

In the community

A Diversity and Inclusion Committee advises firm leadership on recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement, and works to build diversity awareness both inside the firm and with clients.
The firm has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions based on science based targets.
ZTGH's articling and summer program gives students direct file responsibility, court appearances, and access to mentorship from lawyers at every level, treating articling as the first year of practice rather than the fourth year of law school.
The firm's lawyers publish regular case commentary on insurance, accident benefits, and coverage decisions on the firm's website.

Good to know

Wheelchair accessible

Lawyers 19

Certified Specialists

A designation granted by the Law Society of Ontario, not a self-declared area of focus.

Eric K. GrossmanCivil Litigation, Law Society of Upper Canada (since 1999)

This firm’s lawyers at a glance

Called to the bar: 1984–2013 · median 20 years in practice 13 of 19 lawyers
Law schools: Osgoode Hall Law School (3), Queen's University (2), Western University (2), Case Western Reserve University, Dalhousie University, New York Law School and 2 more 12 of 19 lawyers

Who handles what

The neighbourhood

ZTGH's office is in the tower at 480 University Avenue, built in 1968 as an 18 storey office building known as Global House and designed by WZMH Architects. The building was later substantially redeveloped, adding 37 residential floors above the original office levels while keeping more than half the building in office use, so the firm now works out of an office tower that shares its address with hundreds of condominium units.

University Avenue is one of Toronto's civic and institutional corridors, running past Osgoode Hall and the Toronto courthouse on its way north to the cluster of teaching hospitals known as Hospital Row, including Toronto General, Mount Sinai, and Princess Margaret. For a firm whose work runs through insurance litigation, catastrophic loss claims, and health law for hospitals and regulated health professionals, an office positioned between the courts and the hospitals it works alongside fits the practice.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of legal work does ZTGH handle?: ZTGH focuses on insurance defence litigation, covering accident benefits, coverage disputes, and catastrophic loss claims, along with appeals, alternative dispute resolution, estate litigation, class actions, and health law matters for regulated professionals and institutions.
Does ZTGH represent healthcare professionals facing a liability claim?: Yes. The firm's health law group represents nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors, as well as hospitals and long term care facilities, in professional liability matters.
What is an insurance umpire and does ZTGH handle that process?: An insurance umpire hearing is an appraisal process required by the Statutory Conditions in every Ontario property insurance policy when the value of a loss is disputed. ZTGH's insurance umpire practice handles this process, which is typically resolved within a few weeks and can be conducted virtually.
How long has ZTGH been practising in Toronto?: ZTGH was founded in 1997 by four lawyers, David Zarek, Michael Taylor, Eric Grossman, and Thomas Hanrahan, and says it has grown to more than 40 lawyers since then.
Does ZTGH offer articling or summer student positions?: Yes. The firm runs an articling and summer program that gives students direct file responsibility and court appearances from early on, rather than a strict hierarchy of assignments.
Where is ZTGH located and how do I contact the firm?: ZTGH's office is at 480 University Avenue, Suite 900, Toronto, ON M5G 1V2. The firm can be reached at 416-777-2811.

Where to find them

480 University Ave, Suite 900, Toronto, ON M5G 1V2 · 416-777-2811

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Listing compiled from the firm’s public website in September 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗