John Stephen Cavanagh

Stephen Cavanagh Steve’s practice focuses on professional liability, insurance and commercial litigation. He has extensive experience in advising both insurers and insureds about coverage issues and has had a number of reported cases in that field. He has also acted as a mediator and as an arbitrator in various types of civil disputes, principally in the areas of insurance and commercial law. As well, he has acted as counsel in disciplinary proceedings. Steve became a Fellow of the American College of Trial lawyers in 2010 and a Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America in 2019. In 2025, he withdrew from both organizations. He has been selected for inclusion among The Best Lawyers in Canada in Insurance Law and Malpractice Law and has has been “Repeatedly Recommended” as a Leading Practitioner in the field of “Litigation-Commercial Insurance” by LEXPERT. In 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2024, Best Lawyers in Canada named Steve the Lawyer of the Year in the area of Insurance Law in Ottawa. From 2007 to 2021, Steve was a member of the Ontario Civil Rules Committee, which is responsible for the Rules of Civil Procedure. In 2013 and again in 2018, he was a member of a subcommittee which made recommendations to the Civil Rules Committee regarding the discount rate for future pecuniary damages (Rule 53.09). He also served as a member of various other subcommittees over his 14-year term on the Rules Committee. In 2020, Steve was invited to serve as a member of the “Civil Working Group”, made up of judges and practitioners from across the province. For five years, Steve was the Ottawa Senior Instructor in Civil Litigation for the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Bar Admission Course. He also taught Insurance Law and Trial Advocacy at uOttawa’s law school for several years. In 2022, Steve became a member of the Bench and Bar Committee in Ottawa.