our Team
John J. Aikins, Hon B.a., J.D.
John Aikins was called to the Ontario bar in 1984. John has been recognized by Lexpert® as a “leading practitioner” in Personal Injury Law, and was selected for inclusion in the seventh edition of Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of Insurance Law. It was recently announced that he has been named in the 14th Edition, for 2020.
He has acted for traumatic injury victims and has conducted the defence of all types of casualty claims, accident benefit, and loss transfer cases, as well as product liability and contractual claims. John has acted in Estate matters and against financial advisors and mutual fund companies.
John has worked on behalf of municipalities and professionals including engineers, chiropractors, veterinarians, brokers and accountants, and has served as lead counsel on jury and non-jury trials in the Superior Court and appeals to the Court of Appeal, as well as hearings before administrative bodies including the Financial Services Commission, the Licence Appeals Tribunal, the Human Rights Commission, the Appeals Tribunal of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and at private arbitrations.
John articled for Justice John Wilkins prior to his appointment to the Superior Court of Justice, in 1982-1983, and then became an employee/partner of of Brown, Forbes, Chochla Burnes and Aikins. He was a founding partner of Forbes Chochla Aikins LLP in 1997, where he managed the firm until he left to form a trial focused firm with Austin Riley in 2012.
He is a member of the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations, the Toronto Lawyers Association, the Canadian Defence Lawyers Association, and is a past Chair of the Insurance Law section of the Ontario Bar Association. In 2010 John served as President of Richmond Hill’s historic Summit Golf and Country Club.
DANIEL EBADY, J.D.
Daniel completed his Juris Doctor at the University of Ottawa. He started his legal career at a litigation firm while he was completing his law degree. He practiced mainly in the areas of corporate, commercial, construction, employment and personal injury.
After law school, he articled at a transactional law firm, where he advised public-sector entities on their procurement obligations, with a specific focus on ensuring compliance with domestic and international trade agreements. He also on a regular basis advised mid-size to larger businesses on commercial and corporate transactions.
After articles, equipped with transactional experience, Daniel continued to practice litigation. As an Associate at Aikins Law, Daniel assists John J. Aikins in the carriage of the firm’s files.
Daniel is a member of the Ontario and Canadian Bar Association, The Advocate’s Society and the Toronto Lawyers Association.
During his spare time, Daniel is either spending time with his family or is trail running.
Margie smith, Law Clerk
Margie Smith is a law clerk with eight years’ experience assisting the lawyers at Aikins Law and before that with Riley + Aikins. She has experience performing internet fact research and analysis for lawyers. She has in-depth knowledge of reviewing, revising and drafting documents such as Affidavits of Documents and pleadings, assisting lawyers with preparation for trials, and preparing trial-related documents such as witness letters, exhibit lists, subpoenas and spreadsheets. She is proficient in electronic file organization.
Margie also manages the operations for the office and is an integral part of what keeps our office running smoothly.
Margie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from York University. She has been a member of the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario for eight years and successfully completed the George Brown law clerk litigation course.
