Cheryl M. Woodin  

Cheryl Woodin is Regional Co-Leader of the Class Action Group at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. A civil litigator, Cheryl practises in the areas of class actions, municipal liability, products liability, police liability, professional negligence and personal injury. She has extensive experience litigating and resolving multi-party proceedings for large institutional clients. Cheryl's class actions practice includes defence of mass tort claims, products and consumer protection claims. Her municipal liability practice includes defence of personal injury claims, construction disputes, road and parks design, automobile claims, building inspections, and public health and nursing home claims. Her police liability practice includes defence of negligent investigation, false arrest, malicious prosecution, use of force, negligent training and supervision claims. Cheryl also provides insurance coverage advice in respect of liability policies.

Cheryl has appeared at all levels of court. She regularly speaks at legal education and professional development seminars in the areas of civil litigation, class actions, insurance and personal injury. Following law school, Cheryl clerked for Mr. Justice Allen Linden at the Federal Court of Appeal.

• Acting for institutional clients in multiparty class proceedings arising from mass tort and allegations of product failure.
• Acting for municipalities in a wide variety of circumstances, including police liability for negligent investigation, false arrest and malicious prosecution.
• Acting for municipalities with respect to claims of negligent design, construction and maintenance of various municipal structures.
• Acting for product manufacturers in defence of negligent design, manufacturer and consumer protection claims.
• Defence of personal injury claims with a focus on catastrophic injury claims and multiparty liability disputes.
• Providing coverage advice in relation to commercial general liability policies, homeowners' policies, directors' and officers' policies, and professional negligence policies.
• Advising on issues relating to statutory and common law privileges relating to the protection of institutional records.

• Author, “Recent decision underlines risk involved in communicating with class members during opt-out phase,” BLG’s Class Actions Bulletin, November 2012 (with Sean Murtha).
• Author, “California class action against Wal-Mart may have implications for Canadian businesses,” Lexology, October 2012 (with Susan E. Sorensen).
• Author, "The New Canada Consumer Product Safety Act: A Catalyst for Cross-Border Mass Tort Litigation?" BLG's Canadian Insurance Law Newsletter, 2012.
• Author, "The New Canada Consumer Product Safety Act: A Catalyst for Cross-Border Mass Tort Litigation?" American Bar Association, November 2011.
• Author, "Class actions in Canada are on the rise," Canadian Insurance Top Broker, May 2011 (with Tim Buckley and Keith Batten).
• Author, "Insurance Law Update – Tricks of the Trade 2011," The Advocates' Society, January 2011.
• Author, "What Every Leasing Lawyer Should Know About the Occupiers' Liability Act," The Six-Minute Commercial Leasing Lawyer 2011, Law Society of Upper Canada.
• Author, "Catastrophic Injury Claims – 2010 Report," Personal Injury Update, Osgoode Professional Development.
• Author, "Catastrophic Injury Claims – 2009 Report," Personal Injury Update, Osgoode Professional Development.
• Author, Chartered Insurance Professionals Society materials on Directors' and Officers' Liability and Insurance, 2008.
• Author, Case comment "Manitoba Securities Commission v. Crocus Investment Fund," 2008.
• Author, "Tripartite Insurance Relationship," Canadian Insurance Magazine, March 2005.

• Selected by peers for inclusion in 2013 edition (and since 2011) of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Director and Officer Liability).
• Recognized in the 2012 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Personal Injury).
• Recognized as one of Lexpert®'s Rising Stars Leading Lawyers Under 40 in 2009.
• Selected BLG Mentor of the Year, 2008-09.