Our Team
Lawyers
Alan L. Rachlin
Alan Rachlin earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in mineralogy and a Juris Doctor degree, all from the University of Toronto. He was admitted to the Bar in 1987 and since then has divided his time between representing injured people and defending claims on behalf of insurers. His practice is concentrated in automobile accidents, slip and fall and disability cases. He has handled cases at the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, the Licence Appeal Tribunal, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He is certified by the Law Society as a specialist in civil litigation. He was the Consulting Editor of Carswell’s annual Consolidated Ontario Insurance Statues and Regulations from 2005 to 2021.
Alan is a member of The Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, and the Toronto Lawyers’ Association. He is the firm’s managing partner.
He is listed in The Canadian Legal Expert Directory as most frequently recommended by his peers for representing both plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury matters. In 2018 he was celebrated as a leader of the personal injury bar by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association.
In 2005 Alan took on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission for Bob Edmonds, a retiree defrauded of his win by an OLG retailer. The trial received wide spread media attention and Bob’s story and the trial were reported by the Fifth Estate in “Luck of the Draw”.
Alan can be reached at the office at 416-367-0202 ext. 232, or on his cell at (416) 705-5880.
Email: arachlin@rachlinlaw.com
Alan’s assistants are:
Tiana Quintero
O: (416) 367-0202 x 222
Karen Pouris
O: (416) 367-0202 x 229
Alan’s law clerk is:
Samantha McSween
O: (416) 367-0202 x 257
Joseph M. Grossman
Joseph Grossman graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1991. He articled with the firm and after his call to the Bar in 1993 continued on as an associate. He became a partner in 2001.
Joseph’s practice is restricted to civil litigation, primarily in the area of insurance defence work. He acts as counsel to various insurers in the defence of a wide variety of insurance claims. He has experience at all levels of court in Ontario as well as before various administrative tribunals. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Toronto Lawyers’ Association, The Advocates’ Society and Canadian Defence Lawyers.
When not practicing law, Joseph devotes his time to his wife, two children and four miniature poodles. He is also a third-degree black belt in shotokan karate and volunteers at his local dojo in the training of young karate students.
Joseph can be reached 416-367-0202 ext. 256 or on his cell at (416) 727-8637.
Email: jgrossman@rachlinlaw.com
Joseph’s assistant is Manuela Riehl
O: (416) 367-0202 x 225.
Joseph’s Law Clerk is Alesha Attwell
O: (416) 367-0202 x 246
David P. O’Brien
David O'Brien received an Honours Bachelor of Public Administration degree from the University of Windsor in 1992 and obtained his LL.B. degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1994. He articled with the firm and was admitted to the Bar in 1996. He became a partner in 2004.
David's practice is mainly focused on insurance defence and personal injury. He has extensive experience in motor vehicle and slip and fall tort litigation. He has tried motor vehicle and coverage actions at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and has appeared many times before the Workplace Safety and Appeal Tribunal. He is a member of the Toronto Lawyers' Association, the Ontario Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association. He lives in Toronto with his wife, two sons and their dog.
David can be reached at the office at 416-367-0202 ext. 249.
Email: dobrien@rachlinlaw.com
David’s assistant is:
Flo Ludgate
O: (416) 367-0202 x 252
David’s law clerk is:
Julia Azzopardi
O: (416) 367-0202 x 230
Jeffrey Small
Jeffrey Small is a partner at Rachlin & Wolfson LLP. He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree with distinction from McGill University and LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School. Prior to joining the firm, Jeffrey practiced commercial litigation with another law firm.
Jeffrey’s practice is mainly focused on insurance defence. He also has experience with claims involving construction disputes, insurance coverage disputes and professional negligence.
When not practicing law, Jeffrey enjoys spending time with his family and taking his children to gymnastics, swimming and hockey. When he can find the time, he plays hockey and golf. He was born and raised in Montreal and is an avid Montreal Canadiens fan. He is generally shunned by those members of the firm who support the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jeffrey can be reached at the office at 416-367-0202 ext. 235
Email: jsmall@rachlinlaw.com
Jeffrey’s assistant is:
Eileen Galloway
O: (416) 367-0202 x 254
Jeffrey’s law clerk is:
Brittany McKinley
O: (416) 367-0202 x 258
Jame Pedro
Jame is a fearless advocate who provides timely and efficient solutions to resolve claims. He has a keen appreciation for when a case should be settled, and when it should be tried to verdict. He achieves excellent results for his clients because opposing counsel know that he will take a case to trial.
Jame articled with the firm in 2006 and returned as an associate in 2007. Since 2018, he has been a partner at the firm.
Jame’s practice includes the defence of a broad range of claims including personal injury, commercial general liability and professional negligence. He has acted on matters before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Divisional Court and Court of Appeal. He also has experience in handling plaintiff’s claims, which gives him a unique perspective in defending them.
Jame received an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from York University and a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 2007.
Jame is a member of The Advocates’ Society, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association and Portuguese Canadian Lawyers Association. He is fluent in Portuguese.
Jame Pedro can be reached at the office at 416-367-0202 ext. 247
Email: jpedro@rachlinlaw.com
Jame’s assistant is:
Katrina Gadoo
O: (416) 367-0202 x 250
Jame’s law clerk is:
Laura Graziano
O: 416) 367-0202 x 251
Lori Visconti
Lori received her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from York University, where she majored in Psychology. She subsequently obtained her Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Windsor. Lori was called to the Ontario Bar in 1989.
As a senior litigator, Lori handles more complex claims in the areas of motor vehicle accident, occupiers’ liability, products liability, transportation claims and commercial general liability claims.
In addition to being a member of the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations, Lori is also a member of The Advocates’ Society.
When she is not working hard for her clients, you can find her spending time with her 4 sons and cheering on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lori can be reached at the office at 416-367-0202 ext 226, or on her cell at 416-568-6757.
Email: lvisconti@rachlinlaw.com
Lori’s assistant is:
Vivian Nguyen
O: (416) 367-0202 x 262
vnguyen@rachlinlaw.com
Laleh Hedayati
Laleh completed her B.A. (Honours) at the University of Toronto in 2002. She received her LL.B degree from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, in 2011 and her LL.M from De Montfort University, United Kingdom, in 2012.
Since her call to the Bar in Ontario in 2013, Laleh has practiced personal injury and insurance litigation. Prior to joining Rachlin & Wolfson LLP as an associate in 2019, Laleh worked as plaintiff and defence counsel at boutique litigation firms at Toronto.
Laleh’s practice now focuses on insurance defence litigation, including personal injury, accident benefits and insurance coverage disputes, as well as plaintiff personal injury litigation. She has represented clients at all levels of the Ontario courts and tribunals including conducting LAT hearings and trials for both plaintiffs and defendants in the Superior Court of Justice.
Laleh has been a volunteer judge in the Ontario Justice Education Network program as a part of its elementary school and high school Mock Trial initiative. She is also a mentor in the Ryerson Law Practice Program.
Having volunteered extensively at various organizations, Laleh is passionate about advocacy, the legal profession, and combining legal practice with academia. Laleh is an adjunct professor of law at Osgoode Hall Law School (Professional Development) as well as a practitioner instructor at Ryerson University Faculty of Law.
Laleh can be reached at 416-367-0202 ext. 223.
Email: lhedayati@rachlinlaw.com
Laleh’s assistant is:
Mary Tambal
O: (416) 367-0202 ext. 260.
Laleh’s law clerk is:
Samantha McSween
O: (416) 367-0202 x 257
Michael Hoffman
Michael received an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Western Ontario in 2014. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall in 2017 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2018.
Prior to joining Rachlin & Wolfson LLP, Michael began his legal career representing injured people at another prominent plaintiff personal injury law firm in Toronto. He joined Rachlin & Wolfson LLP as an associate in 2019.
Michael has handled and successfully argued cases at the Small Claims Court and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Michael is able to leverage his past experience to represent both injured people and insurers.
He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association and the Toronto Lawyers Association.
During his free time, Michael enjoys cooking, exploring Toronto’s diverse food scene and spending time with family.
Michael can be reached at 416-367-0202 ext. 224 or on his cell at 647-970-6674.
Email: mhoffman@rachlinlaw.com
Jozsef attended the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law after obtaining both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University. Prior to attending law school, he was actively involved in politics and worked at Queen’s Park for his local MPP. While attending law school, he also volunteered for a federal member of parliament.
Jozsef joined the firm as an articling student and upon his admission to the Ontario Bar in 2021, he became an associate. His work focuses primarily on insurance defence matters but he occasionally advocates for plaintiffs in personal injury matters as well.
Jozsef is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Toronto Lawyer’s Association.
Jozsef can be reached at 416-367-0202 ext. 290.
Email: jhorvath@rachlinlaw.com
Jozsef’s assistant is:
Jamie Laitar
O: (416)367-0202 x 231
jlaitar@rachlinlaw.com
Jozsef Horvath
Courtney Wilson
Bio coming shortly.
Email: cwilson@rachlinlaw.com
Law Clerks
Alesha Attwell
Alesha is a Senior Law Clerk. She obtained her law clerk diploma from Seneca College and joined the firm following graduation. She specializes in file management in insurance defence and personal injury litigation.
Alesha works with Joseph Grossman and Jozsef Horvath.
Tel: 416-367-0202 ext 246
Email: aattwell@rachlinlaw.com
Julia Azzopardi
Julia is a Senior Law Clerk. She obtained her law clerk diploma with Honours from Seneca College in 2007 and joined the firm following graduation. She works with David O’Brien, with a focus on insurance and personal injury litigation.
Julia is a member of the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario.
Tel: 416-367-0202 ext. 230
Email: jazzopardi@rachlinlaw.com
Samantha McSween
Samantha is a Senior Law Clerk. After obtaining her Paralegal Diploma in 2009, she joined the firm in 2015 and works primarily with Alan Rachlin.
Her work is comprised of insurance defence and plaintiff litigation, at all levels of court.
She is a member of the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario (ILCO) and continues to augment her credentials through their continuing legal education courses.
Tel: 416-367-0202 ext. 257
Cell: 647-867-2134
Email: smcsween@rachlinlaw.com
Jessica Robinson
Jessica received an Honours Bachelor of Paralegal Studies from Humber College in 2021. Prior to completing her program, Jessica joined Rachlin & Wolfson LLP as a Legal Assistant. At the end of 2021, Jessica obtained her Paralegal License (P1), and has now moved into a Law Clerk position.
On her free time, Jessica can be found walking her dogs at the nearby trails or cozying up on the couch to read a book.
C: 647-675-8090
Brittany McKinley
Brittany completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in criminology and justice from UOIT (Ontario Tech University) with Highest Distinction in 2013. During her time at the university, Brittany was a research assistant on the Psychology and Law Research Team and she completed a civilian placement with the Durham Regional Police Service. Brittany then attended Seneca College where she obtained her Law Clerk diploma with Honours in 2015. She joined the firm at that time.
Brittany assists Jeffrey Small with insurance defence litigation.
Tel: (416) 367-0202 ext. 258
Email: bmckinley@rachlinlaw.com
Laura Graziano
Laura received an Honours Bachelor of Arts with Specialization in History from the University of Ottawa in 2012. She completed the Law Clerk Accelerated Diploma program at Seneca College in 2014.
Laura joined the firm as a Legal Assistant in 2014 and advanced to the position of Law Clerk in 2017.
Laura assists Jame Pedro with insurance defence litigation.
Tel: 416-367-0202 ext. 251
Email: lgurnham@rachlinlaw.com
Senior Administrative Staff
Lisa Hugh
Lisa graduated from Seneca College in 1981. Upon her graduation, she joined the firm and has been here ever since.
She started as a secretary for an associate. The following year she started working for T. H. Rachlin, Q.C.
Along the way she took on other duties and eventually became the firm’s Office Manager.
She is a member of TLOMA.
Tel: 416-367-0202 ext. 236
Email: lhugh@rachlinlaw.com
Colleen Varanelli
Colleen joined our firm in 1998 as an administrative assistant with a background in both accounting and computer support. She quickly proved herself to be a valuable asset to the firm and is now responsible for supervising the firm’s accounting department and its operations. In her personal time, Colleen is passionate about dog rescue and is a devoted foster parent to dogs in need. She also enjoys hiking and travelling.
Tel: 416-367-0202 ext. 227
Email: cvaranelli@rachlinlaw.com