Ann Howell

Senior Counsel

Clerk

Bar Admissions

  • British Columbia, 2005
  • Yukon, 2020

Education

  • JD., University of British Columbia 2003
  • LLB, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) 1991
  • B.A., (with distinction) University of Natal (South Africa) 1983

Professional Accreditations and Affiliations

  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Trial Lawyers Association of BC

About Lawyer

Ann Howell is Senior Litigation Counsel at the Vancouver office.  She joined Aviva Trial Lawyers in 2015.  Prior to this she worked at a boutique insurance defence firm in downtown Vancouver although her legal career spans several years as both plaintiff and defence counsel, beginning in 1992 in the legal department of General Accident. Her area of practice is tort litigation with a focus on catastrophic bodily injury claims and medical malpractice.  Through the course of her career she has defended numerous entities and individuals involved in health care, including hospitals, care homes, physiotherapists, nurses and more recently, dentists. Ann has appeared before all levels of Court in British Columbia as well as the Supreme Court of Canada and has expanded her practice to the Yukon.  Some notable cases include: Cojocaru v B.C. Women’s Hospital and Health Centre [2013] 2 SCR 357 and Ediger v Johnston, 2009 BCSC 386, 2011 BCCA 253.  After being successfully appealed to the SCC in 2013, the Ediger decision is consistently cited as a leading case on causation in the area of Canadian tort law.

Ann was an active participant in the Access Pro Bono Society of B.C. for many years, has participated as a facilitator in the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s “Law and Ethics” Program and has spoken at various CLE’s in the area of bodily injury litigation.  Outside of the office, she combines her love of animals with a passionate belief in the therapeutic benefits of horse riding for children and adults with brain injuries and autistic spectrum disorder. She is actively involved as a volunteer for STARS, a therapeutic riding program in Vancouver and also serves on its board of directors.

Notable Cases

  • Cojocaru v B.C. Women’s Hospital and Health Centre [2013] 2 SCR 357
  • Ediger v Johnston, 2009 BCSC 386.