He taught the first insurance law course at Toronto Metropolitan University
Paul J. Barnes will join the Ontario Superior Court of Justice bench as an associate judge on Thursday January 29.
He has been assigned to Toronto. Barnes is an expert in insurance law, torts, and civil advocacy.
Barnes developed and taught the first-ever insurance law course at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law in 2023. He also taught tort law 2024 and 2025 and is part of the university’s faculty council.
Following his call to the Nova Scotia bar in 2005, Barnes began his legal career with Waterbury Newton as an associate lawyer; subsequently, he moved to Loopstra Nixon LLP. He then joined TD Insurance in-house firm Sigurdson, Courtlander & Burns as a staff lawyer in 2007.
After a five-year stint, he transitioned to an associate lawyer role with Blouin Dunn LLP. In 2018, he took a senior legal counsel position at Desjardins Insurance; he moved to Intact Insurance in 2022.
In his practice, Barnes has tackled motor vehicle accident and occupier liability claims and matters involving employment, commercial, and family law. He has appeared before the Superior Court of Justice.
He has mentored students with a focus on career paths and served as a judge for the Lincoln Alexander School of Law annual negotiation competition. He obtained his degree from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law.
Barnes’ appointment was lauded by the Ontario Bar Association and the University of Windsor Faculty of Law in social media posts. Ontario attorney general Doug Downey announced the appointment while chief justice Geoffrey Morawetz, who retires in May, decided on Barnes’ assignment.
In November, Crown Law Office - Civil deputy director Jeremy Glick also joined the Superior Court of Justice bench as an associate judge. He began sitting in Milton on December 4, 2025.
The court also appointed Christine Mainville, Carolyn R. Leach, Sharon A. Tysick, Rosemarie A. Juginovic, J. Scott Cowan, and Edward M. Iacobucci as judges last year.
