Brian Williams has 30 years experience in the life and health insurance industry as in-house legal counsel at Sun Life, one of Canada’s largest and most respected insurers. Brian joined Dispute Resolution Services as a full-time arbitrator and mediator of insurance and reinsurance disputes in 2006.

Brian received his Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of New Brunswick in 1972, his Bachelor of Laws from the UNB Law School in 1975, and was admitted to the New Brunswick Bar in June 1975. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1982 and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Brian began his legal career in private practice as a commercial litigation lawyer, and then joined the Law Department of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada in 1977. He went on to serve in progressively senior legal positions with Sun Life over the next 30 years. Brian has in-depth knowledge of all aspects of life, accident and sickness, health, and liability insurance, insurance product distribution, agency/brokerage compensation, market conduct matters, and life and health reinsurance, both assumed (direct and through Managing General Agents and reinsurance pools) and ceded.

During his legal career, Brian was a member of several insurance industry organizations, including the Canadian Life and Health Association as Chair of the Human Rights Committee, and the International Claim Association as a member of the Executive Committee, Law Committee and, most recently, as Chair of the Education Committee that oversees the ICA Claim Education Program. Brian also earned several insurance industry designations: FLMI, ALHC and AIRC.

Brian is also a trained mediator and arbitrator. In 2003, Brian was awarded a Certificate in ADR by the University of Toronto. He has also received training from the Harvard Program on Negotiation and the Ombudsman Association (2003), AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society (2004), and the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section (2006). He is presently a member of the Executive of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Section of the Ontario Bar Association, and is active in the ADR Institute of Ontario. He is also a member of the AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society (ARIAS-US), and the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section.

Brian conducts mediations and arbitrations throughout Canada, Bermuda and the United States.

Phone: (416) 250-5050
E-mail: bwilliams@drs4adr.com

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