Headquarters:

Calgary, AB

Year founded:

1995

Number of employees:

Phone:

403 571 1520

Email:

davisd@jssbarristers.ca

Website:

jssbarristers.ca

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/jssbarristers

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Kajal Ervin

Managing Partner

Andrew Wilson, KC

Firm Chairperson

Ryan Phillips

Partner

Leadership

In addition to serving as JSS Barristers’ managing partner, Kajal Ervin maintains a diverse practice, with a focus on class actions and corporate commercial arbitrations. She has been recognized as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation Canada, by Best Lawyers for her work in class actions, and by Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner. Ervin was named to Benchmark Litigation’s Top 40 & Under Hot List consistently for three years, from 2019 to 2021, which recognizes up-and-coming litigation lawyers in the US and Canada who are 40 years old or younger.

Managing Partner

Kajal Ervin

Andrew Wilson is the former managing partner of JSS Barristers and is currently firm chairperson. He was called to the Alberta bar in 2002 and joined JSS Barristers in 2014. Since joining the firm, Andrew has successfully appeared as lead counsel in the Alberta Court of King’s Bench and Court of Appeal, the superior Courts of other provinces, in various regulatory and administrative hearings, and in both domestic and international arbitrations. He was awarded the King’s Counsel designation in 2022.

Firm Chairperson

Andrew Wilson, KC

Ryan Phillips has been a partner at JSS Barristers since 2020 and recently joined the firm’s Executive Committee. He is an experienced advocate in commercial litigation and administrative law, and has acted in many high-stakes commercial and public law disputes throughout his career. In 2023, Phillips was named the Emerging Talent Alberta Litigator of the Year at the Benchmark Litigation Canada Awards. He graduated from law school at the University of Saskatchewan. He was called to the British Columbia bar in 2012 before he moved to Calgary and joined JSS Barristers in 2014.

Partner

Ryan Phillips

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Leadership

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Leadership

Erin Skogman

Human Resources Manager

Erin Skogman (She/Her) joined JSS Barristers in early 2024, bringing over 13 years of progressive HR experience, mainly in the legal sector. Her academic background includes a commercial pilot’s license and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from MRU, complemented by her CPHR designation. Skogman plays an active role in the firm’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) committee, striving to create a culture of inclusivity and respect. Through her work and interests, she strives to cultivate an environment where all individuals feel heard, valued, empowered, and capable of achieving their fullest potential.

Human Resources Manager

Erin Skogman

Debbie Davis

Managing Director

Debbie Davis joined JSS Barristers in 2000. Since that time, she has seen a lot of change and contributed to the firm’s growth. Her proudest accomplishment is having preserved a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusivity as JSS Barristers has grown into one of the largest civil litigation and advocacy boutique firms in Western Canada.

Managing Director

Debbie Davis

Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP (JSS Barristers) has a reputation as one of Western Canada’s top litigation and advocacy firms, providing high-quality representation to its clients. The firm’s practice includes contractual disputes, construction claims, corporate disputes, as well as energy, employment, securities, and intellectual property matters. Lawyers from JSS Barristers have been successful in courts at all levels in Alberta and elsewhere in Canada. They have represented clients in the Federal Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. The firm has also successfully represented clients in private arbitrations (both domestic and international) and before various regulatory bodies and tribunals. JSS Barristers’ strength lies in the diverse backgrounds of its people. It values its employees’ unique perspectives and is committed to fostering and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace. The firm is an advocate for equity and is committed to ensuring its community is diverse and inclusive.

Saba Shariff

Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy, Product and Innovation Officer

Elisabeth Demone

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Kevin Kim

Director of Finance  

David Badurina 

Director, General Counsel  

Saba Shariff oversees multiple teams responsible for designing and launching innovative products that address industry-wide challenges, along with a mandate for charting Symcor’s corporate strategy toward continued growth. She joined Symcor in 2002 and held progressive senior positions thereafter. Prior to joining Symcor, Shariff had preceding experience in both start-ups and telecommunications sectors. Named one of Canada’s Top 50 Women in Fintech, Shariff is a sought-after public speaker who shares insights on topics such as open banking, innovation, and women in technology in the Canadian financial industry.

Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy, Product and Innovation Officer

Saba Shariff

Elisabeth Demone oversees the company’s legal, contractual, and regulatory functions in addition to guiding governance matters as secretary to the Board of Directors. She joined Symcor in 2010, holding progressively senior positions. Prior to joining Symcor, Demone worked at John Deere Credit and Stikeman Elliott LLP. She earned her LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario. She previously served as a director on the board of the Canadian Technology Law Association.

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Elisabeth Demone

Kevin Kim is responsible for providing leadership and strategic guidance to the finance team (accounting, planning and analysis, tax, financial reporting and extended warranty and internal audit and financial controls), ensuring compliance with company policies and all financial and government regulations, influencing high-level management decisions, and ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting, forecasting, and planning. 

Director of Finance  

Kevin Kim

David Badurina is the director of general council at Hyundai Canada, where he is responsible for the direction of all legal matters pertaining to the company, including providing legal advice to management. He is also responsible for the risk management function, such as advising on all risk-related issues pertaining to events, consumers, and team members. 

Director, General Counsel  

David Badurina  

Director, General Counsel  

David Badurina

Director, General Counsel  

David Badurina  

Sarah M Stewart

Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations

Karen Bannister, CM

Vice President, Marketing

Dave Longbottom

Chief Technology Officer

Alex Ventura

Head of Marketing

Damian Palovick

Senior Vice President of Underwriting AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Dr. Mary Lavoie

Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Mark Bernacki

Chief Underwriting Officer

Ryan Armijo

Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division

Bob Petrilli

President, Underwriting Division

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Small business

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Turnaround time – claims

BDM support

Broker communication, training and development

Overall service level

BDM support

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

social services fuel oil and propane distribution janitorial services security guard services animal welfare organizations adult residential care facilities and more

Tangram’s experienced team is constantly surveying the landscape and creating ways to add value through broader coverage, elevated service, and competitive pricing. They continue to move with independence, diversity, and responsibility to serve their customers and partners. The Tangram team looks forward to working together.

technical excellence portfolio management data analytics focusing on communication collaboration

These factors are actively and routinely reaffirmed by senior vice president and chief technical claims officer Francine Minervini. She says, “We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration. Our process incorporates communication throughout the life of the claim and encourages communication with insureds, brokers, claims management, and our underwriters and actuaries.” Eager to develop and become better, Arch has a raft of future plans to boost its offerings amid the rapid pace of technological change. “We are in the midst of a system transformation that will modernize our claims system; we are also working with Strategic Analytics to introduce AI into the claims mail process,” shares Shiva Altadonna, senior vice president, claims shared services. “As a starting point, it will allow us to identify and route First Notice of Loss even faster to our claims professionals for handling and give quicker peace of mind to our customers that we are fanatical about responsiveness.”

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not,” says Christine Schneider, senior vice president, casualty claims. “Also, strategically executing on opportunities based on market conditions has continuously supported Arch’s growth.” Leadership encourages all segments of the business to be bold, take calculated risks, celebrate accomplishments, and learn from mistakes. The focus is placed on the goals of each initiative, along with the necessary specific strategies. A key factor in Arch’s success has been the implementation of a new claims system that interlinks with the firm’s ‘North Star’ of placing employees in a position where they can add value on a daily basis. Senior vice president, financial and specialty claims Brian Kristiansen says, “We segment claims by line of business and hire employees with experience in those lines. We provide them with additional training and mentoring to ensure the continued development of expertise in those lines.” Another driver of Arch’s market-leading performance is its investment in data analytics and data transformation, increasing its ability to utilize business intelligence to improve product offerings and the abilities of its claims department, with a strong emphasis on claims handling and claims excellence. In addition, the firm continuously seeks feedback from the broker community on any areas where they would like to see potential improvement, particularly in claims service. Arch Claims specifically has done considerable work around communication with brokers over the past year, including an extensive survey to solicit feedback on the claims experience. Schneider says, “Through their commentary, we strive to be able to build even more trusting, respectful, and responsive relationships with all of our partners.” The claims department underscores the importance of: