Elisabeth van Rensburg

Elisabeth joined Beard Winter LLP’s Insurance Litigation group in September 2021 after working as in-house litigation counsel for one of Canada’s largest insurers. Elisabeth services clients in the areas of tort, accident benefits, priority and loss transfer disputes, subrogation, and property damage claims. Prior to going in-house, Elisabeth had a broad plaintiff-oriented civil litigation practice at a well-regarded civil litigation boutique. Her understanding of insurance litigation from a plaintiff point of view is invaluable to her clients.

Elisabeth has earned a reputation with her clients and colleagues as a natural advocate both inside and outside of the courtroom. In addition to conducting three civil jury trials in the first six years of her practice, Elisabeth has acted for clients in administrative proceedings at the License Appeal Tribunal, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Landlord and Tenant Board, and the Social Benefits Tribunal. She has acted as appeal counsel at the Divisional Court and has conducted over 100 examinations for discovery and examinations under oath. Her understanding of the litigation process from start to finish gives her clients confidence in her advice.

While Elisabeth’s practice is mainly focused on insurance defence litigation, she is also interested in commercial, real estate, estates, and employment litigation. Elisabeth has previously acted for clients in the professional liability, civil sexual assault, medical malpractice, human rights, and employment law contexts. While in law school, Elisabeth summered and worked at the Queen’s Business Law Clinic where she assisted small businesses and not-for-profits pro bono with corporate, commercial, and intellectual property law issues.

Elisabeth’s mastery of the law of evidence earned her the course prize in law school and she enjoys using her expertise in this area to assist clients and colleagues in understanding key evidentiary issues and concepts.

Elisabeth’s clients retain her not only for her skills but also because she genuinely enjoys building long-lasting solicitor-client relationships. Outside of work, Elisabeth is a hobbyist who currently enjoys playing the piano, staying active, cooking 100 new recipes per year, and working on her local history project called “Humber History”.