Allison Turner

Allison Turner is unique among Quebec bilingual lawyers with a developing practice in Business and Human Rights built on years of complex commercial litigation, insurance, and class action work, and almost a decade as trial, appellate and post-appellate counsel in genocide and other international cases.

She advises on Canada’s recently enacted anti-modern slavery legislation (Bill S-211, An Act to enact the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and to amend the Customs Tariff) and, more broadly, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and related statutory and soft law instruments.

Allison brings to the table the rare perspective of a practitioner with wide-ranging hands-on experience leading investigations involving state entities as well as lay, government and expert witnesses most notably from the African Great Lakes region. She also conducted extensive research into the root causes of atrocity crimes and human rights abuses in this part of Africa.

Allison has a master’s degree in international law, published peer-reviewed articles in international journals and has been invited to present at numerous universities and international law conferences.

Allison worked as a lawyer-analyst for Axa Boreal Insurance for over two years in the Specialty Lines division where she handled hundreds of E&O, D&O and CGL policies claims files. Her responsibilities included identifying and analyzing coverage issues, establishing reserves, delegating and supervising mandates to law firms and adjusters, and negotiating and resolving a variety of claims files. Allison also served as in-house counsel at the Professional Liability Insurance Fund for the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

Allison a commencé sa carrière au sein de Blakely Gascon ainsi que chez Larose & Associés en tant qu’avocate en litige civil et commercial. En 1997, elle a fait le saut en droit des assurances chez Robinson Sheppard Shapiro, prenant en charge la gestion des dossiers complexes contre les assureurs (clients) poursuivis dans le cadre des recours collectifs contre les assurés.

Après avoir travaillé aux Nations Unies, Allison est revenue en pratique privée chez Savonitto & Associés, et ensuite chez GWBR, pratiquant en litige civil et commercial et en responsabilité professionnelle. Elle a ensuite oeuvré à son propre compte pendant plusieurs années avant de se joindre à Delegatus, desservant une clientèle variée en droit local et en droit international relatif aux droits de l’homme.

Allison began her career at Blakely Gascon and Larose & Associates as a civil and commercial litigator. In 1997, she made the move to insurance law at Robinson Sheppard Shapiro where she managed the broad research and disclosure components of complex cases against insurers (clients) sued in the context of class action lawsuits against the insureds.

After working at the United Nations, Allison returned to private practice at Savonitto & Associates, and then GWBR, practicing civil and commercial litigation and professional liability. She then served a diverse client base in local and international human rights law as a sole practitioner for several years before joining Delegatus.

• Lawsuits filed against tobacco companies by smokers suffering from chronic respiratory diseases.
• Litigation against the Canadian Red Cross Society in the “tainted blood” affair that led to the reform of Canada’s blood distribution system.
• Prosecutor v. Théoneste Bagosora et als (UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda).
• Expert mandate in Rwanda extradition case (High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench, London, United Kingdom).