A senior associate with the Saskatchewan law firm McDougall Gauley LLP, Sheila Torrance gained extensive experience in medical malpractice while a partner with Weir Bowen LLP in Edmonton, a firm widely known for its work representing medical malpractice plaintiffs. While with Weir Bowen, Sheila gained broad experience representing plaintiffs who had suffered an injury during the course of medical treatment, and was involved in all aspects of birth injury litigation, including cases involving hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral palsy, periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and asphyxia causing brain injury. Sheila is a founding member of the Birth Injury Lawyers Alliance of Canada.
Since commencing practice in Saskatoon in 2011, Sheila has continued to act for plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases including birth trauma cases. She has been a member of the Western Canadian Medical Malpractice Association since its inception, and in December 2015, she provided expert commentary for a Saskatoon Star-Phoenix feature article examining how patients and their families turn to the courts for compensation when things go wrong in the healthcare system, resulting in serious injury or death.
In addition to her involvement in representing clients in medical malpractice cases, Sheila has a more general litigation practice that includes personal injury and tort litigation, insurance defence, commercial litigation, and farm-related disputes. In the course of her career, she has appeared before the Superior Courts in several Canadian jurisdictions including Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, as well as the Northwest Territories Court of Appeal. She has also served as counsel in numerous dispute resolution hearings, including at mediations and judicial settlement conferences.
A graduate of the University of Alberta law school, Sheila has a strong commitment to making contributions to the community, both through involvement in professional outreach and supporting community initiatives. She is currently a board member of the Saskatoon Region Early Childhood Intervention Program, a program for children with developmental disabilities. She is also a member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan Justicia Project’s Flexible Working Arrangements Subgroup. Sheila also serves on the Rural Initiatives Project of Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan and, in her home community, contributes on the executive of the Aberdeen Minor Hockey Association. She is married and has two children.
Education
- Bachelor of Laws (Distinction), University of Alberta, 1995
Select Experience
- Gained extensive experience in medical malpractice while a partner with Weir Bowen LLP in Edmonton and has continued with that practice with McDougall Gauley LLP in Saskatoon
- Has appeared before the Superior Courts in several Canadian jurisdictions including Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories, as well as the Northwest Territories Court of Appeal
- Has acted on and assisted clients in achieving significant settlements in injury claims
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Law Society of Saskatchewan
- Founding member of the Birth Injury Lawyers Alliance of Canada
- Member of the Western Canadian Medical Malpractice Association
- Saskatchewan Trial Lawyers Association
- Canadian Bar Association
