Dermot P. Nolan
Dermot P. Nolan is counsel to the firm in the fields of corporate, commercial & estate litigation and personal injury & insurance litigation. He was called to the bar in 1975, is a graduate of McMaster University and the University of Ottawa and has been certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Civil Litigation since 1990. He served as a deputy judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Small Claims) from 2014 until 2022.
He has been recognized by his peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in Canada directory in the fields of Personal Injury litigation and Corporate & Commercial litigation and as the Hamilton Lawyer of the Year in Corporate & Commercial litigation in 2019, 2021 and 2024.
He is a founder and former president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association and the founder and first editor of its Journal, The Litigator. He is also a former president of the Hamilton Law Association and the Hamilton Medical Legal Society.
In 2000, Dermot received the Emilius Irving award, the highest honour of the Hamilton Law Association and its Orzel award for excellence in trial advocacy in 2018. He spearheaded the initiative which led to the consolidation of Hamilton’s courts in the John Sopinka Courthouse and was instrumental in the establishment of the Lawyers’ Legacy for Children -The Ray Harris Fund (an endowment fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation). He continues to serve on its Advisory Committee.
In 2002, Dermot was inducted into McMaster University’s Gallery of distinguished graduates and in 2025, he was honoured by the City of Hamilton with the Order of Hamilton for “unparalleled voluntary contribution to Hamilton’s civic, cultural and philanthropic life.” He was named Hamilton’s Irish Person of the Year in 2015 and has served as Chair of the Boards of St. Peter’s Hospital and the Hamilton Public Library, as a trustee of the Hamilton Board of Education and as a director of Hamilton Health Sciences and numerous other community, arts and charitable organizations. He has been a director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra since 2006.
Before entering law school, he was a professional actor with the Stratford Shakespearean Festival and he has continued to participate in theatre as an actor and director with Hamilton’s popular fundraising Lawyers’ Shows in collaboration with Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton’s regional professional theatre. He is also a playwright and an accredited member of the Playwrights’ Guild of Canada.
Tel: 905-522-9261, ext. 227
email: dpn@nolanlaw.ca
“Dermot and his team came into our lives at a very dark time. My son’s accident left my family devastated in too many ways to mention. From the first conversation I had with him on the phone I felt a great weight lifted off my family. His kind words and friendly tone set the stage for what would be the most difficult journey of our lives, one we most certainly could not have made without him and his teem. The compassion and understanding they showed us felt like a warm blanket on a very cold time in our lives, we could not be more grateful. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you.”
– Sean, Burlington