Arthur J. Wechsler

Arthur has spent his entire legal career of more than 37 years, at Kugler Wechsler LLP. 

He became a partner in 1998 and was appointed Managing Partner of the firm in 2012. He maintains his full litigation practice while overseeing the firm's direction and the Management Committee. Arthur is also responsible for the supervision and mentorship program of the firm’s associates.

Arthur's fields of concentration include Bodily and Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Civil and Commercial Litigation and Insurance. 

Over the course of his career, Arthur and his team of lawyers have built the largest personal and bodily injury legal practice in the Province of Quebec. In this regard, they have represented hundreds of severely injured and compromised individuals who have been involved in serious accidents or who have been victims of a negligent medical act.  Arthur has been lead counsel in many of the biggest judgments and settlements in the Province of Quebec in the fields of personal and bodily injury and medical malpractice and he has pleaded many cases in both the Quebec Superior Court and Quebec Court of Appeal.

Arthur and his team are relentless in pursuing third parties and insurance companies in seeking the most amount of compensation under Quebec legal guidelines. In fact, Arthur and his partner successfully argued the largest medical malpractice case ever in Canadian history, obtaining an award of $28M.

Arthur is one of the attorneys at Kugler Wechsler who most often handles cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that the firm's remuneration for professional services rendered will only be earned upon obtaining compensation for the client either through a settlement out of Court or a final judgment. 

Arthur has often been retained as counsel to act for non-Quebec residents who sustain serious injuries in the Province of Quebec.   He has also been hired as lead counsel by Quebec residents who have sustained serious injuries and damages in other provinces and countries. In this regard, Arthur has worked with attorneys around the world in advancing personal injury cases in other jurisdictions.

Arthur is fluently bilingual in French and English. He is married to Arielle Meloul-Wechsler and they are the proud parents of girl/boy twins.

Arthur has been consistently recognized in the "List of Best Lawyers in Canada" in the field of Bodily and Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice and is recognized as one of the top personal and bodily injury and medical malpractice lawyers in the Province of Quebec.

Judgments obtained by Arthur in Personal Injury Cases

• At the age of 15, a young teenager was rendered a tetraplegic after having been violently injured while playing ice hockey.

  
  On behalf of the boy and his family, legal proceedings were instituted against the other player who cross-checked the boy into the boards causing his injuries, and the other player’s liability insurer. Plaintiffs successfully obtained judgment in the amount of $8M which was the largest Judgment ever rendered in Canada as a result of injuries sustained in a sporting event.

  
  Superior Court – Zaccardo v. Chartis Insurance Company of Canada, 2016 QCCS 398 
  
  Court of Appeal (Appeal dismissed) – 2016 QCCA 787

   

• A thirty-year-old woman was catastrophically injured in a violent train accident when she fell in between two wagons, and the train severed her body at the level of the stomach. Plaintiff was successful in obtaining Judgment against the owner of the property, with the Court condemning the said owner for 90% of all injuries and damages sustained by the victim. The Judgment was maintained in the Court of Appeal.
  
  Superior Court – Patel c. Canadian National Railway Company, Montreal Port Authority and Société du Vieux Port de Montréal Inc., 2018 QCCS 3312
  
  Court of Appeal – 2019 QCCA 1493

• A 17-year-old boy sustained catastrophic cognitive and physical impairments after being severely injured in a karting race in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The Court concluded that the protective barriers and the track failed to conform to the appropriate guidelines and standards and that said failures were the direct and immediate cause of all the injuries and damages sustained by the victim. While the amount of claim was kept confidential, the condemnation was one of the largest personal injury law Judgments ever rendered in Canada.
  
  Superior Court – Climo c. ASN Canada FIA, 2022 QCCS 3538

   

• A teacher was rendered a paraplegic when the bicycle she was riding went over and got caught in a municipality’s sewer grate causing her to be violently ejected off her bicycle and land on the pavement. The Court held that the municipality was responsible for the injuries and damages sustained by the victim since it failed to ensure that the sewer grate was properly installed on the road, thus creating a “trap” for cyclists. The Judgment in First Instance was maintained in the Appeal.
  
  Superior Court – Wilson Davies c. Montréal (Ville de), 2011 QCCS 4756 (C.S.)
  
  Court of Appeal – 2013 QCCA 34 (C.A.)

   

• Judgment in the amount of $3.3M was rendered by the Quebec Superior Court against a snowmobile club after the Plaintiff was catastrophically injured in a snowmobile accident. The snowmobile collided with a tree stump which had been negligently left on the side of the trail, causing the rider to be ejected and resulting in him sustaining severe physical and cognitive impairments.
  
  Superior Court – Clendenning c. Club de motoneigistes MRC Rouyn-Noranda inc. 2023 QCCS 1520

   

• A patron in a Montreal night club was violently thrown out of the club by two bouncers. The victim landed on his wrist, destroying his scaphoid and preventing him from ever being able to work again. The Court held the night club responsible for the acts of negligence of its employees, whose imprudence was the sole cause for the injuries sustained.

  
  Superior Court – Jlassi c. 154888 Canada Inc., 2005 CanLII 23413

   

Settlements obtained by Arthur in Personal Injury Cases

Over the course of his career, Arthur has secured substantial settlements on behalf of clients who suffered catastrophic and life-altering injuries across a wide range of circumstances, including recreational and sporting accidents, premises liability incidents, defective or improperly maintained infrastructure, negligent security and safety measures at various premises. 

His clients have included minors and adults alike who sustained injuries such as spinal cord damage resulting in paralysis, traumatic brain injury, loss of limb function, disfigurement, and other severe physical and psychological harm. In these matters, he successfully negotiated multimillion-dollar settlements that accounted for his clients' pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, past and future loss of income, and the extraordinary care and support required over the course of a lifetime. 

These results reflect his sustained commitment to obtaining meaningful compensation for individuals and families whose lives were unexpectedly and profoundly altered by the negligence of others.

Results obtained by Arthur in Medical Malpractice Cases

• Legal proceedings were instituted against an OBGYN following the catastrophic cognitive and physical injuries sustained by a newborn, including cerebral palsy, all as a result of the delay in delivery, which caused the boy to sustain neonatal encephalopathy and perinatal asphyxia.
  
  The $28M Judgment rendered in First Instance was the largest award ever rendered in Canada in the field of medical malpractice.
  
  Superior Court – Beaudoin c. Jarcevic, 2024 QCCS 4669

   

Arthur has also achieved significant settlements in complex medical malpractice matters spanning a broad spectrum of clinical contexts, including obstetrical care, surgical procedures, ophthalmological treatment, oncological diagnosis, and psychiatric care. 

His clients have included newborns and their families affected by delays in delivery, as well as adult patients who suffered severe and permanent harm arising from surgical complications, diagnostic errors, and lapses in institutional supervision and care. He has also represented individuals catastrophically injured due to unsafe conditions on residential and commercial premises. In each of these matters, he worked closely with medical and other experts to establish liability and quantify damages, ultimately securing settlements that addressed his clients' extraordinary care needs, loss of income, and non-pecuniary losses. 

These outcomes underscore his ability to guide clients through highly technical and emotionally difficult claims toward substantial resolutions, always with due regard for the confidentiality of the parties involved.

Beaudoin c. Jarcevic, 2024 QCCS 4669

Zaccardo v. Chartis Insurance Company of Canada, 2016 QCCS 398 (judgment confirmed on appeal 2016 QCCA 787)

Patel c. Canadian National Railway Company, Montreal Port Authority and Société du Vieux Port de Montréal Inc., 2018 QCCS 3312 (judgment confirmed on appeal 2019 QCCA 1493)

Climo c. ASN Canada FIA, 2022 QCCS 3538

Wilson Davies c. Montréal (Ville de), 2011 QCCS 4756 (C.S.) (judgment confirmed on appeal 2013 QCCA 34)

Clendenning c. Club de motoneigistes MRC Rouyn-Noranda inc. 2023 QCCS 1520

Jlassi c. 154888 Canada Inc., 2005 CanLII 23413

Arthur is the past Chairman of the Board and on the Executive Committee of the St. Mary's Hospital Foundation. He is also a member of the McGill Faculty of Law Advisory Board.

Arthur has been and remains actively involved in educational, community and philanthropic endeavors, as well as various charitable organizations and institutions.