About John McKiggan

I am one of the founding partners of my lawfirm Arnold Pizzo McKiggan, Trial lawyers: www.apmlawyers.com 

I graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Science in 1986 and my Bachelor of Law in 1989. I was admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1990.

I practice exclusively in the areas of personal injury law, medical malpractice and institutional liability. I have a special interest in representing victims in civil claims for childhood sexual abuse.  Over the past 17 years, I have represented dozens of victim’s of clergy sexual abuse. I am currently assisting victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests, Father Hugh Vincent MacDonald, Father Clair Richard, Father Claude Richard, Father James Mombourquette and Father Raoul Deveau, as well as former Anglican Priest, Father John Mitchell.

I currently represent over 500 former residents of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School in a claim for compensation for childhood physical, sexual and racial abuse and loss of cultural identity. I was a member of the steering committee of the National Class Action, Baxter vs. Canada – a claim brought on behalf of 70,000 aboriginal children across Canada. I had the privilege of helping to negotiate the National Settlement Agreement for Residential School survivors, the largest class action settlement in Canadian history.

I have appeared before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, the New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal and various administrative tribunals including the Ontario Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

I am a member in good standing of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, and the Canadian Bar Association, and I sit on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers’ Association.

I have written papers and presented lectures in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario on various issues pertaining to personal injury law and institutional liability to a variety of groups including the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Continuing Education Lecture Series, the Canadian Bar Association, The Canadian Institute, and the Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers’ Association. Recently I was invited to lecture in Singapore at the annual meeting of the International Bar Association.

When not practicing law, I am a member of the Parish of St. Philips Church, and I enjoy performing magic for my two sons.