LITTLE CURRENT – Lawyer Mark Ansara has wanted to move to Manitoulin for decades, but it wasn’t until recently that the stars aligned to make the move from Timmins to Manitoulin a reality.
Called to the bar in 1986, Mr. Ansara took his first mediation course in 1992. He describes himself as having “a passion for mediation and truly am a people person.”
He describes his approach to the practice of law as ‘up close and personal.’ “It is important to get to know the participants and understand the multitude of underlying issues which are involved in each and every mediation. As a civil litigation lawyer I have been involved in innumerable successful mediations. As long as there is a will to mediate on the part of all parties and a steadfast, flexible mediator success, whether that success is total or partial, can be obtained. It is said that a good mediation leaves all parties a little unhappy. I do not ascribe to this theory and feel that a truly successful mediation leaves all parties with a feeling of relief and satisfaction that they have been heard.”
Mr. Ansara’s practice covers a huge swath of Northeastern Ontario “from Moosonee to Manitoulin Island” and he has often found himself travelling on short notice to various towns and cities throughout northern Ontario.
In the past few years, Mr. Ansara has found himself with an ever-growing portfolio of Island and North Shore clients and that provided a little extra impetus for the move to Manitoulin.
His practice is now focused on personal injury and insurance disputes—specializing in those areas rather than as a general practitioner.
The Expositor caught up with the new lawyer in his office in the lower level of the Welcome Centre near the swing bridge.
“I kind of got into personal injury by accident,” he said, having joined a friend’s firm where he found “I really loved the stuff. There is a cleanness to it. Civil law is generally pretty civil between people. I find, particularly the new generation (of lawyers), they are more collegial.”
Mr. Ansara used to come visit his uncle Tommy McKay, the assessment officer for the Island back in the day. “I always loved the Island, and now that I have moved here I love it even more,” he said. “Then all these clients started to come,” he laughed. That made the decision to move south a lot easier.
As a personal injury lawyer, Mr. Ansara represents people involved in motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, dog bites, occupier’s liability, accident benefits and sporting injuries. Mr. Ansara does not require a retainer, being willing to take on a case on a contingency basis.
Mr. Ansara can be reached at 705-274-5918, by fax to 705-368-1996 or by email to Mark.Ansara.Law@outlook.com. His office is located at 70 Meridith Street East (in the rear of the Little Current Welcome Centre building, the same enterance as the gym).
