About Us

We have over 35 years of helping people and assisting those in need.

Martin & Hillyer is one of Ontario's pre-eminent law firms and has been a fixture in the Burlington community ever since Bob Martin and Bruce Hillyer established the firm in 1972.

For over 35 years the lawyers and staff at Martin & Hillyer have provided high quality service to clients and have dedicated their practices to assisting those in need.

Our commitment to our clients began early and is apparent from the prominent role our lawyers play in the legal community. 

Martin & Hillyer is a full service law firm

We provide experience in the following areas:

Automobile Accidents

Collaborative Family Law

Commercial Law

Corporate Law

CPP & ODSP

Criminal Law

Disability

Family Law

Long Term Disability

Medical Malpractice

Personal Injury

Real Estate

Sexual Assault Litigation

Short Term Disability

Wills & Estates

Personal Injury and Insurance Litigation

Steve is certified as a Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Upper Canada

Stephen, a life long resident of Burlington, is an avid sports fan who enjoys golfing and competitive hockey. He is married with two children.

After graduating from Law School on the Dean's Honours List in 1989, Stephen returned to Burlington and began his practice with Martin & Hillyer. He has developed a very specialized Civil Litigation practice representing plaintiffs in the following areas:

Over the years, his practice has allowed him to appear at every level of court in Ontario up to and including the Ontario Court of Appeal.

In 2004 he was recognized by The Law Society of Upper Canada as a Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation.

Stephen has enjoyed a very successful track record at trial. In a recent 2006 decision, Madame Justice Mossip stated:

Stephen has been a guest lecturer at The Law Society of Upper Canada, Queen's University Law School, The Ontario Trial Lawyers' Association, The Ontario Bar Association, The Legal Education Society of Alberta, and The Halton County Law Association. He has also presented a number of papers to community groups on various civil litigation topics.

Stephen looks forward to assisting you with any Personal Injury or Insurance Litigation claim.

Education:
1981 Hillfield-Strathallan College Honours Secondary School Graduation Diploma 1984 University of Western Ontario Bachelor of Arts Administrative and Commercial Studies 1986 University of Windsor Faculty of Business Honours Bachelor of Commerce	1989 University of Alberta Faculty of Law Bachelor of Laws 1991 Law Society of Upper Canada Admitted to practice law as a Barrister and Solicitor

Memberships

Presentations

A sampling of cases argued by Stephen B. Abraham:

Dryden (Litigation Guardian of) v. Campbell Estate, [2001] O.J. No. 829

In Dryden v. Campbell Estate, Stephen along with Bruce Hillyer and David Wands represented the Dryden family in a 25 day Trial. Mr. Dryden was severely injured as a result of an impaired, underaged driver who had just left a local tavern in the City of Burlington. The underaged driver slammed into the car containing 14 year old Scott Dryden.

It is believed that this is the only case in Canada where an individual has been found responsible for providing alcohol to another person who later caused a motor vehicle accident. We were also successful in advancing a claim against the tavern.

Stephen was also responsible for arguing the non-deductibility of accident benefits and was successful in having a Judge make a finding that an earlier case on point was wrongly decided.

For complete details click here.

Dryden (Litigation guardian of) v. Campbell Estate, [2001] O.J. No. 4095

The Plaintiffs were successful in the Dryden v. Campbell Estate matter and were paid costs throughout the litigation. Stephen successfully argued that in addition to the payment of costs and assessable disbursements, the Plaintiffs’ lawyers should be paid a premium to reflect the measure of success achieved and the risk incurred by the Solicitors. Mr. Justice Cavarzan agreed with his submissions and assessed a premium in the amount of $100,000.00.

For complete details click here.

Lehman v. GAN Canada Insurance Company, [1997] OIC A96-001417

In Lehman v. GAN Canada Insurance Company, Stephen argued the first Loss of Earning Capacity Benefit case in Ontario. He was successful in advocating on behalf of his client that he should receive benefits at the rate of $310.21 per week despite the initial position by GAN that he should receive zero.

Stephen also argued the first appeal with respect to the Loss of Earning Capacity Benefit on behalf of Mr. Lehman

For complete details read Part I and Part II .

Stevenson v. Williams and Minister of Human Resources Development [2002], CPP Pension Appeals Board, CP 16290

In Stevenson v. Williams and the Minister of Human Resources Development, Stephen was retained to argue the appeal on Ms. Stevenson’s behalf. The Pension Appeals Board Hearing was conducted in Toronto at which time new evidence was presented on behalf of the Appellant. It should be pointed out that the earlier case was lost and Ms. Stevenson was not awarded benefits. In granting benefits to his client, the three Judges indicated that the evidence that was presented was “overwhelming”.

For complete details click here.

Walker v. Sun Shelters Industries Inc., [2006] O.J. No. 2023

In Walker v. Sun Shelters Industries Inc., Stephen represented the Plaintiffs and was successful in advocating an award of damages at Trial. The Trial Judge agreed with Mr. Abraham’s assessment of the damages under all headings and awarded the Plaintiffs at the exact amounts requested. Madam Justice Mossip went on to describe the case as a “text book case on a Civil Trial”.

For complete details click here.