James Boyd

James is an associate lawyer in the class actions department. His practice is focused on class action litigation, including complex product liability and medical class actions. He summered and articled with Siskinds prior to his call to the Bar in 2019.

James received his J.D. from Western University, where he was the recipient of numerous awards including the A.B. Siskind Scholarship for achieving the highest standing in the third year of the J.D. program. He was also part of two national championship-winning oral advocacy teams. He received the First Place Oralist award at the 2017 Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot from a panel led by Supreme Court of Canada Justice Malcolm Rowe, and he coached Western to victory at the 2018 Warren K. Winkler Class Actions Moot.

In addition to maintaining a full-time litigation practice, in recent years James has served as an adjunct for Western University’s Faculty of Law, where he has been coaching Western Law students representing the school at various national moot competitions including at the Class Actions Moot and the Environmental Law Moot. Currently, James is the coach for Western’s participants in the Laskin Moot, which is Canada’s national administrative and constitutional law moot and the only national moot argued in both English and French.

Prior to pursuing a legal career, James owned and operated a corporate video production company in Toronto for five years, worked in the finance division of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and spent a year teaching English to 6th graders in Kuwait. He is a proud parent of two girls.

French

Law Society of British Columbia, Member
Law Society of Ontario, Member
Middlesex Law Association, Member

James Boyd has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers™: Ones to Watch in Canada 2025.

• “Collateral Benefits: Defending the Causal Rationale” (2018), University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review (76 UT Fac L Rev 92)
• “A Statutory Solution to Ontario’s Environmental Class Action Problem: Section 99(2) of the Environmental Protection Act” (2019), Canadian Class Action Review (14:2 Can Class Action Rev 421)

Western University - Faculty of Law, Lecturer

Forest City Film Festival, Board Director

London Youth Advisory Council, former Board Director

James has appeared in the following news articles, segments, and publications:

• November 8, 2023 - Droit-Inc, "Une demande d’action collective a été intentée contre un fabricant de médicaments qui aurait vendu des produits sans prévenir les clients des risques d’utilisation…" written by Marie-ève Buisson.
• November 2, 2023 - CTV News Vancouver segment, "Proposed class action lawsuit filed against Canadian maker of popular weight loss drug Ozempic," by Shannon Paterson. James reveals that numerous Canadians have reported side effects from using Ozempic and have reached out to Siskinds LLP about their experiences.
• July 4, 2023 - The London Free Press, "London law firm seeks OxyContin addicts after $20M settlement," written by Jennifer Bieman. James highlights the $20-million settlement in a class action for those affected by OxyContin and OxyNEO addiction, marking a significant milestone for class members and the firm after 16 years.
• July 22, 2020 - Law Times, "Amended law on class actions adds predominance and superiority to certification requirements," written by Bernise Carolino. James addresses how the amended Act may restrict the public's ability to pursue class actions regarding several important subjects, including medical liability and systemic negligence cases.

• US court rejects Johnson & Johnson bankruptcy bid
• Settlement announced in US hernia mesh litigation
• New warnings for gastroparesis, severe stomach problems added to popular GLP-1 drugs
• Suboxone tooth decay lawsuits on the rise in North America
• Canadian Cook IVC Settlement now open to claims
• Opioid treatment drug Suboxone linked to tooth decay
• Canadians who spent time at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina may be eligible for compensation
• Class Action pursued for Canadians alleging harms from Ozempic, semaglutide drugs
• Bard PowerPort Catheters: Device failures linked to health risks
• Ozempic for weight loss? Know the risks of off-label prescriptions
• Bladder drug Elmiron – linked to vision loss, macular degeneration – still among top non-patented drugs in Canada per 2023 report
• Xeljanz, linked to heart attacks, blood clots, and cancers – is now approved to treat arthritis of the spine
• Newly released J&J bankruptcy plan for compensating talcum powder cancer claims includes Canadian claims
• Canadians can now claim under $20 million OxyContin class actions settlement
• Canadian Invokana / Invokamet Settlement now open to claims
• J&J files new bankruptcy case to address talcum powder claims after initial bankruptcy case rejected
• Johnson & Johnson’s bankruptcy strategy for talcum powder cancer lawsuits rejected by US Court
• Group of popular arthritis drugs may pose risk of heart problems, blood clots, cancer and death, says Health Canada
• Johnson & Johnson stopping all sales of talcum-based baby powder
• Arthritis medication Xeljanz linked to risk of heart attack and cancer