About Howard Smith

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Howard graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1992 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994. He articled at Dutton, Brock MacIntyre & Collier (now Dutton Brock, LLP) in Toronto and worked there as an associate lawyer until 1997.

Thereafter, Howard ventured out on his own as a freelance litigation and insurance lawyer, providing legal services to lawyers across Ontario. That role often entailed quarterbacking complex cases involving insurance coverage disputes, product liability, professional negligence (including medical malpractice), personal injuries, fatalities, and breaches of contract, among others. 

In the early 2000s, Howard served as Casualty Legal Consultant to the Canadian arm of a global commercial insurer. In this capacity, his responsibilities included:

· all legal issues that arose in the casualty claims and underwriting departments, including coverage, claims management, and drafting policy wordings and endorsements;

· providing oversight with respect to complex commercial litigation across the US and Canada;

· serving in the capacity of trouble-shooter/fixer with respect to difficult claims and accounts, engaging directly in settlement negotiations and mediations;

· negotiating contributions toward defence and indemnity from other insurers and re-insurers; and

· serving as “go to” legal resource for other departments including the executive team, property, alternative risk management, special projects group and loss prevention.

Howard ran his freelance litigation and insurance law practice continuously from 1997 to 2019, when he left the practice of law to broaden his horizons in the technology sector. In 2019, Howard was hired to run the business development department of a Canadian venture capital firm that invests in international cybersecurity start-ups. In that role, he was responsible for channel development for the VC’s 16 portfolio companies and for building strategic relationships with major systems integrators, value-added resellers and managed service providers.

In 2022, Howard founded Elite Tech Promoters, a business development agency that represents cybersecurity and computer-vision technologies, finding commercial opportunities for them with strategic partners, integrators, resellers and end-use customers across North America. 

While still very active in Elite Tech Promoters, Howard decided to return to active practice as a lawyer in 2023 to focus on cyber insurance law.