Cuming & Gillespie

What Cuming & Gillespie does

Cuming & Gillespie LLP is a Calgary-based boutique law firm specializing exclusively in plaintiff-side personal injury, medical malpractice, and class action litigation, serving seriously injured individuals and medical negligence victims across Alberta. The firm's core practice encompasses representation in catastrophic personal injury matters (including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and wrongful death), medical malpractice claims (surgical errors, birth injuries, cerebral palsy, misdiagnosis, and nursing negligence), and class action lawsuits in which it acted as counsel in Alberta's first certified and first nationally resolved class actions. The firm also offers Long-Term Disability claims assistance for clients whose benefits have been denied or terminated.

The firm operates on a contingency fee basis across all practice areas, with clients paying no retainer or upfront fees and the firm covering all litigation disbursements; legal fees are only collected as a percentage of successful settlements or judgments, and clients owe nothing absent recovery. Client acquisition is driven by a multi-channel approach combining SEO-optimized content marketing, free initial consultations, and a referral network spanning satisfied former clients, healthcare providers, and other law firms. A flagship relationship with the Foothills Hospital Brain Injury Patient Experience Program — of which the firm is the founding donor — produces institutional access to over 2,500 seriously injured patients annually.

The firm fields 8 lawyers supported by administrative staff, led by Managing Partners James D. Cuming (joined 1995, Managing Partner since 2000) and Craig Gillespie (Managing Partner since 2007), with additional partners Maia Tomljanovic, Mike Grassie, and Laura Comfort. The firm is structured as a privately held Limited Liability Partnership with no disclosed parent company, external investment, or funding rounds. Collectively, the firm has recovered over $295 million for clients and holds consistent peer recognition including Lexpert, Best Lawyers in Canada, Canadian Lawyer Magazine (four consecutive years as Top Personal Injury Boutique), and Global Law Experts designations. The firm discloses no proprietary technology platforms and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

Name

Cuming & Gillespie

Legal name

Cuming & Gillespie LLP

Website

https://cuminggillespie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cuming & Gillespie LLP is a Calgary-based boutique law firm providing plaintiff-side personal injury, medical malpractice, class action, and LTD claims representation on a contingency fee basis to seriously injured individuals throughout Alberta.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Injury Law

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Personal injury law
• Medical malpractice litigation
• Class action lawsuits
• Catastrophic injury claims
• Contingency fee legal services

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Contingency Fee Legal Services: All legal services are provided on a contingency fee basis. Clients pay no retainer or upfront fees. The firm covers all disbursements (medical reports, court filing fees, expert assessments). Legal fees are only collected as a percentage of successful settlements or judgments. If no recovery is achieved, the client owes nothing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cuming & Gillespie LLP is a boutique plaintiff-side law firm that represents seriously injured individuals in personal injury and medical malpractice cases, and acts as counsel in class action lawsuits, on a contingency fee basis. The firm recovers compensation for victims of motor vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, surgical errors, birth injuries, and denied long-term disability claims, and has collectively recovered over $295 million for clients in Alberta.

Product overview

Cuming & Gillespie LLP is a boutique personal injury and medical malpractice law firm offering specialized legal services. The firm provides comprehensive representation across four main practice areas: Personal Injury Legal Services (handling motor vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, amputations, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, wrongful death, and LTD claims), Medical Malpractice Legal Services (representing victims of surgical errors, birth injuries, cerebral palsy, nursing negligence, and medication errors), Class Action Litigation (acting as counsel in Alberta's first certified and first national class action lawsuits), and Long-Term Disability Claims (assisting clients with denied or terminated disability benefits). All services are provided on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients only pay if the firm is successful. The firm has recovered over $295 million for clients collectively and has been recognized by Lexpert, Best Lawyers in Canada, Canadian Lawyer Magazine, and Global Law Experts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Injury Legal Services Comprehensive legal representation for individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries due to accidents or negligence, including motor vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, amputations, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, paraplegia/quadriplegia, wrongful death claims, and related matters. Provided on a contingency fee basis.
• Medical Malpractice Legal Services
• Class Action Litigation
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Claims
• Free Consultation

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $295 million in damages recovered for clients collectively
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Calgary Health Trust / Foothills HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCuming & Gillespie LLP is the founding donor of the Foothills Hospital Brain Injury Patient Experience Program. The firm made a substantial gift to fund coordinators who assist brain and spinal injury patients in improving their hospital experience and transitioning back to the community. The program assists over 2,500 new patients every year who have suffered serious injuries.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oatley Vigmond: Ontario boutique personal injury firm specializing in serious and catastrophic injury claims on a contingency fee basis. Directly comparable in plaintiff exclusivity, catastrophic injury focus, and boutique reputation built on individual named lawyer credentials.
• Merchant Law Group LLP: Canadian class action and personal injury firm with offices including Calgary. Comparable in class action credentials, contingency fee class action practice, and national scope of plaintiff-side mass tort work.
• Will Davidson LLP: Ontario plaintiff-side personal injury boutique with deep catastrophic injury and medical malpractice expertise. Comparable in boutique plaintiff positioning, contingency fee economics, and Lexpert/Best Lawyers recognition profile among Canadian personal injury firms.
• Diamond & Diamond Lawyers: Large Canadian plaintiff-side personal injury firm with offices across multiple provinces, operating on contingency fees. Comparable in plaintiff-only mandate, broad personal injury practice, and heavy reliance on digital marketing and free consultations to generate case flow.
• Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP: Ontario personal injury boutique representing seriously injured plaintiffs on a contingency basis. Comparable in plaintiff-exclusive mandate, catastrophic injury specialization, and boutique firm structure anchored by named lawyer reputation.
• Smitiuch Injury Law: Ontario plaintiff-side personal injury boutique focusing on catastrophic injury cases on a contingency fee basis. Comparable in boutique plaintiff-only positioning, catastrophic injury specialization, and awards-driven reputation model.
• Thomson Rogers Barristers and Solicitors: Toronto-based plaintiff personal injury and medical malpractice firm. Comparable in contingency fee model, plaintiff-side medical malpractice specialization, and track record of large settlements and verdicts in catastrophic injury matters.
• McLeish Orlando LLP: Ontario-based boutique personal injury law firm exclusively representing plaintiffs on a contingency fee basis. Highly comparable to Cuming & Gillespie in plaintiff-side positioning, contingency economics, catastrophic injury focus, and boutique awards profile (repeatedly ranked among Canada's top personal injury firms).

Regional players

• James H. Brown Injury Lawyers: Calgary-based personal injury firm serving Alberta injured clients on contingency. Comparable as a same-city personal injury competitor targeting the same Calgary and Alberta plaintiff pool, though with a less concentrated medical malpractice and class action profile.
• Klein Lawyers LLP: British Columbia-based boutique personal injury firm representing plaintiffs on contingency. Comparable in plaintiff-only boutique positioning and catastrophic injury focus, but operates primarily in a different Western Canadian province than Cuming & Gillespie's Alberta base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cginjurylawyers
• Facebookfacebook.com/174003139
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cuming-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cuming & Gillespie