Dermot P. Nolan


Dermot P. Nolan was called to the bar in 1975. He is a graduate of McMaster University and the University of Ottawa. He has served as president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association, the Hamilton Law Association and the Hamilton Medical Legal Society.

He has been certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Civil Litigation since 1990 and practises with emphasis on corporate, commercial & estate litigation and personal injury & insurance litigation.

He has been recognized by his peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in Canada™ directory (in the fields of Personal Injury litigation and Corporate & Commercial litigation) and as the Hamilton Lawyer of the Year in Corporate & Commercial litigation for 2024, and previously in 2019 and 2021.

In 2000, he received the Emilius Irving award, the highest honour of the Hamilton Law Association and he was inducted into McMaster University’s Gallery of distinguished graduates in 2002.

In 2014, he was appointed a deputy judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Small  Claims) and in 2018, he was chosen by the Hamilton Law Association as the recipient of the Ed Orzel award for excellence in trial advocacy.

He was named Hamilton’s Irish Person of the Year in 2015.

He has served as Chair of the Boards of St. Peter’s Hospital and the Hamilton Public Library, as a trustee of the Hamilton Board of Education and as a director of numerous other community, arts and charitable organizations. He has been a director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra since 2006.

He spearheaded the initiative which led to the consolidation of Hamilton’s courts in the John Sopinka Courthouse and was instrumental in the establishment of the Lawyers’ Legacy for Children (an endowment fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation). He continues to serve on its Advisory Committee.

Before entering law school, he was a professional actor with the Stratford Shakespearean Festival  and he has continued to participate in theatre as an actor and director with the Hamilton Lawyers’ Shows. He is also a playwright and an accredited member of the Playwrights’ Guild of Canada.


Tel: 905-522-9261, ext. 227
email: dpn@nolanlaw.ca

“Dermot and his team came into our lives at a very dark time. My son’s accident left my family devastated in too many ways to mention. From the first conversation I had with him on the phone I felt a great weight lifted off my family. His kind words and friendly tone set the stage for what would be the most difficult journey of our lives, one we most certainly could not have made without him and his teem. The compassion and understanding they showed us felt like a warm blanket on a very cold time in our lives, we could not be more grateful. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you.”

– Sean, Burlington