Martin Willemse

Practice Areas

Disability Insurance Law, Personal Injury Law

Location

Calgary, Saskatoon, Vancouver

Experience

Martin Willemse is a partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, and Western Canada Practice Leader of the Long-term Disability (LTD) and Personal Injury Law practice group. He provides exceptional representation to his long-term disability clients across Canada, including British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

Martin is known in the community as an insurance lawyer who fights for the rights of those living with complex chronic illnesses and conditions including:

• Chronic pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic fatigue
• Myalgic encephalomyelitis
• Lyme disease
• Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS)
• Central sensitivity syndromes
• Multiple sclerosis
• Mental health disorders (major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and bipolar disorder)

He is recognized as an advocate and legal resource by multiple organizations across BC, including the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Fibromyalgia Society of BC, National MEFM Action Network of Canada (for individuals living with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and chronic pain who have been denied long-term disability benefits), the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada – BC and Yukon Division, BC Psychological Association, and PainBC.

Martin represents clients with denied long-term disability claims throughout British Columbia and is well connected to those in the medical community who specialize in providing treatment to and assessments of people living with disability. He also represents clients with denied critical illness and death benefit claims. Martin has appeared at all levels of court in British Columbia and the Federal Court of Appeal, as well as in front of administrative tribunals such as the Pension Appeals Board. Read reviews about Martin.

With years of experience litigating and resolving denied disability claims, and through his ongoing involvement with non-profit organizations, Martin brings a deep understanding of chronic illness cases, working closely with medical specialists to secure strong, supportive evidence for his clients.

In 2022, Martin was voted one of the top insurance lawyers in BC by Best Lawyers magazine, a peer-reviewed publication.