Steven Scruton is a Newfoundland and Labrador personal injury lawyer and a partner in the St. John’s office of MacGillivray Injury and Insurance Law. He spent the early part of his career on the insurance side and today uses that insider knowledge to get fair compensation for people injured in car accidents or on unsafe property, families who have lost a loved one, and people whose long-term disability (LTD) claims have been denied. He has been a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador bar since 2008.
At a glance
- Role: Partner, MacGillivray Injury and Insurance Law, St. John’s office
- Practice areas: car accident injury claims, fatal accident (wrongful death) claims, long-term disability (LTD) claims and appeals, slip and fall and property injury claims, and insurance disputes
- Serves: clients across Newfoundland and Labrador, including St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Paradise, Conception Bay South, Grand Falls-Windsor, Corner Brook and Stephenville. Clients can meet with our team in person or virtually.
- Experience: practising since 2008
- Bar admission: Newfoundland and Labrador (2008)
- Education: LL.B., University of New Brunswick (2007); B.A., Memorial University of Newfoundland (2004)
- Recognition: The Best Lawyers in Canada, Insurance Law, since 2025, and Personal Injury Litigation, since 2026 (St. John’s)
- Law school honours: Patrick Ryan Prize in Trial Practice; New Brunswick Trial Lawyers’ Association Prize in Trial Practice; Dean’s List, 2005 to 2007
- Cost: no charge for a first consultation; contingency fee arrangements, so legal fees are paid only if compensation is recovered
Former insurance company lawyer, now working for injured people
Steve began his career at a large insurance defence firm. That experience gives his clients an advantage. He knows how insurance companies evaluate claims, what an adjuster looks for in a file, where the pressure points in a negotiation are, and what defence lawyers focus on. When he tells a client what their claim is worth and how the insurer is likely to respond, he is speaking from direct experience.
Motor vehicle accident claims
From rear-end and T-bone collisions to pedestrians struck in crosswalks, Steve represents injured drivers, passengers and pedestrians throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as families bringing wrongful death claims after a fatal crash. His clients’ injuries range from whiplash and concussions to fractures, rotator cuff tears requiring surgery, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Newfoundland and Labrador is the only Atlantic province without a minor injury cap on pain and suffering compensation, though a $5,000 deductible applies to those awards. Steve builds each claim around the full picture: pain and suffering, past and future lost income, reduced earning capacity, care and household help, and accident benefits under the client’s own policy.
Denied or terminated disability benefits
Disability insurers often cut off benefits at the worst possible moment: when a policy switches from the “own occupation” test to the stricter “any occupation” test, or after a single medical exam predicts a recovery that never comes. Steve challenges those decisions for people with group long-term disability plans through an employer or union and people with individual policies.
Injuries on unsafe property
Property owners, landlords and businesses must keep their premises reasonably safe for everyone who visits, including people with disabilities. When they don’t, Steve pursues occupiers’ liability claims for injuries such as falls on unsafe stairs, decks and walkways, accessibility hazards like unsecured wheelchair ramps, and slips on icy parking lots and sidewalks.
Low offers and stalled claims
Many clients come to Steve after an adjuster has made a low offer, or after their claim has gone nowhere for years. He has settled many of these claims for significantly more than the insurer first offered.
Every case is different. What a claim is worth depends on the injuries, how they affect the person’s life and work, and the evidence available. Past results don’t predict the outcome of any future case.
Steve’s approach: Practical solutions, voices heard
Steve focuses on finding practical solutions to the problems his clients face, whether that’s compensation after an accident or a disability claim that has been denied. He believes in reducing his clients’ suffering and making sure their voices are heard, because everyone deserves to be treated fairly.
Professional involvement and speaking
Steve has been actively involved with the Canadian Bar Association, the Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers Association and the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. He teaches civil procedure at the Bar Admission Course for new lawyers in Newfoundland and Labrador, and has given seminars for the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador in September 2023 and the Canadian Bar Association in April 2025.
Outside the office
Steve spends most of his free time with his wife, Amanda, their two children, and their goldendoodle, Charlotte.
Find Steve online
Last updated: October 2026
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