Insurance Law in Halifax, Nova Scotia | Tara A. Miller, K.C.

About Tara

Tara is the “M” in MDW Law. A proactive and well-respected litigator with a reputation of being firm but fair, she joined MDW Law as a partner in May 2015 and is the leader of the firm’s personal injury and insurance litigation practice group. She received her King’s Counsel designation in 2019 and was recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada™ as “Lawyer of the Year” for Personal Injury Litigation in Nova Scotia. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada™ for the past 3 years for her work in Personal Injury Litigation and Insurance Law.Originally from beautiful but cold Labrador, she sought the warmth of Nova Scotia to attend university and begin a civil litigation practice at a large Atlantic regional law firm. She then honed her litigation skills practicing insurance defence litigation exclusively in-house for a national insurance company. She now uses her over 25 years of knowledge and experience to help clients injured in motor vehicle and other accidents receive fair and timely settlements. She also regularly provides advice and representation in other insurance litigation matters.Tara was drawn to a personal injury practice after a close family member was in a significant accident. She understands the emotional toll on individuals and families dealing with the aftermath of an unexpected injury or tragedy. While she does not hesitate to take matters to trial when necessary, she believes alternative dispute resolution leading to early settlement is in every client’s best interest as the best results for most are achieved outside of the adversarial court process.It was this wealth of experience in negotiation, mediation and alternative dispute resolution that led Tara to launch MDW Law’s civil litigation mediation practice with the goal of giving clients another avenue in their search for justice. Mediation is a valuable tool that allows interested parties to resolve disputes in a fair and collaborative manner, a tool that Tara’s unique combination of experience and insight puts to effective use. Having completed Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, “Mediating Disputes”, and represented clients in more than 150 mediations, Tara is an effective alleviator, committed to providing clients with access to justice by resolving claims quickly, expediting justice, and helping them move forward with their lives.Tara’s experience also includes representing Personal Representatives of deceased family members in the Desmond Fatality Inquiry under the Fatality Investigations Act from 2020 to 2022, and acting for family members of victims in the Mass Casualty Commission from 2021 to 2022.Outside of the office, Tara is an active and engaged volunteer in her community. She is a Board member of the NSLC and a longstanding provincial Board member of Special Olympics Nova Scotia having served as Chair on two occasions. She served for 3 years as Party President for the NS Progressive Conservative Party. In the legal community, she is the co-chair of the CBA Nova Scotia ADR section.Like her clients, Tara is passionate about her own family. The mother of two young adults (and a small but mighty dog), she travels to see them in Ontario and Quebec when they are not in Nova Scotia. She spends some of her spare time on a yoga mat, at her life long family cottage on the North Shore, weight training, or working from a cookbook in the kitchen with a glass of wine in hand.EducationLL.B.Dalhousie Law School, 1996Bachelor of ArtsAcadia University, 1993

Tara is the “M” in MDW Law. A proactive and well-respected litigator with a reputation of being firm but fair, she joined MDW Law as a partner in May 2015 and is the leader of the firm’s personal injury and insurance litigation practice group. She received her King’s Counsel designation in 2019 and was recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada™ as “Lawyer of the Year” for Personal Injury Litigation in Nova Scotia. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada™ for the past 3 years for her work in Personal Injury Litigation and Insurance Law.

Originally from beautiful but cold Labrador, she sought the warmth of Nova Scotia to attend university and begin a civil litigation practice at a large Atlantic regional law firm. She then honed her litigation skills practicing insurance defence litigation exclusively in-house for a national insurance company. She now uses her over 25 years of knowledge and experience to help clients injured in motor vehicle and other accidents receive fair and timely settlements. She also regularly provides advice and representation in other insurance litigation matters.

Tara was drawn to a personal injury practice after a close family member was in a significant accident. She understands the emotional toll on individuals and families dealing with the aftermath of an unexpected injury or tragedy. While she does not hesitate to take matters to trial when necessary, she believes alternative dispute resolution leading to early settlement is in every client’s best interest as the best results for most are achieved outside of the adversarial court process.

It was this wealth of experience in negotiation, mediation and alternative dispute resolution that led Tara to launch MDW Law’s civil litigation mediation practice with the goal of giving clients another avenue in their search for justice. Mediation is a valuable tool that allows interested parties to resolve disputes in a fair and collaborative manner, a tool that Tara’s unique combination of experience and insight puts to effective use. Having completed Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, “Mediating Disputes”, and represented clients in more than 150 mediations, Tara is an effective alleviator, committed to providing clients with access to justice by resolving claims quickly, expediting justice, and helping them move forward with their lives.

Tara’s experience also includes representing Personal Representatives of deceased family members in the Desmond Fatality Inquiry under the Fatality Investigations Act from 2020 to 2022, and acting for family members of victims in the Mass Casualty Commission from 2021 to 2022.

Outside of the office, Tara is an active and engaged volunteer in her community. She is a Board member of the NSLC and a longstanding provincial Board member of Special Olympics Nova Scotia having served as Chair on two occasions. She served for 3 years as Party President for the NS Progressive Conservative Party. In the legal community, she is the co-chair of the CBA Nova Scotia ADR section.

Like her clients, Tara is passionate about her own family. The mother of two young adults (and a small but mighty dog), she travels to see them in Ontario and Quebec when they are not in Nova Scotia. She spends some of her spare time on a yoga mat, at her life long family cottage on the North Shore, weight training, or working from a cookbook in the kitchen with a glass of wine in hand.