It is my greatest privilege to guide clients through the legal system, towards recovery for injury and wrongful death claims.
About Cynthia P. Carels
Cynthia moved her wrongful death and personal injury practice from the partnership of a large national law firm to Weir Bowen in 2021, drawn by the reputation and strength of the firm’s medical malpractice team. She helps clients and families navigate serious injury claims, medical negligence and the difficult legal questions that can follow the loss of a loved one.
No matter the cause of harm, Cynthia brings a respectful, trauma-informed approach to her work. Her personal injury practice includes motor vehicle collisions, unsafe premises, defective products and other negligence claims. She understands that clients need more than legal terminology: they need clear explanations, careful investigation and a practical understanding of what comes next.
That commitment to clarity is reflected in her conversations about birth injury litigation and medical evidence, as well as her discussion with Michael McVey of informed consent and preventable errors during labour and delivery. Her work also involves helping families understand wrongful death claims, a subject she explored in an Ask the Lawyer episode about Alberta’s Fatal Accidents Act and compensation for loss of dependency.
As a former broadcast journalist, Cynthia draws on investigative and presentation skills to advocate for clients with confidence and clarity. She developed a nationally accredited Legal Media Relations program for the Canadian Bar Association and serves as a regular co-host of Ask the Lawyer, Weir Bowen’s public legal education program broadcast on the Windspeaker Radio Network. She has helped explain how personal injury compensation is calculated, including lost earnings, future care and the lasting impact of injuries, and has discussed psychological injuries and the evidence involved in these claims.
Making Legal Knowledge Accessible
As a regular co-host of Weir Bowen’s Ask the Lawyer podcast, Cynthia helps guide conversations with colleagues about legal questions affecting individuals and families across Alberta. Her contributions cover medical negligence, wrongful death, personal injury compensation and the practical challenges of navigating the legal system. Her broadcasting experience helps her make complex legal issues understandable, reflecting the same plain-language and compassionate approach she brings to clients.
Raised in a small Central Alberta town, Cynthia believes in plain language and straight talk. She wants clients to understand their options and feel prepared at each stage of the legal process, from initial consultation to resolution. That same commitment is evident in her public discussions of injured children and liability waivers.
Cynthia has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada for Personal Injury Litigation since 2021, including in Weir Bowen’s announcement of the 2026 edition. Her recent professional development includes mediation, alternative dispute resolution and restorative justice coursework. Outside of law, Cynthia is the proud mother of two children and two ridiculously spoiled doodle dogs.
Legal Insights & Speaking Engagements
Cynthia’s work in legal education extends beyond the courtroom. Selected Weir Bowen resources featuring her include:
- Inside Obstetrical Malpractice: Rights, Risks, Remedies
- Navigating Birth Injury Litigation: Key Medical Indicators
- Unveiling the Legal Processes Behind Wrongful Death Claims
- Pain, Wages, and Future Care: Breaking Down Injury Compensation
- Navigating Psychological Injuries: Challenges and Legal Strategies
- Ask the Lawyer podcast archive
Education
1999 – Bachelor of Arts (With Distinction), University of Alberta
2011 – Bachelor of Laws, University of Alberta
2021 – Indigenous Canada, Coursera
2021 – Law Society of Alberta – The Path
2025 – Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee – Trauma Development Signs and Considerations Training
2025 – Alberta Restorative Justice Association – Fundamental Knowledge Course
2026 – Communications in Alternative Dispute Resolution – ADR Institute of Alberta
Bar Admission
2012 – Law Society of Alberta
Professional Associations
Canadian Bar Association
Edmonton Bar Association
Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association - Member-at-Large
Member, Alberta Restorative Justice Association
American Association for Justice
- Motor Vehicle Section
Expertise
Medical Malpractice
Do you have a potential claim for medical malpractice or product liability? We have an efficient and effective in-house team of lawyers who regularly assess malpractice claims and act for plaintiffs in the pursuit of settlements.
Personal Injury
Weir Bowen can investigate claims on your behalf and represent you in personal injury cases, including motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, slip & falls, occupier’s liability, commercial host liability, product liability, subrogated claims, and disability claims.
INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The lands on which Edmonton sits and the North Saskatchewan River that runs through it have been the sites of natural abundance, ceremony and culture, travel and rest, relationship building, making, and trading for Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. Edmonton is located within Treaty 6 Territory and within the Metis homelands and Metis Nation of Alberta Region 4. We acknowledge this land as the traditional territories of many First Nations such as the Nehiyaw (Cree), Denesuline (Dene), Nakota Sioux (Stoney), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux) and Niitsitapi (Blackfoot).
Weir Bowen acknowledges the many First Nations, Métis and Inuit who have lived in and cared for these lands for generations. We are grateful for the traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders who are still with us today and those who have gone before us. We make this acknowledgement as an act of reconciliation and gratitude to those whose territory we reside on or are visiting.