Our Take On Things
A Press Conference is Not a Law: We Need the Details
Our firm has been working non-stop since the Pandemic arrived advising our clients on the various new pieces of legislation that impact them right now. The cycle of advice has fallen into a familiar rhythm: There are rumours of a Government program coming down the...
Only Make Allegations in Your Pleadings That You Can Back Up with Evidence
Just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and we are all working from home, I was forced to defend a client who was served with a claim where the allegations made against them were based upon the Plaintiff speculating what happened. There was no evidence attached to...
The WFH Transition
How is everyone doing? Is everyone social distancing and following the guidelines the government wants us to? Are you working from home, or are you still essential service? Do you have young ones at home that are now home schooled for the foreseeable...
Force Majeure Clauses: Is Anything Really Boilerplate Anymore?
If you’ve ever seen or attempted to read a business contract, you know how long these documents can be. You might even be annoyed by all the “boilerplate” clauses thrown into the contract. Let’s face it, the parties really only care about the meat of the agreement;...
Getting Businesses Through This Situation
Have you noticed all of the emails companies are sending out telling you what they are doing due to Covid-19? I appreciate the ones from grocery stores that are letting me know how things are changing. I do not appreciate the ones from online software services I...
You Better Show Up to Court (Or Else) [once They are open again]
I previously wrote a blog about successfully getting an Order to serve a Notice of Contempt Hearing by regular mail as the debtor was (with the assistance of his parents) evading service. Our client spent a lot of money trying to get them served without success. Well,...
Is Your Business Protected From Viruses?
There are so many things out there that can affect your company. Even time change can affect your company (tired employees the next day). Do you have what you need to protect your company? Given the hype over the last month or so, we are talking about...
Keeping Employees Safe and Keeping the Lights on in the Business
Covid19. This is a powerful virus and I’m not just referring to the medical aspects of it. Covid19 is crashing the stock market, highlighting poor government responses in some countries and excellent responses in others. Businesses have been responding in different...
You Can Complain, But You Cannot (Usually) Hide at the HRTO
If you aren’t savvy with acronyms, the “HRTO” is the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. This Tribunal deals with claims of discrimination and harassment brought under the Ontario Human Rights Code. As business lawyers we have seen a dramatic increase in the...
Employment Agreements Matter
It’s coldish, there is a lot of snow, (sometimes) the days are short and the nights are long. That’s right, it’s February. What better way to celebrate a mild month than to have a Teacher’s strike? For those, like me, with young children being...
Family Business
As we all look back fondly on the Family Day we just celebrated, or perhaps with a “see ya later suckers” attitude, it seemed like the right day to Blog about family businesses. The mere mention of Family Business sets off the gentle ding ding of alarm bells in most...
Just Consent Already
It is very frustrating to deal with parties who act unreasonably in a matter. That frustration gets taken up a notch (or forty) when the other party is self-represented, because they usually don’t know how the Court process works. I am having a tonsillectomy...
Death, Taxes & Secondary Wills
Even in death we often can’t escape the tax man. When we die, estate administration tax, or “probate fees,” become payable. These fees, which are approximately 1.5% of the value of a deceased’s estate, can add up. However, some smart estate planning by your lawyer can...
It’s Your Right To Not Receive Spam
It amazes me how many times I check my email, professional and personal, and see the amount of “junk” mail that is there, especially with all the big hype when CASL came into force July 1, 2014. Sure, I ordered off your website ONCE, does that mean I need to get...
It’s Not Bullying, It’s Litigation
Ontario’s Civil Court system is an adversarial system. This means lawyers on opposite side of the case are paid to put forward opposite points of view. This means the lawyers will disagree. They can do so civilly, but at the end of the day,...
What Makes Andriessen & Associates So Great ?
I was recently in Court and a very large Toronto law firm brought a Motion to reinstate an action that had been dismissed for delay. The Defendant argued that not only should the action remain dismissed for delay, it should remain dismissed for the Plaintiff’s failure...
Ignorance Isn’t Bliss if Your Being Sued
Have you or your company been served with a Statement of Claim? If so, this means exactly what you think it means - you my friend, are being sued. Whether you are being sued by a client, vendor, or another business, this will not go away on its own. It may be that you...
Can a Law Clerk do Everything?
We always do what we can to keep fees down for the client and we have mentioned it time and time again about our flat fees. As much as we try to keep fees less surprising for our clients, there are just some areas where there can be no compromise. For...
Holiday Ho Ho Ho
The holiday season is here and from the paranoid, Scrooge McDuck Laywer point of view, this brings a lot of potential liability into your Business. Let’s start off with this Blog title. Ho Ho Ho is only o.k. in the workplace if it is in reference to Santa’s...
Big News in Small Claims Court!
In 2010, the Ontario Government increased the monetary limit of the Small Claims Court from $10,000.00 to $25,000.00. On January 1, 2020 the monetary jurisdiction of the Small Claims Court will increase to $35,000.00 as the Government believes this will help resolve...
Why Corporate By-Laws Matter
Are you incorporating your business or already incorporated? Do you know what corporate by-laws are? Corporate by-laws – if you don’t know – are rules for your corporation, which are established by your business’ Board of Directors when the corporation is being set...