Our Take On Things

Gone are the days when a handshake was enough to enforce deals between vendors and buyers. Well at least we hope those days are gone. If you’re still doing handshake deals, stop right now! You are a business owner, a potential titan of industry, so in the very least...

I was recently interviewed by the Lawyer’s Daily to comment on modernization in the BC Court System.  On the same day that was published, a client bemoaned the fact that the Rules of Civil Procure required original signed affidavits to file with the Ontario...

Some employers misclassify their employees as independent contractors. Now this misclassification can be the result of an innocent mistake, but it can (in the case of some sneaky business owners) be an intentional act meant to deny their employees protections under...

Lately it seems that pets are everywhere.   As both a Business Lawyer and an individual with a severe animal allergy, I notice it more than the average person as if a pet is in a business, I cannot breathe in that business.    I like pets, I...

We all know about the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the Privacy Act, and the importance and maintaining an individual’s privacy.  But do you know the lengths that law firms in Ontario take to ensure we keep your information...

The Limitations Act allows you two years to sue a party for money you’re owed.  That doesn’t mean you should wait until the eve of the second year to commence a lawsuit. Why?  Well, memories fade, documents get lost, and witnesses disappear. It is difficult...

As I write this Blog, I’m waiting to be called to trial in a Courthouse that is not in Toronto, Ontario.     As with most Court Houses in the Court House runs “sittings” twice yearly when civil and family trials are heard.   The sittings...

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has been cracking down on parties that aren’t taking Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) seriously. In fact the CRTC recently sent a message to Canadian businesses that CASL isn’t all bark...

I have written before about the decision to incorporate, or to register a business name, but haven’t touched on Trademarks.  What is a Trademark?  The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) defines Trademark as “a combination of letters, words, sounds...

On June 17, 2019 a big change is taking place in Canada's Trademark world and it will matter to your Brand, if you don't already have a registered Trademark. The current Canadian system is the first party to prove use of the Trademark is the one who is allowed to...

Doing your due diligence before entering into a contract or lease agreement with an individual or corporation can be beneficial in the long run.  It may seem mundane to double check their credit and making sure they actually own the house they say they do, but...

People are freelancing more now than ever and has become a reality for many Canadians.   If you are a freelancer or provide your services by billing your clients for your time, make sure you record your time, or you may not get paid. At our firm, a large portion...

In our blog post entitled “Find A Good Ol’ Trustee Person to Act on Your Behalf,” we discussed the importance of appointing a power of attorney. Today we look at what to do if you find out that an attorney for property is abusing their power. When clients come to us...

The Law Society of Ontario's Bencher's elections are in full swing. There are many candidates, some running for specific causes and some running because they want the Law Society to have Benchers whose average year of call is not 27 years. So. That was interesting....

Spring has sprung so you know what that means – it’s time to Spring Clean, and no I don’t mean your house.    Now that winter is done (hopefully there won’t be anymore snow days), you should take a look at refreshing the office and dusting off those cobwebs,...

Who have you appointed as your power of attorney? How about the estate trustee in your will? People don’t often give enough thought to the appointment of their powers of attorney and the estate trustee for their wills. We won’t even get started about the people who...

You got a Notice of Garnishment telling you that your bank, another person who owes you money or your employer has been "garnished": what does that mean? Well, it usually means that you failed to file a defence to an action you were named as a defendant, and then...

The word professional is battered about a lot these days. When I first went to law school, it was said that the difference between a profession and an occupation is that professionals have to put their clients, students and patients before themselves. That makes a lot...

Often times when drafting your Will, you can feel pressure to pick the right individual for the many roles that are involved in administering a Will.  For example, people have a hard time selecting what they want to do in the event of a family tragedy, or in the...

A few months later, and here we finally are! We present to you the much anticipated (well, we like to think so) final installment of the Good Lawyer!   As a short recap, in our previous posts we have already pointed out the value of having/or being a lawyer...

Before you proceed with or defending a lawsuit based upon principle, you must ask yourself: is this a good idea?  Most of the time, the answer will be no. Throughout my career, clients have instructed me to proceeded with litigation based on principle, and not...