Our Take On Things
The Benefits of an Offer to Settle
I was recently successful in a Small Claims law suit where our client was sued for alleged damages to a vehicle the plaintiff claimed were caused by our client. It was obvious after reviewing the Plaintiff’s Claim that the plaintiff had no reason to sue our client....
The LSUC Statement of Principles
Ontario lawyers all recently received the email from the Law Society telling us we have to create a Statement of Principles that acknowledges our obligation to promote equality, diversity and inclusion generally, and in your behaviour towards colleagues, employees,...
Don’t Be Tardy
If you thought by the title of today’s post that we were jumping ship and reviewing the American reality television show of the same name, rest assured we are not! Today’s post is a reflection of some of the recent contract negotiation work we have assisted our...
How to Be Prepared to Meet with Your Wills & Estates Lawyer
There are so many people out there who have not given serious thought about Estate Planning. They question “what will happen if I die?”, “what will happen if both myself and spouse dies, my child(ren) will get the property , right?”. Before that happens (I mean before...
You have a limited time to sue – do you know when that is?
There are numerous situations where a client walks into a law office with a valid issue but is unable to receive the outcome they desire. In this profession, clients do not always get the results they want however they should never be robbed of their day in court due...
I am not a Tax Cheat & neither are our Clients !
Our firm is a Professional Corporation. The Canadian Government has declared we are therefore tax cheats. I disagree. Many of our clients are also Professional Corporations or Small Business Corporations. They are not tax cheats either. Over the past twenty-four year,...
The importance of a Business Name Registration
One thing that we have noticed with our corporate clients is that they are often operating under a name different than that which has been incorporated. For example, incorporating “ABC Company Incorporated” and then operating under “DEF Co”. What’s the problem with...
The Era of Airbnb and the Residential Tenancies Act
We recently had a request from client who is a condominium owner to proceed with an eviction because their tenant was not only failing to pay them rent, but they also had listed the condominium for rent on the Airbnb website. The question they asked was: Can a tenant...
Before You Sign the Dotted Line – The Assignment Clause
When entering into a services contract, you may be focused on the business terms such as the scope of services and the fees to be paid and gloss over the provisions towards the end of a contract that look like boilerplate provisions. These provisions include the...
Dear Future Mentees in the LPP
I've had the privilege of being a Mentor Lawyer to over twenty-four of the Law Society's Law Practice Program (LPP) Candidates over the past three years. These are lawyers who have graduated law school and are choosing the LPP instead of Articling. The last week of...
Why are Law Clerks important?
When I was in grade 8 and asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, I knew that it was to work in a law firm. I knew I didn’t want to become a lawyer, or be part of Reception (not that there is anything wrong with that!). I knew I didn’t want to go to Court, but...
What Not to Do in Small Claims Court
Throughout my fifteen year career as a paralegal, I have had to deal with many unprepared and inexperienced lawyers and paralegals. Based upon my recent dealings with those representatives, here is my top 7 list of things not to in Small Claims Court: #7 - Do not...
To Be or Not To Be …. Secured
A few weeks ago the Bank of Canada raised its key lending rate for the first time in seven years by a quarter-percentage-point. Although a move like this signals a growing confidence in the Canadian economy, not everybody shares this excitement. For lenders, it can...
So you're thinking of practicing law in a different province …
When I decided to go British Columbia for law school, I was met with excitement and congratulated for starting a new chapter in life. When I decided to article and work in BC, I was met with skepticism. Not because there is anything wrong with BC (I do prefer the city...
That's the way we've always done it is not a great reason to still do something
There is a lot written these days about failure to innovate in business being an invitation to the end of that business. There is a lot of truth in that, but that is not what this Blog is about. This Blog is about Business Law and in particular, Business Litigation....
Happy 150 Canada !
I'm not intending to trample any American pride by posting this ode to Canada but honestly, our country is awesome. As a Business Law firm, we are able to point out when we disagree with the government and no one tramples our right to do this. As advocates for our...
We're Business Lawyers. We're here for you.
Seven years ago, I decided I didn't like the way I have traditionally answered the question: "What do you do?" My answer to that point had been "I"m a corporate/commercial lawyer". If you were not a lawyer, this response generally led to blank stares and for those...
It's almost summer, let's talk vacations
I hope you were not expecting travel tips when you clicked on the link to this Blog. While I do have some (Curacao for scuba diving, Sun Peaks for downhill skiing) that is not what I want to talk about today. Today we're talking about how employers handle vacations...
Canadian Anti Spam Legislation (CASL) – Big Update
On June 7, 2017 the Canadian Government wisely delayed the right of private prosecution under CASL. This was set to come into force on July 1, 2017 and would have allowed private law suits to enforce violations of the anti-spam laws. The press release from the...
Employers change is on the horizon in Ontario (aka the light at the end of the tunnel is a train)
In Ontario, some significant changes are being proposed to the Employment Standards Act - the important words is "proposed" in that sentence, there is time for Employers to chime in with their thoughts. Our firm does not represent Employees in Employment Law issues,...
So you want to get paid?
One of the things our firm is great at is helping businesses get paid. By the time we're involved, it's usually a litigation matter, however, we like to encourage businesses to take steps to protect themselves before it lands on our desks. This is why we created...