Our Take On Things
Kids will learn what they see in the Justice System, not just what they're told
This week is a busy week for me. I'm the Chair of the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN) - Halton Committee and it is Mock Trial Championship time. On Wednesday, the top 8 Halton High School teams will compete for the championship. On Friday, teams from Halton,...
Everyday is Admin Professionals day here !
This week has been set aside by the greeting card companies to celebrate Admin Professionals day. We will be joining in, however, in our firm we appreciate our Admin Professionals every day. Since starting this firm over 23 years ago, I have always been of the belief...
Lawyer/Client Confidentiality and The Panama Papers
If you're reading this Blog and not sure what "The Panama Papers" are, please do a quick Google Search and then return to this Blog. I'll wait. O.K. Everyone on the same page then? Good. I'm bothered by The Panama Papers, for reasons other than the outrage people have...
Another day, another reason Milton needs a new Courthouse
Our law firm is frequently in the Milton, Ontario Court House. Milton needs a new Court House. There is one elevator in the Court House that goes to the third floor. It is out of service more often than it works. This prevents people with mobility issues from easily...
Trial by Twitter is not Due Process
Last week, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (ONHRC) conducted a trial by twitter. A restaurant had allegedly posted, on twitter, an ad for a female restaurant worker. To be clear: one is not allowed to do that in Ontario and job ads must be gender neutral. The...
Why yes, you do have to prove your case
At the end of last week, the Judge handed down his decision in the Jian Ghomeshi case. The finding was that the Crown had not proven its' case "beyond a reasonable doubt". That is the technical definition of what needs to be established in a criminal case before...
Before you do that Business Deal ….
Many of our clients are entering "Deal Mode" these days which often leads to questions about the value and enforceability of documents prepared in anticipation of doing a deal. These questions are often about the binding nature of a letter of intent or, in more...
So you Registered your Trademark. Now what ?
So you’ve gone to all the time and expense of developing a brand, establishing goodwill in the marketplace and even registering your trademark – now what? Here are a few key things to think about so you don't lose the right to your Registered TM: 1. A mark only has...
International Women's Day – A Canadian Female Business Lawyer perspective
Last week I attended a fantastic International Women's Day (IWD) dinner in Halton, Ontario. There were over 900 attendees, most were women, but some men attended the event as well. I was at a table of all women. Four of us, including myself, own law firms. Four were...
A step in the right direction at the Human Rights Tribunal
In Ontario, if you lose in a civil lawsuit, you generally have to pay the legal fees of the winner. The rationale behind this is, in part, it prevents lawsuits that are not likely to succeed from being brought. From a business perspective, focusing on Wrongful...
Scams that Businesses Fall For
The news recently has been blanketed with accounts of the Immigration and CRA frauds making the rounds in the GTA. In these frauds, people phone individuals and advise that they will deported or they are going to jail in the hour because they have not paid taxes. Many...
Working with Contracts prepared by your Lawyers
Many of our clients retain our lawyers to draft contracts that they use on a daily basis in their business. We draft contracts for many industries ranging from commercial landlords to leasing companies to software developers and many others. One of the key pieces of...
Read the Rules already !
This post is directed to lawyers (though non-lawyers are welcome to read as well) in particular, newly Called lawyers. Please. Litigators. Read the Rules of Civil Procedure before moving forward on a matter. Recently our firm has encountered two instances where...
Big changes to the Repair and Storage Liens Act in Ontario
On July 1, 2016, change to the Repair & Storage Liens Act (RSLA) come into effect in Ontario. The industries that will be most heavily effected are Auto Repair & Storage facilities, well at least, that is the industry the government is targeting with this legislation....
A few good reasons to talk to a lawyer before you terminate an employee
Many businesses are blissfully unaware of the legal minefields they are navigating until one day it happens: a terminated employee sues, makes a Ministry of Labour Complaint or files a Human Rights Complaint. All of a sudden, the employer is faced with the full wrath...
To Volunteer or not to Volunteer
Our firm is made up of fantastic people who regularly "give back" both in the legal community and beyond it. Our Law Clerk, Christine, is a Beaver Leader and I am on the Board of Directors of the Halton County Law Association and Chair of OJEN-Halton, to name a couple...
Our firm responds promptly to clients: that shouldn't be a big deal
Lately I've noticed our firm is being "thanked" a lot by clients and people making inquiries about our firm, for "getting back to us so promptly." Our turnaround is at the very latest, five hours for a reply, even if that reply is only to say "we're in Court, we'll...
It's a New Year – let's get some new ideas going!
Maybe it's just me, but 2015 had some themes running through it, in terms of the legal industry. I'm hoping that some new ideas will spring up in 2016, because by December, this really felt like beating the same drum over and over and over again. Here are my "top...
Small Claims Court Victories of 2015 (a.k.a. an Ode to Murray Brown)
Many readers of our Blog have met our amazing Paralegal, Murray Brown. This past year, Murray has once again delivered numerous victories to our clients and this last week of 2015 is a good time to look back on them. As we're a law firm, we are bound by lawyer/client...
Resolutions for your Business
As we're approaching the end of 2015, it's a great time to reflect back on your business last year and resolve to make changes in 2016. The following "resolutions" are items that will help strengthen your business in 2014 and beyond, take a look through and see how...
2015 Business Law Highlights
As the year starts speeding to a close, this week's Blog takes a look at some of the important Business Law issues of 2015. The most recent change is the November 20, 2015, changes to the Ontario Employment Standards Act that came into effect and could significantly...