Our Take On Things

The word trademark sounds important to many. It sounds big.  It sounds expensive.  As a result, many small businesses believe that registering a trademark for their name and/or log is not important. While cost is always a consideration in any business decision,...

If you are a commercial landlord, then you may have some knowledge of executing a distraint to collect rent owed to you. If you are owed rent monies, then you have the right (unless it’s been removed in the lease) to take the chattels of your tenant and sell them,...

As a Business Law Firm, a growing part of our practice is advising and representing employers in Applications before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO). If your business has not been hit with an Application, you may feel this Blog is irrelevant to you: think...

On October 29, 2014, Ontario Employers are required to provide three new types of leave to employees who qualify for those leaves. The leaves are: 1. Crime-Related Death or Disappearance Leave; 2. Critically Ill Child Care Leave; and, 3. Family Caregiver Leave. 1....

So, the public might imagine that the Law Society of Upper Canada's release of new Rules of Conduct for lawyers next month is directly tied to the lawyer who was just caught, allegedly improperly disbursing trust money. The public would be wrong. Yesterday the Law...

Here’s some interesting information on why having a lawyer advocate on your behalf is a good idea. A recent study came out in the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies titled “Lawyer and Nonlawyer Susceptibility to Framing Effects in Out-of –Court Civil Litigation...

Normally this Blog is about Business Law Topics, well, that and the occasional rant about something one of us in the firm is going on about and needs to share with the rest of the universe. This Blog, however, is addressed to those of you starting Law School this...

I read a column in the Globe & Mail this week called "Nine to Five". An employee had written in complaining that her boss was in her office, looking through documents, though she had locked the door. The answers no doubt surprised the employee: the boss was within...

As a business lawyer, my favourite hat to wear is that of business litigator. I truly enjoy my role in the court room above any other. However, there are many other interesting hats I wear and as I become more senior in the practice, those hats are worn more and more...

Proceeding with an Action in Small Claims has changed as of July 1, 2014. It’s not a big change, but it is a change (honestly, we’re a little disappointed that the changes are not bigger). Prior to July 1, 2014 a defendant who wanted to defend a lawsuit had to file...

Our firm has a great program to help businesses ensure they get paid promptly - it's a program that regiments when and who you contact on unpaid accounts. Interestingly though, come summer, many businesses suddenly ease up on their payment timelines. Just because...

I'm just back from a two week break having enjoyed scuba diving in Ohio (I don't recommend it ... the location, not the diving) and then time up north paddling amongst the loons and other wildlife. As luck would have it, my internet connections were poor to...

July 1, 2014 everything changes for business in Canada when it comes to Commercial Electronic Messages (CEMs) thanks to Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). There are a lot of businesses in Canada who do not understand the law will apply to them: "we don't spam" is...

There are some days it is harder to maintain my cool than others, the humidity in the GTA today makes it harder, but that it not what I'm talking about. Those days are when, generally, young counsel, stoop to name calling, taking positions not supportable by case law...

I recently read an Article about things businesses can do to collect money. One of the things it suggested was sending a Registered Letter to the person/business who owes you money. I disagree. As a Business Lawyer for 21 years, with a lot of experience in Collection...