Our Take On Things

In November I wrote a blog entry advocating the need to challenge a document before signing, not after. I recently successfully argued this very principal in the Ontario Superior Court. The issue was whether a release signed by the plaintiff should be upheld, or...

Tis' the season to be jolly and well, really busy with end of year litigation and transactions .... which is NOT the reason the Blog has not been updated recently. Rather than our wonderful weekly dose of blogging, our firm is tweeting a "Business Law Advent Calendar"...

Twas the week before Holiday Decorations, when all through the firm, The excitement was building, cheerful voices were heard. People were discussing at the top of their lungs, what type of items would appear in this blog? Would we Occupy this or Evict that? Would we...

LawPro is the insurance company for most of the lawyers in Ontario and they recently released the results of a survey they took regarding what Canadians understood the impact of a Home Equity Line of Credit was on their legal situation. Not surprisingly, well over ½...

Tomorrow we pause at 11 a.m. to remember those who have given their lives to ensure the freedom of our country. I've written before about the personal impact that the Canadian Veterans have on our law firm - but for liberating Holland at the end of WWII, there would...

When we’re not spending our time advocating on our client’s behalf, or otherwise, fighting for their rights, lawyers can be a downright generous lot. Besides the pro bono work that we do when we use our legal skills on behalf of those who would otherwise have little...

Our firm's monthly lunch and learn next Wednesday, October 19, 2011 is "How to Hire & How to Fire". If you are a client of the firm and are interested in the topic, please email to be included on the guest list. As always there is no charge...

This weekend is a time to reflect on the year that has passed and the things and people we are thankful for. As I type this blog, news of Steve Jobs' passing is the headline of the day as is the Ontario election. I am thankful for the technology that Steve Jobs...

As a trial lawyer, one of the challenges that I can face very early in the law suit is serving the defendant with notice of our claim against them. My experience in the past 18 years, is that people who are hiding assets or avoiding payment are often reluctant to...

If you have a shop that sells widgets, your billing strategy is usually pretty simple. You put a price on your widgets and when a customer comes in, they tend to know how many widgets they want to buy. They look at the price of the widgets and if it’s reasonable in...

I'm happy to introduce Murray Brown, Paralegal, licensed with the Law Society of Upper Canada, as the newest addition to our business law firm. Murray has 9 years experience litigating in Small Claims Court - he has already proven to be a wealth of experience and...

Canada’s new Anti-Spam and Online Fraud Act is expected to come into effect sometime this fall and promises to have a significant impact on any business that communicates with the public through e-mail or other commercial electronic messages (including cell phone...

The Canadian Governor General spoke at the Canadian Bar ASsociation annual meeting this month and decreed that lawyers must pay back their "debt to society" by having 10% of their work be pro bono (free) work. He then went on to decree that law firms need to find a...

When I was in law school, I worked in the University of Ottawa’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program as a teaching assistant, and later, as a researcher. The program taught practical dispute resolution techniques to law students in an attempt to give them tools to...

In response to the appalling riots in the United Kingdom this week came news that David Cameron plans a crackdown on social media. While it’s unclear exactly what steps are planned, it seems that the goal is to prevent certain illicit-themed communications on services...

Today we are celebrating our Law Clerk, Christine Allan's, 10th Anniversary of starting to work with our firm. As our clients know, Christine is a great resource to all of us and through the ten years we've worked together has seen many changes including the expansion...

With the mercury rising to the high thirties this week, and the humidex values into the high forties, we thought this would be a good time to write about employer obligations and the heat. The Occupational Health and Safety Act has very few specific restrictions with...

It's summer time in the Big Smoke - the time of year a lawyer's thoughts turn to Muskoka. As the head of the firm, I insist that lawyers & support staff all take actual time off during the year - no pay in lieu of time off. I don't do this to be a mean ogre type of...