Our Take On Things

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...

Every once in a while I like to write an entry that supports Inga’s assertion that I do the boring-desk-work™. This will be one of those entries. That said, if you, like me, get jazzed about the idea of creative ways to keep what’s yours, you might enjoy this...

The long weekend is almost upon us and our firm will be closed Friday for the celebrations. I find it interesting that the news in the papers this week is starting to focus on what divides us as a country (ex-pats seeking healthcare & voting rights, Pride Week, race...

Normally I try to draw a line between the solicitor’s work that I do and the litigation work done by other lawyers, including those fine litigators at our firm – but when I read the Motion for Summary Judgment today in the case against the Dallas Mavericks’ management...

Maybe it was the heat wave we had this week, but this Friday I must rant. The reason for my rant is an article in the June 6, 2011 Law Times, a paper aimed at the legal community in Canada, but mostly Ontario. The Article is entitled “LSUC (Law Society of Upper...

There is a lot of confusion about the lawyer’s duty of confidentiality and we have recently had a few run-ins with that confusion.  So much so that it bears a blog entry. If you are a regular reader of this blog, or just a fan of the way lawyers in Ontario are...

I like to listen to AM640 in the mornings on my way to work.  John Oakley has a business analyst by the name of Lou Schizas on near the top of the hour.  He is conservative and has a good head on his shoulders, so he is ok in my books.  Lou often refers to the law of...

Today I am tasked with writing a blog entry on the impact of last night’s general election without offending anyone.  That shouldn’t be too hard, as in federal politics, unlike soccer, I am unbiased (at least in terms of party politics). That having been said, I...

We tend to blog once a week, well, “tend” is not accurate: the boss (that would be me, writing this) has decreed, we must blog once a week & tweet at least twice. I have a good reason for this policy – I absolutely hate it when I follow a blog/twitter feed and nothing...

Right now, Ontario lawyers all around you are voting … well, maybe not at this exact moment, but still, they are/will/should be voting this month. Who are we voting for? Benchers. Naturally, if you’re not a lawyer you’re wondering: “What the heck is a bencher?” It’s...

Sometimes the stress of cash flow, business planning and the general day to day grind of people's jobs can lead to some really bad decisions. Generally the really bad decisions are ones that are made quickly or out of an emotional response, rather than a business...