Our Take On Things

On September 13th we celebrated my 10th year anniversary of being with Andriessen & Associates.  I thought I would use this blog to reflect on my time with the Firm. First off, my co-workers have had the pleasure of working with me for a decade, and I say,...

Yesterday we celebrated the 10 year workiversary of Murray Brown, our Licensed Paralegal.   This follows the 20 year workiversary of Christine Allan, our Law Clerk, we celebrated last month. So, why are we so fortunate to have people work with us for a long...

September for many people is a like finally getting a breath of fresh air and is re-start.  Kids are back to school, post-secondary kids have left the nest and are off to college or university, and it’s the end of summer.  Big changes are coming in as much...

Did the word “cookie” catch your eye? Are you now thinking of chocolate chips, oatmeal raisin, white macadamia nut, or peanut butter? Good, we have your attention. Unfortunately, these are not the type of “cookies” we are talking about today. The types of cookies that...

We issued a claim against an individual for damages owed due to a breach of contract.  In our client, we plead the doctrine of unjust enrichment. Unjust enrichment is a claim which the Plaintiff alleges that the Defendant was enriched at the Plaintiff’s expense...

Time to dive into a timely legal issue.   We’ve received many inquiries from clients lately on the topic of vaccines and most are about employee vaccinations status.  At the time of writing this Blog, there is no Canadian Federal nor Ontario Provincial...

Let’s talk about Retainer Agreements, and the requirements of a law firm to know their client.  Many people may not know but when you hire a lawyer, it’s not just a matter of saying “Yes,  you be my lawyer” and then pay them when they invoice you. ...

Last summer a former manager of Starbucks brought a class action lawsuit against Starbucks Coffee Canada Inc. The plaintiff in this action brought the suit on behalf of themself and that of all current and former managers of Starbucks in Ontario, who were employed by...

I was recently involved in a frustrating litigation matter where our client was named as Defendant in an action and judgment was obtained against them.  They were never served with the Plaintiff’s Claim (we have all heard that before, right?) but no, really, this...

I am literally back from two weeks in the Wilderness.  No electricity, lots of bears, skitters and peace and quiet.   It was very needed after the past year, and I am 100% recharged and ready to tackle work again with enthusiasm and a clear mind. I have...

Intellectual Property aka IP refers to creations of the mind and the ownership of an idea or design by the person who came up with it.  While my mind is creating and imagining a world when we don’t need to worry about quarantine and wearing a mask, other peoples...

While the celebration of Canada Day may have been a controversial issue this year, that did not change the fact that it remains a statutory holiday. Statutory holidays, which are public holidays recognized by the federal and provincial governments, are (depending on...

As a matter progresses through the stages of litigation, the opinions of a paralegal or lawyer may change. Sometimes to your benefit, other times, not so much. A client’s expectations should adapt to those changes. Newly introduced evidence or caselaw for example...

A couple of weeks ago the news cycle led with the headline that the Ontario government has closed the time gap between the first dose of Astra Zeneca to the second dose of a vaccine from 12 to 8 weeks.   The headline didn’t include the detail, that this was...

Has your business been shut down for part of this pandemic, or maybe even all of this pandemic?  Do you have fewer employees in the office?  Did you have to email your employees new procedures and policies for the ever-changing guidelines issued by the...

Today, we share a little cautionary tale of what happens when employers “go rogue” and fire employees without first consulting an employment lawyer. No, not just any old lawyer will do, it should be one that practices employment law. Why, you ask? Because the employer...

At times, correspondence between parties contains the phrase Without Prejudice, but many people do not know what it means or how the phrase is applied. If correspondence contains the phrase Without Prejudice, it is used for confidential discussions, both written and...

When I decided to write this Blog, I went through the mental gymnastics that most wise people do these days.   I’m not Asian, so does this have to be said, does this have to be said by me, does this have to be said by me right now.   Clearly as I’m writing this, the...

Do you ever feel like you could get an “information overload” headache from all of the information that you can find online on a specific topic, and not to mention, the contradicting information you can find.  Now, it seems to be too-fold with respect to virus,...

Okay, we know everything in the news and on social media, as well as in our texts and conversations, is about the pandemic. Hey, we get it, we are just as guilty - just look at some of our previous blog posts. But the pandemic really has changed a lot in our lives....

It has become incredibly frustrating to see the lawyers at our firm moving their matters forward in Superior Court while I sit on dozens of files waiting for something to happen in Small Claims Court. I filed a Motion for Subservice in early January, 2021. ...