I also help create strategies and story ideas for law firms and legal departments, and I train lawyers to write in plain English that people want to read. I’ve created this site to showcase thoughts and opinions about law and the business of law, as well as providing a resource for law firms, legal departments, and their marketers interested in my services.
What I offer is a unique skill set that will help you take your firm to new levels of clarity, accessibility, and media exposure. With 25 years of experience as a legal affairs journalist, and 17 years of experience as a practicing trial lawyer, my deep understanding of both environments enables me to translate complex legalese into plain yet elegant English. I can produce your content myself; I can also train your lawyers to write in simple English that anyone can understand, and assist in placing and pitching your stories to the media.
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By Julius Melnitzer | June 16, 2021 Make no mistake about it: Bill C-12, the federal legislation designed to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is nothing more than a top-down mandate focused on making net zero emissions commitment the obligation of the federal government. “What Bill C-12 doesn’t tell us is how the federal government […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 9, 2021 Law school and the practice of law, it often seems, have only the law in common. But as many inductees to the profession have discovered, that’s not necessarily enough – practically or psychologically. “I was astounded how different the practise of law is from what we’re told in […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 14, 2021 Modern Advocacy Task Force releases final report The Advocates’ Society Modern Advocacy Task Force has just released its final report, The Right to be Heard: The Future of Advocacy in Canada. The report identifies four overarching principles: the open court principle, the imperative of access to justice, the […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 11, 2021 An arbitration clause that doesn’t explicitly prohibit a terminated employee from making a complaint to the Ministry of Labour doesn’t offend employment standards legislation, the Ontario Superior Court has ruled. “The ruling will give comfort to employers that Ontario courts will enforce arbitration clauses,” says David Vaillancourt of […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 7, 2021 OCA: COUNSEL’S FAILURE TO EXPLAIN BLENDED PROCEDURE IMPACT VITIATES CONVICTION The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that an accused who testified and made what amounted to a full confession on a voir dire should have his conviction overturned because counsel failed to advise him before agreeing to […]
By Julius Melnitzer | June 1, 2021 CAN JUDGES CANCEL CHILD SUPPORT ARREARS RETROACTIVELY? On Friday, June 4, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) will determine whether courts can retroactively cancel child support arrears. The judgment in Colluci v. Colluci will consider whether doing so provides an incentive for payors to be delinquent. Related Article: […]