By: Julius Melnitzer | January 28, 2026 The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has ruled an employers’ conduct that creates mere emotional discomfort for employees during the accommodation process may not amount to discrimination. “What emerges from the Cillis v. Hamilton decision is an objective standard requiring employers to act reasonably, not perfectly,” says Jeff Goodman, a commercial […]
Photo by Cottonbro at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | January 20, 2026 My friend Peter was an accountant. He told me that there were partners at partners meetings who worked hard to build the firm for the benefit of all. Then there were others who stayed mostly quiet and out of sight, but every so […]
When do you have the right to return to an all-you-can-eat salad bar? Did you know you can be arrested for salad bar abuse? We all thought COVID-19 would signal the end of the salad bar. However, these sumptuous buffets have made a resurgence. The number of establishments offering all-you-can-eat salad bars (AYCESB) is forever […]
By Julius Melnitzer | January 16, 2026 BENNETT JONES ADDS THREE CORE PARTNERS Seeking to align both with the priorities of the firm and the Canadian economy, Bennett Jones has scooped three high-profile lawyers from other national firms to join its energy, mining, and M&A groups. They are: DELAY STILL THE NORM AT LSO Just […]
Photo by Mads Donald at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | January 15, 2026 I spent last winter on cruise ships, trying to escape the cold, the snow, and everything back home that reminded me of working in a law firm. With a cruise ship comes shore excursions, and with shore excursions come buses, and with buses […]
By Marcel Strigberger | January 14, 2026 Ever hear of a place in Russia called Khanty-Mansiysk? Didn’t think so. Vladimir Rychagov was a factory worker there, until he hit the jackpot, or rather helped himself to it. Through a software glitch, his employer deposited the salaries of 34 of its employees into his bank account, being over […]
By Natascha Ibowski | January 12, 2026 When powerful states act in secrecy and justify it afterward as “necessary,” the problem is not a lack of intelligence. It is a failure of attention. Recent developments on the stage of global affairs got me thinking about how the current climate reveals an all too familiar pattern: […]
By Julius Melnitzer | January 8, 2026 The NID objection is seen as a unique barrier to doing business in Canada – Elliott Gold Since the 2019 wholesale amendments to Canada’s Trademarks Act introduced the “not inherently distinctive” (NID) objection to trademark (TM) registration, which gave examiners the power to adjudicate distinctiveness at the prosecution stage, it has […]
By Murray Gottheil | January 5, 2026 [Note from Murray: Many of my readers are younger professionals. They may not be crazy about the content of this article. In my defense, I can be a curmudgeon sometimes, but that does not necessarily invalidate my old-fashioned opinions!] After much thought, I have concluded that young people should […]
By Julius Melnitzer | January 4, 2026 RATES HIT NEW BOTTOM FOR LEGAL AID LAWYERS $193.20 for 15 hours: that’s what the UK government paid an experienced lawyer for publicly-funded family law work. And according to a recent Bar Council report, that news doesn’t come close to revealing the personal cost of taking on legal […]