The importance of a well-drafted confidentiality clause, and the dangers of AI
By Julius Melnitzer | July 8, 2025 A recent US$3.1-million award by a Florida jury in favour of Pliteq, Inc. (Pliteq, Inc. v. Mostafa, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60316), a Canadian international engineering services and manufacturing enterprise, against a high-ranking Dubai-based employee who stole trade secrets demonstrates that — despite cross-border tensions — Donald Trump’s America may […]
The Real Estate Correction’s Domino Effect: Perspectives from an Expert Witness
By Andy MacDonald | July 3, 2025 I was recently hired to write an expert witness report for a case that perfectly illustrates the domino effects of the real estate correction that started in 2022. As you may recall, the Bank of Canada began to raise interest rates in the spring of 2022, signalling the […]
Kramer v. Kramer?
By Marcel Strigberger | June 25, 2025 As spooky as AI is, at least it comes up with information. However, AI is known to do what it wants to do, and the information can get a bit off base. We are all familiar, for example, with Donoghue v. Stevenson. In this iconic 1932 case, the House of […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: The Canadian law firms that generate the most revenue per lawyer | How and why a great Canadian law firm folded | OK to compare Israel with Nazis: court | Lawyers can be jailed for misusing AI | Privacy Commissioner frustrated with pace of reforms
By Julius Melnitzer | June 18, 2025 IF RICHES ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOAL Here, in Canadian dollars and according to Law.com, are Canadian Big Law firms that produce the most revenue per lawyer: Related Article: Advice from Law Schools: Follow the Money to Big Law HEENAN BLAIKIE’S DEMISE: UNVEILED If you want to discover how […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: LexisNexis: AI will allow lawyers to charge $10K hourly | Why criminals love law firms | Everything you’ll want to know about taxes | Novel grounds of appeal: Too Fat to Die | Not a valid TM: “This is the Fucking News”
By Julius Melnitzer | April 13, 2025 AI MAKES LAWYERS MORE EXPENSIVE Sean Fitzpatrick, Lexis Nexis’s CEO, told Business Insider that AI could facilitate lawyers charging $10K per hour because it gives them “that extra set of eyes” that allows them to deliver better service. To some, including myself, this could imply that lawyers charging […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Facebook withdraws targeted ads that revealed woman’s pregnancy | Lawyer fined for AI misuse | Massive penalties for tax advisors who facilitate non-compliance | Tax crackdown on lawyers follows AML crackdown | China hit with $24B judgment for unleashing COVID-19 | Arbitration Place opens in Miami
By Julius Melnitzer | March 27, 2025 FACEBOOK CAVES ON TARGETED ADS Faced with a landmark lawsuit alleging that its targeted ads offended privacy laws, Facebook has agreed to stop personalized ads aimed at a UK woman. Tanya O’Carroll, an expert in tech policy and human rights, first took offence in 2017 when she became […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Paul Weiss caving to Trump isn’t the problem: the profession is | ALM crackdown on lawyers continues | Law firm penalized $883,000 for breaching Russia sanctions | OCA: Courts can’t compel contempt defendants to testify | Alexi survey confirms AI threatens lawyers
By Julius Melnitzer | March 25, 2025 AMERICAN LAWYERS’ INACTION ON TRUMP REMINISCENT OF NAZI ERA Most of the criticism surrounding Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP’s capitulation to Donald Trump’s retribution campaign has focused on the firm. But firm chair Brad Karp’s widely disseminated email accusing the profession of not being supportive and […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Dentons faces AML charges | Is private equity taking over the profession? | Historic Shell emissions judgment overturned – but landmines remain | Hogan Lovells mistakenly discloses 4,321 privileged documents | Sun Life report: Canadian pension risk transfers exceed $3 billion in 2024
By Julius Melnitzer | March 23, 2025 DENTONS MUST FACE AML CHARGES The Law Society Gazette reports that the UK’s High Court has overturned the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal’s (SDT) dismissal of anti-money laundering charges against Dentons. The SDT ruled that Dentons’ breach was “inadvertent” and did not amount to professional misconduct. But on appeal by […]
Elephants, cats, and cows, oh my
By Marcel Strigberger | Feb 9, 2025 Are animals being viewed more like humans? What happens when you cross an elephant, a cow, and a cat? Now how would I know that? Am I Noah? But I do have a trilogy of stories regarding these animals. Or are they just animals? An animal protection group, […]
Top 10 business decisions for 2024 – – and the law firm players, Part II
By Julius Melnitzer | January 29, 2025 Here is the second part of Law360 Canada’s annual list of the Top 10 business decisions in Canada for the year just ended. This is a two-part series, which began in Part I with our honourable mentions and the cases ranked 6-10. What follows are the Top 5 […]