BARE BONES BRIEFS: ECJ: Accountants’ communications not privileged | Alexi AI cuts routine litigation task time by 80% | Legal Risk Assessments: tackling risk proactively | OCA: No appeals of court-ordered arbitrator appointments | Singapore to establish international appeals body for commercial cases
By Julius Melnitzer | October 30, 2024 ECJ RULES THAT PRIVILEGE DOES NOT EXTEND TO TAX ADVISORS WHO ARE NOT LAWYERS The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that privilege in tax matters extends only to lawyers and not to other professionals, even if they perform similar advisory tasks. The court concluded […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: LSO licenses parolee serving 27-year sentence| Caseway AI legal research tool eliminates “hallucinations” | Cecilia Hoover joins BLG | Marcel Strigberger’s hilarious new book | Should Canada adopt UK public inquiry recommendations?
By Julius Melnitzer | October 27, 2024 LST: PAROLED APPLICANT STILL SERVING 27-YEAR SENTENCE CAN PRACTISE LAW The Law Society Tribunal Hearing Division has granted a license to practise law in Ontario to Dr. Serdar Kalaycioglu, a parolee convicted of a multi-million wire fraud in the US who still has about 3 years left in […]
Monkhouse Law v. Belyavsky: Could this be among the worst attempts ever to justify lawyers’ fees?
By Julius Melnitzer | September 18, 2024 It’s not just that Justice Robert Centa of the Ontario Superior Court cut Monkhouse Law’s bill to Yefim Belyavsky by over 90 percent, from $25,163 to $2,000: what’s really astounding is the Toronto employment law boutique’s misplaced presentation of the case it made to support its fees. Centa […]
Vacation Frustration
By Murray Gottheil | September 10, 2024 A junior associate at a law firm called me the other day to complain. There is nothing unusual about that. Associates complain a lot, often with good reason. Her complaint this time was that she had told H.R. that she needed to take a day off for personal reasonS and […]
What Does Loyalty Have To Do With It?
Photo by Roman Odintsov at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | September 4, 2024 Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down – Grace Murray Hopper I thought it might be fun to test my skills as a writer by writing about two things that have virtually nothing to do with each other. I considered writing […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Talent-starved law firms offer staff $50,000 for hiring referrals | IPH pays $82.5 million for Bereskin & Parr | More lawyers coughing up as cyberattacks rise 77% | Report: regulating working hours will promote EDI in profession | IP firm sets new standards for parental leave
By Julius Melnitzer | September 3, 2024 EARN $50,000: BRING US A LAWYER A&O Shearman, Kirkland & Ellis, Goodwin, and Paul Weiss are among the law firms offering their junior lawyers US$50,000 to refer acquaintances as possible hires. According to Financial Times, referral bonuses as part of recruitment strategy have been around for awhile, but […]
Mental Health in Law Firms
Rose Avarino By Rose Avarino | August 21, 2024 This is a condensed version of an article that first appeared on Walker Law’s website. Mental health is at the forefront of many social media platforms: from psychotherapists offering advice on self-care to individual influencers posting about their mental health journeys. But are we really prioritizing […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Lawyer prosecuted for “overstating” client’s case | Failed lawyers cost creditors $1.42 billion | Lawyers abandon Musk | Must-read: Rotfleisch on crypto tax | Japan liberalizes foreign lawyer rules
By Julius Melnitzer | August 20, 2024 IT’S GETTING RISKY TO THREATEN LITIGATION The Law Society Gazette reports that the Solicitors Regulation Authority has decided to prosecute one of the UK’s top media lawyers, Christopher Hutchings of London firm Hamlins LLP, for making false or misleading claims and improperly threatening litigation during a phone call […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Targeting immigration law firms is “terrorism” | Three years for man who incited violence against lawyers | Burgeoning practice area: Nature rights | Fiona Legere joins Blakes | Stuart Wood assumes Canadian Regional CEO role at international IP network IPH Group
By Julius Melnitzer | August 14, 2024 UK PROSECUTORS CONSIDERING TERRORISM CHARGES AGAINST RIOTERS TARGETING IMMIGRATION LAW FIRMS Practice Source reports that in the wake of recent right-wing riots stemming from false Internet allegations that a Muslim was responsible for the mass stabbing attack on children in Southport, the UK’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen […]
When Mentoring Disappears
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels By Murray Gottheil | August 11, 2024 Many new lawyers start their own practices soon after graduation or join firms that offer little mentoring or training. I attribute this to a number of factors, including the law firm model falling into disfavour over issues of work/life balance and mental health, and prejudice […]