BARE BONES BRIEFS: Canizares disbarred, again | Abuse survivors sue Ottawa over Jordan inaction | Litigant hides AI prompts in court filing | Treatable pedophile dodges dangerous offender label | Epiq picks Bertrand for Canadian class action administration
By Julius Melnitzer | October 12, 2026 CANIZARES DISBARRED, AGAIN Nicholas Canizares has been disbarred for the second time. The Toronto lawyer lost his licence in 1989 and won it back in 2009, on his undertaking to stay out of real estate and criminal law. On October 5, the Law Society Tribunal revoked his licence […]
THC sticker enough for warrantless search, OCA rules
Defence lawyers say Cannabis Control Act asks too little of officers conducting warrantless searches By Julius Melnitzer | September 17, 2026 A vape pen bearing a THC sticker, sitting beside a vehicle’s gearshift, gave police reasonable grounds to search the car and its occupant without a warrant, despite not questioning the driver or examining the […]
SCC rejects presumptive ceiling for post-verdict sentencing delay
Joseph Neuberger | Daniel Brodsky Unanimous court adopts ‘markedly longer’ test in R. v. R.B.-C.; sentence reduction is the ordinary remedy for delay By Julius Melnitzer | September 14, 2026 The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the right of individuals to be tried within a reasonable time is not subject to a presumptive […]
Capital punishment without the Capital
By Marcel Strigberger | July 13, 2026 While in practice, a frequent question laypeople asked me was, “Do you support capital punishment?” My answer is that I am a staunch advocate of capital punishment — as long as nobody actually gets executed. In fact, I believe this is doable. I recently watched a performance of Gilbert […]
New Brunswick assault charge involves accused offering police ‘a present’
By Marcel Strigberger | March 24, 2026 Penalty: Jeremy Robert Weldon, 75 hours of community service for farting. I suppose some elaboration is in order. This is part of the sentence imposed by a provincial court judge in Moncton, N.B. on the gentleman who decided to lead the Mounties on a bit of a chase after driving […]
Washington jury decides: Hero sandwich or assault sub?
By Marcel Strigberger | February 12, 2026 Murder by mustard? You are all no doubt wondering about the outcome of the recent trial in Washington, D.C., of Sean Charles Dunn. A jury found him not guilty of assault for throwing a Subway sandwich at a federal agent who Dunn thought was going to arrest some illegal immigrants. […]
Top 10 business decisions of 2025, part one
Bedrin-Alexander: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM By Julius Melnitzer | February 1, 2026 Here is my annual list of the top 10 business decisions in Canada for the year just ended. This two-part series begins with the cases ranked sixth through tenth, in ascending order. Part two will cover the top five cases. Top 10 business decisions of 2025, […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Lawyer disbarred for failing to ID known Client | PE law firm takeovers on the Rise | Farting is a Crime in NB | Trump would have deported Beatles | IACA launches Global Passport for arbitration Community
By Julius Melnitzer | January 30, 2026 CERTIFYING COPIES OF ID DOCUMENTS LEADS TO DISBARMENT Andrew Jackson, a UK solicitor for more than two decades who led the commercial property at Chester firm Cullimore Dutton Solicitors, lost his license to practise when he admitted certifying copies of of a client’s passport and driving license without […]
Drop that carrot. You’re under arrest.
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 […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Minimum wage overtakes Legal Aid rates | ICE keeps immigration lawyer watch list | Criminal jury trials on the way out? | Bees awarded legal rights | Legal author’s life imitates art
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 […]