BARE BONES BRIEFS: Pandemic spurs unprecedented satisfaction with lawyers | Non-humans can be patent ‘inventors’ | SCC revisits statutory interpretation? | EU declares open season for environmental challenges | Best of: law firm webinars & bulletins
By Julius Melnitzer | October 29, 2021 CLIENT SATISFACTION WITH LAWYERS PEAKS DURING PANDEMIC A UK survey suggests the inability to meet lawyers in person has, at the very least, not diminished clients’ satisfaction with their services. Indeed, according to the Law Society Gazette, satisfaction levels reached an all-time high during the pandemic. The Legal […]
Ontario court upholds employees’ right to sue for wrongful dismissal in cases of chronic stress
By Julius Melnitzer | September 17, 2021 Ontario’s Divisional Court has affirmed employees’ right to sue for wrongful and constructive dismissal in the civil courts in cases of chronic mental stress arising from workplace harassment. “That’s important because workplace compensation claims by employees suffering from mental stress as a result of harassment might increase an […]
Recommended Reading: Timely Law Firm Bulletins
By Julius Melnitzer | July 19, 2021 CHARITIES & NON-PROFIT Miller Thomson: Why it matters that the Supreme Court decision reinforced the existence of hidden contracts in charity/nonprofit governance COMPETITION McMillan: Emerging Competition & Data Privacy Issues for Real Estate Organizations DATA PRIVACY Gowlings: New Standard Contractual Clauses for International Transfers Under The GDPR McCarthy […]
Little legal clarity for employers dealing with pandemic-related layoffs
By Julius Melnitzer | July 18, 2021 A trio of conflicting decisions from Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has left employers confused about a possible onslaught of wrongful dismissal lawsuits stemming from temporary layoffs due to the coronavirus pandemic. The confusion arises because judges have come to different conclusions about Ontario’s infectious disease emergency leave regulation, […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS | Advocates’ Society releases final report on future of advocacy | Scrotum sanctions: OCA upholds $150,000 punitives award against employer | SCC to decide whether receivers can disclaim arbitration agreements | OCA: Municipality owes no duty of care to developer | FC: “Budway” weed infringes “Subway” sandwich | Best law firm webinars and bulletins
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 […]
Ontario court upholds arbitration clause in employment contract
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 […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS | SCC: Can courts cancel child support arrears retroactively? | FCA upholds “unprecedented” site block order | SCC grants leave from $644 million patent infringement award| OCA rules on limitation in unidentified motorist cases | Can’t miss: law firm webinars & bulletins
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: […]
Getting a head start on new Consumer Protection Privacy Act
May 17, 2021 | By Marilyn Clarke, guest contributor With the expected enactment of Bill C-11 in late 2021, Canada’s privacy regime, which had become increasingly ineffectual and obsolete, will be obsolete no more. Bill C-11 introduces the Consumer Protection Privacy Act (CPPA) and Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal Act (PIDPTA), which will replace Part 1 of the Personal […]
Owners can mitigate OHSA risk created by OCA in Ontario v. Sudbury
By Julius Melnitzer | May 20, 2021 For all the brouhaha about what the Ontario Court of Appeal (OCA) did or didn’t do in Ontario (Labour) v. Sudbury (City), or what courts might do in the future, what transpired is really quite simple: a unanimous Court said that an owner whose direct employees (as opposed […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS | Survey: full-time remote work off the table | Osler bulletin: corporate diversity tanks | Law firm gives away profits | OCA: “No escape” supports inmate’s duress defence | legaltrot: helping lawyers on the go get help on the go |
By Julius Melnitzer | May 16, 2021 REMOTE WORK: THE DISCONNECT The Littler 2021 Annual Employer Survey Report has uncovered a “disconnect” between employers and employees about what the return to physical workspaces should look like. The following paragraph says it all: While 71 percent of employers surveyed believe that most of their employees who […]