BARE BONES BRIEFS: Albert the Dog joins Gowling | Lawyer earning $400,000+ claims he’s “underpaid” | Blakes study: Cyberattacks target M&A | BLG beefs up Calgary real estate group | Blakes adds IP litigator to Toronto roster
By Julius Melnitzer | November 27, 2024 Gowling pioneers service dog assistance for employees When Jemima Banks, who suffers from illnesses that cause chronic pain, diziness, migraines, stomach problems, fatigue and joint dislocations, applied to Gowling WLG’s office in Birmingham, UK’s for a paralegal position, her health declaration stated that she would need to bring […]
Yes, We Have No Insurance Coverage Today
By Marcel Strigberger | November 26, 2024 The following is an excerpt from Marcel Strigberger’s new book, First, Let’s Kill the Lawyer Jokes: An Attorney’s Irreverent Serious Look at the Legal Universe I detest life-insurance agents: they always argue that I shall someday die, which is not so – Stephen Butler Leacock As lawyers, many of us either fight […]
What Should Employers Know About Quebec’s Pension Laws?
By Jenna Shelby | November 24, 2024 When expanding or acquiring businesses in Quebec, understanding the province’s unique pension laws is crucial. The rules that govern retirement savings here are among the most progressive in Canada, making it essential for businesses to ensure they’re in full compliance while also tapping into the advantages these frameworks […]
Changing Law Firms for the Worse (Yet Again)
Photo by Rdne at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | November 12, 2024 I was speaking to a recent retiree from a Canadian Big Law firm the other day, and she introduced a new law firm concept to me, that of the “practice assistant”. Apparently, her firm did away with the concept of legal assistants (formerly, a […]
What do employers need to know about monitoring employees in remote, hybrid working arrangements?
By Julius Melnitzer | November 9, 2024 While Canadian privacy laws allow employers to track employees in a remote or hybrid working arrangement, this surveillance must be related to their job. “Employers have a proper and reasonable right to supervise their employees and ensure they’re doing their jobs and doing them safely,” says David Young, […]
Digital Transformation in Banking Law: Regulatory Frameworks are Necessary
By Sardar Azeem Afrasiyab | November 4, 2024 As global economies increasingly embrace digital transformation, the banking sector is experiencing unprecedented changes. This revolution has led to more efficient, customer-centered services, facilitating everything from seamless mobile payments to advanced AI-driven credit analysis. However, these advancements bring unique challenges, especially for traditional legal frameworks that must […]
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 […]
Quebec class action raising questions over DB pension liability following plan sponsor reorganization
By: Julius Melnitzer | October 8, 2024 A recent Quebec Superior Court decision has unleashed uncertainty over the liabilities of companies and their directors when a pension deficit appears in the context of a reorganization. The court authorized a group of defined benefit pension plan members to proceed with a $65 million class action against companies […]
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 […]