Artists desperate for legal help during COVID
September 21, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer New research confirms that a multitude of legal challenges, aggravated by the “devastating” impact of COVID-19. faces the Canadian arts sector. “We wanted to prove to arts funders, like Canada Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA), that there existed very pressing legal needs,” says Martha […]
COVID-19 forces changes on majority of law practices: Survey
September 16, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer A new survey of 400 legal professionals across Canada reveals that 67 per cent of those surveyed expect to see, or are currently experiencing, practice-related changes due to COVID-19. “The report tells us that COVID-19 will see core businesses decline, with many lawyers looking to expand into new […]
IIROC publishes best practices for electronic proceedings
September 16, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer The Investment Industry Regulatory Association of Canada has published its Best Practices for Electronic Proceedings. COVID-19 saw the IIROC postpone in-person hearings or convert them into virtual hearings. The guidelines are aimed at extending greater access, and enhancing transparency and confidence in the system. “We anticipate that virtual […]
When lawyers are in trouble, to whom do they turn?
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer This is the first of a three-part LegalWriter.net series on lawyers who represent other lawyers. So many people don’t like them. No surprise, then, that lawyers need lawyers. The problem is that more than a fair number of lawyers don’t care for or respect each other. So […]
UK court resolves COVID business interruption uncertainty
September 15, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer A UK High Court decision has relieved uncertainties about insurance coverage for COVID-19 losses. The decision is not binding on Canadian courts. But it may provide considerable guidance here, where the situation has been no less uncertain. That’s because the court reviewed 21 different types of wording in […]
Canada’s privacy regime is a mess
September 11, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer There’s a shroud hanging over the $9 million fine that the Competition Bureau imposed on Facebook in May. Facebook consented to the administrative monetary penalty, the largest privacy noncompliance fine imposed in Canada. Some observers tout it as a landmark conclusion to the Bureau’s two-year long investigation into […]
Federal Court denies feds’ attempt to block its COVID-19 directions
Friday, September 4, 2020 | Julius Melnitzer The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed the Attorney General of Canada’s attempt to block the court’s practice directions governing the gradual phase-out of COVID-19 suspension periods so far as the directions apply to cases involving the federal government and numerous federal boards, commissions and other tribunals. Characterizing […]
Today’s law firm recruiting takes massive stakeholder co-operation
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer A monumental, pressure-packed collaboration has headed off the threat that COVID-19 presented to the 2020 law firm recruiting season. In a concentrated endeavour that began in March, law firms, public sector employers, legal departments, law students, law schools and law societies have come up with a solution […]
Will COVID turn lawyers from Luddites to leaders?
Lawyers are known for their resistance to change. But COVID-19 has forced a great deal of change, technological and otherwise, on the profession. The key question is whether the evolution will continue. And that’s where reluctance to change becomes an asset: after all, reluctance to change and reluctance to change back are, if you ask […]
Arbitration Place to host Canada Arbitration Week
Arbitration Place Virtual will be hosting the inaugural Canadian Arbitration Week from September 21-25. CanArbWeek 2020 will feature most Canadian and some international arbitration and ADR organizations, who will be showcasing their annual conferences and events.