The Hidden Legal Risks of Being a Landlord in Ontario — and How to Avoid Them
By Krystalynn Singh | September 30, 2025 For many Ontarians, investing in rental property seems like a straightforward way to generate income. But ask anyone who has appeared before the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), and they’ll tell you the same thing: managing rental property is far more complex than it appears. While property ownership […]
Litigation Funding: A New Era in IP Disputes?
By Julius Melnitzer | September 29, 2025 “Oftentimes, smaller businesses would like to take on bigger companies, and litigation funding has become a very active topic for them.” – Jean-Sebastien Dupont While the litigation funding phenomenon may not yet have had the same impact in the intellectual property (IP) sector as it has in other practice […]
Ontario arbitrator confirms validity of LTD exception to mandatory retirement rule
By Julius Melnitzer | September 24.2025 An Ontario arbitrator has confirmed the validity of the long-term disability exception to the mandatory retirement rule. When Ontario eliminated mandatory retirement in 2006, the legislation provided an exception for insured employment benefit plans to maintain a cutoff based on age. “This was intended to avoid destabilizing existing insurance plans […]
Patent Enforcement in North America: Canada or the U.S.?
“We have been surprised to find that some American patent owners have, over the last eight or nine years, chosen to initiate litigation in Canada first.” – Bob Sotiriadis By Julius Melnitzer | September 19, 2025 Due to the countries’ proximity and their shared common law roots and court systems, cross-border litigation involving parallel cases […]
AI and Copyright Lawyers: Threat, Challenge, and Opportunity
“AI is creeping into everything we do, and doing so daily.” – Tamara Céline Winegust Whether artificial intelligence (AI) will create more or less work for copyright lawyers is a question that demands a multi-layered response. “The answer depends on the kind of AI you’re talking about, bearing in mind that it’s a huge topic, embracing […]
Partnership, Not the Holy Grail, Part Six: The Non-Equitable Type
By Murray Gottheil | September 10, 2025 In prior parts of this series, I wrote about the advantages and disadvantages of becoming an equity partner in a law firm. In order to complete the picture, I really should address the fantasy of a non-equity partner (“NEP”) as well. Some years ago, law firms decided that they […]
Employee’s termination following mental-health leave not discriminatory: tribunal
By Julius Melnitzer | September 8, 2025 The Human Rights Tribunal of Alberta has ruled that termination of employment on the day an employee returns from a year-long mental-health leave doesn’t, in and of itself, support a discrimination complaint. “In this case, the employer had valid grounds for termination before the medical leave started, and […]
What Do AI Copyright Cases Tell Us About the Future of AI Regulation?
“Recent decisions give us some guidance about how to frame AI regulation, but only partial guidance.” – Vincent Bergeron If there’s a narrative emanating from the host of copyright suits against artificial intelligence (AI) companies across the globe, including 40 in the United States (U.S.) alone, it doesn’t augur well for a harmonised international regulatory scenario. […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Insurers hit hard: OCA upholds $300K costs award for $16K judgment | Law Firm Marketers: Forget SEO – “Authority” is what matters in the AI era
By Julius Melnitzer | August 31, 2025 INSURER PUNISHED FOR “HARDBALL” APPROACH The Ontario Court of Appeal has awarded $300,000 in partial indemnity costs to a claimant who recovered only $16,000 by way of a jury award in a motor vehicle accident proceeding in which she had sought over $1 million. In doing so, the […]
Partnership – Not The Holy Grail, Part Five: Change is Inevitable, so Evaluate How the Partnership Admits Partners
Photo from Pexels By Murray Gottheil | August 28, 2025 In this Part, I would invite you to live in an imaginary world where you respect and appreciate all of your partners, each of them is a phenomenally talented lawyer who is also productive, respectful, collaborative, ethical, and has an amazing client base. And they all love […]