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 […]
Recent Developments in AI (Animal Intelligence) and the Law
“If I could talk to the animals…” — Doctor Dolittle By Marcel Strigberger | October 1, 2025 Animal law? Have we come a long way from Noah? This cat came back. I speak of Nub Tang, a Bangkok tabby. She strayed, was rescued and taken to a police station. Ms. Tang, however, got a bit feisty with […]
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 […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: LST says 5-year “inordinate delay” causes “no prejudice” to investigated lawyer; “Ashamed” of “greedy” Big Law, lawyer leaves profession; Critics pile on UK PM for his “lawyer brain”; Study: PEI first, Quebec 10th, Ontario 5th in use of PI lawyers; Alexi launches large-firm AI workflow solution
By Julius Melnitzer | February 22, 2024 CHAOS RULES IN LAW SOCIETY DISCIPLINE INVESTIGATIONS A recent Law Society Tribunal (LST) decision leads to the vexing conclusion that a five-year delay in investigating complaints against lawyers causes no prejudice to them. And combined with the ongoing brouhaha about a $400,000 pay raise for a senior executive, […]
A funny thing happened on the way to the morgue
By Marcel Strigberger | December 28, 2024 You only die twice. No, this is not a title for a James Bond movie. I’m talking about people being misdiagnosed as being dead when in fact they are still alive. Do they have legal recourse? Though not a common occurrence, such as lawyers getting sued (for different reasons), it is not […]
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 […]
Recent costs award confirms court’s acknowledgement of risks, costs of prosecuting med mal cases
Ryan Marinacci of Bogoroch & Associates LLP By Julius Melnitzer | April 9, 2024 This article was created in partnership with Bogoroch & Associates The recent $3 million costs award following an $8.5 million judgment in Denman v. Radovanovic confirms Ontario Superior Court judges’ continuing acknowledgment of the risks and costs associated with prosecuting a medical malpractice case. […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: OCA upholds $2.5 million award to human rights lawyer | Jeremy Diamond appeals from de facto suspension and $100,000 fine for professional misconduct | Are law firms paying ransomware? | Report: Lawyers are high on AI extinction list | Unaware council passes ChatGPT-drafted law |
By Julius Melnitzer | December 17, 2023 LAWYER’S CAREER-ENDING INJURY JUSTIFIES $2.5 MILLION AWARD: OCA The Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld a $2.5 million award to Geraldine Sanson, a “highly respected human rights lawyer” whose career ended when a car struck her as she was cycling home from work in 2012. The trial judge […]
Recent decisions ‘positive developments for plaintiffs’ says Bogoroch’s Alexandra Roman
Alexandra Roman, lawyer at Bogoroch & Associates LLP This article was produced in partnership with Bogoroch & Associates LLP By Julius Melnitzer | October 25, 2023 Three recent decisions from Ontario Superior Court judges sitting alone suggest a trend to higher awards for general damages in personal injury cases arising from motor vehicle accidents involving chronic […]
It’s time to re-think how to use the ‘but-for’ test
Richard Halpern of Gluckstein Lawyers discusses the proper use of the counterfactual question This article was produced in partnership with Gluckstein Lawyers By Julius Melnitzer | August 23, 2023 A veteran member of the plaintiff’s medical negligence bar says it’s time for change in how we think about causation in tort, by clarifying the traditional […]