How Can I Help You?
By Murray Gottheil | August 6, 2025 One day, several years ago, I was out for lunch with a banker whom I will call Neil. Neil was a commercial account manager at a large Canadian Bank. As I always did at such meetings, I asked Neil, “How can I help you?” (For those of you who need […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Ottawa lawyer defaces Holocaust memorial | Is a drink at lunch during trial break a no-no for counsel? | AI Knowledge Exchange passes on partners’ insights to associates | Turning Parties’ AI Against Them? | Lawyer swims – but not with the sharks
By Julius Melnitzer | August 5, 2025 OTTAWA LAWYER’S VANDALISM RAISES FEARS IN JEWISH COMMUNITY CBC News reports that Iain Aspenlieder, a 46-year-old lawyer fired by the City of Ottawa after being accused of vandalism, has pleaded guilty to mischief to a war memorial after defacing the Holocaust National Monument in June by painting the […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Law firms’ changing bonus criteria | AI rolls out to thousands of law firms | Vampire lawyer fired | BCSC rebukes LSBC for treating lawyer unfairly | DLA Piper boosts Toronto RE practice
By Julius Melnitzer | July 31, 2025 BONUSES: GOODBYE, HOURS; HELLO, COLLABORATION, INCLUSION & LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE A recent report by Innecto Reward Consulting and HR Network People in Law suggests that law firms may be shifting their bonus criteria from billings, personal performance and profit to structures that are fairer, more transparent, and contribute to […]
Supreme Court could determine how employee termination impacts profit-sharing agreements
By: Julius Melnitzer | July 31, 2025 In a recent case, the Supreme Court of Canada is being asked to consider a question that has long divided courts and vexed employers: are agreements that forfeit employees’ unvested equity-based compensation on termination enforceable, even if the vesting is scheduled to occur during the reasonable notice period? “The […]
7 Reasons Why the Legal Profession often gets No Sympathy
Image from Shutterstock.com. By Marcel Strigberger | July 30, 2025 The legal profession is a noble one. But is that the impression the public has of lawyers? What images generally come to mind? Let’s start with Noah’s Ark. A biblical theme park called Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky, is suing its insurers for insufficient coverage […]
AI Hallucinations are Proliferating, and IP is Not Exempt
By Julius Melnitzer | July 28, 2025 It was likely inevitable: artificial intelligence (AI) hallucinations are permeating intellectual property (IP) law. Falsely generated legal research first came to the world’s attention in 2023 when an American lawyer appeared on the front page of the New York Times after he included references to non-existent cases in his court […]
Yes, You Can! (Maybe)
Photo by Elevate at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | July 20, 2024 In my heyday of clients and billings, my largest client asked me to handle an outsourcing transaction. I would hazard a guess that had it been completed, it would have made quite a ripple in the business community. A Bay Street firm was the […]
A Guide to Mortgage Brokers’ Liability
By Andy MacDonald | July 17, 2025 Ensuring suitability in private mortgage investments is a legal imperative, not just a best practice. The recent downturn in real estate values across Ontario has exposed significant risks in the private lending market, particularly for investors who were placed into unsuitable mortgage products at inflated property valuations. In […]
Socrates v. the Republic of Greece and Olympus Bigpharm Ltd.
By Marcel Strigberber | July 16, 2025 Did Socrates really die after ingesting that hemlock? Huge evidence just surfaced that he survived. Check out Socrates v. the Republic of Greece and Olympus Bigpharm Ltd., a decision of the Ancient High Court of Southern Athens, recently discovered by anthropologist lawyers. OUZO J.: This is an action […]
What employers need to know when terminating employees in remote-working arrangements
By: Julius Melnitzer | July 14, 2025 In order to avoid exposure to unnecessary and expensive litigation and unforeseen liabilities, it’s important for employers to determine which jurisdiction’s rules apply when terminating an employee in a remote-working arrangement, according to several employment lawyers. “Most employment relationships in Canada are governed by local provincial or territorial law, […]