There is More to Life than Hard Work
Photo by Rdne Stock Project at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | August 30, 2023 I was a socialist at age twenty. I went to law school because I wanted to help the poor and the oppressed. By the time that I was thirty I was a business lawyer. Stuff like that happens to people. Over the […]
How recent Canada Labour Code updates are impacting federally regulated employers
By Julius Melnitzer | August 29, 2003 There have been several changes to the Canada Labour Code in recent months. Here’s an overview of what’s happened and what’s on the horizon for employers under federal labour jurisdiction. New employer obligations As of July 9, 2023, federally regulated employers must reimburse employees for reasonable work-related expenses. […]
Bad and Worse Advice for Law Firm Associates
Photo by Thirdman at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | August 28, 2023 Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time – Chinese proverb The Chinese were on to something. We all make the mistake of teaching things to younger generations based on our own experience. Here is some […]
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 […]
Men Talking About Moms at the Partnership Table
By Murray Gottheil | August 9, 2023 Those of you who do not attend partners meetings may not know that why associates are not working hard enough is a common agenda item. And those of you who follow the statistics are aware that only 25% of partners in Canadian law firms are female. This means that […]
Ashley Butts’ career shows that success in-house and private practice are not always intertwined
Ashley Butts’ career focus revolves around skill sets learned in criminology and sociology studies By Julius Melnitzer | August 8, 2023 The career of Ashley Butts, senior legal counsel in BASF Canada Inc.’s Toronto office, provides strong support for the emerging proposition that success in-house and private law firm experience are not necessarily intertwined. “Law was […]
Talking to Partners about Problems
Photo by Cottonbro Studio at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | August 6, 2023 Since I retired, I do not speak to law firm partners very often, which is just fine with me. For one thing, I cannot afford to speak to them about professional matters. For another, I have had quite my fill of speaking to […]
Will generative AI sink the billable hour pricing model?
David Cohen, senior director, client services delivery at McCarthy Tétrault LLP By Julius Melnitzer | August 2, 2023 Generative artificial intelligence could be the catalyst that portends the long-predicted death of the billable hour. “Clients have been clamouring for new pricing models for some time, and generative AI – which can produce answers in seconds instead […]
I Give this Post a Five Star Review
Photo by Nicola Barts at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | August 1, 2023 I was a super-fantastic lawyer. Really, almost everyone says so. And yet, there were a few clients who did not appreciate what I did for them or what it cost to have me do it. Luckily for me, during most of my career […]
For more than most, COVID was a maelstrom for Kath Hammond, GC at Greater Toronto Airports Authority
Kath Hammond says her team’s tightly-knit, non-hierarchical structure lent itself well to the challenges COVID presented By Julius Melnitzer | July 31, 2023 It’s unlikely that COVID proved more of a maelstrom for a legal department leader than it did for Kath Hammond, Vice-President and General Counsel, Corporate Safety and Security at the Greater Toronto Airports […]