Nunavut considering full mobility for Quebec lawyers
November 2, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer The Law Society of Nunavut (LSN) may grant full mobility to Barreau du Québec members. The LSN will consider the matter at a virtual special meeting to be held on Thursday, November 26 @ 6 PM ET. Nunavut is not currently a signatory to the National Mobility Agreement. […]
CRA asks SCC if Loblaws can avoid tax on Barbados earnings
October 30, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to consider whether Loblaw must pay Canadian tax on the profits of a Barbados-based subsidiary. The appeal could have landmark consequences for both the general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) and the foreign accrual property income (FAPI) regime. “This could be a major […]
The Sharing Economy: a book worth sharing
October 28, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer Nowhere, perhaps, are legal issues emerging more rapidly than in the context of sharing platforms like Airbnb, UBER, LYFT and TURO. What makes this even more interesting for lawyers is that it’s not just the legal issues that are emerging: the industries buying into this model are emerging […]
Practising law with your children: tips for survival
October 27, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer Many are the parents, lawyers certainly among them, who wished their kids would follow in their footsteps. Just as many are the parents – and children – who regretted that they did. The difficulties of inter-generational co-operation in the workplace are legend. They need not be repeated here. […]
Women awarded less for pain and suffering than men
October 26, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer A recent study of general damage awards in Canadian courts reveals that men receive an average of $5,674 more for their pain and suffering than women do for similar injuries. The study, conducted by Painworth, an online site that helps individuals calculate the potential value of their personal […]
Supreme Court ruling in RCMP pension case may force plan design changes
Julius Melnitzer | October 22, 2020 Last week’s Supreme Court of Canada ruling that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police pension plan discriminated against job-sharing women should be a wake-up call to pension administrators that changes in plan design to accommodate equality rights are long overdue. Read more Related articles Appeal court upholds ruling in RCMP […]
The Case Doctor: a new legal species
October 19, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer Richard Shekter of Shekter Legal, a Toronto mediator and arbitrator, has put an interesting twist on the notion of a “second opinion”. After 44 years as an all-purpose counsel with a reputation for taking on anything with merit that came through the door, he set up shop as […]
Canada’s enforcement void: of tax cheats and money launderers
October 18, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer Tax cheats and money launderers, it seems, are all the rage in Canadian and international news again. But chances are we’ll hear little about how governments have forced them to disgorge their ill-gotten gains. That’s because the cheats and their advisors have mastered the art of corporate disguise, […]
Counsel are judge’s “lens”: Ontario Court of Appeal
October 12, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer Putting forward the evidence isn’t enough: argue your theory at trial if you want to complain on appeal about its treatment. That’s the message from the Ontario Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Becker v. Toronto (City). “The court made it pretty clear that if an issue isn’t […]
What to do about sharp rise in self-represented litigants
October 12, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer Increased funding for legal aid to help with the dilemma of self-represented litigants (SRLs) isn’t in the cards — at least not anytime soon. “I and many others who have advocated more funding for legal aid just have to be realistic,” said professor Nicholas Bala of Queen’s University […]