Do we lawyers complicate simple matters? Yes and no—Maybe?
November 6, 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 A lawyer is a person who writes a 10,000-word document and calls it a “brief” – Franz Kafka Do we lawyers unnecessarily complicate matters? Are we windbags? […]
Digital Transformation in Banking Law: Regulatory Frameworks are Necessary
By Sardar Azeem Afrasiyab | November 4, 2024 As global economies increasingly embrace digital transformation, the banking sector is experiencing unprecedented changes. This revolution has led to more efficient, customer-centered services, facilitating everything from seamless mobile payments to advanced AI-driven credit analysis. However, these advancements bring unique challenges, especially for traditional legal frameworks that must […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: ECJ: Accountants’ communications not privileged | Alexi AI cuts routine litigation task time by 80% | Legal Risk Assessments: tackling risk proactively | OCA: No appeals of court-ordered arbitrator appointments | Singapore to establish international appeals body for commercial cases
By Julius Melnitzer | October 30, 2024 ECJ RULES THAT PRIVILEGE DOES NOT EXTEND TO TAX ADVISORS WHO ARE NOT LAWYERS The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that privilege in tax matters extends only to lawyers and not to other professionals, even if they perform similar advisory tasks. The court concluded […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: LSO licenses parolee serving 27-year sentence| Caseway AI legal research tool eliminates “hallucinations” | Cecilia Hoover joins BLG | Marcel Strigberger’s hilarious new book | Should Canada adopt UK public inquiry recommendations?
By Julius Melnitzer | October 27, 2024 LST: PAROLED APPLICANT STILL SERVING 27-YEAR SENTENCE CAN PRACTISE LAW The Law Society Tribunal Hearing Division has granted a license to practise law in Ontario to Dr. Serdar Kalaycioglu, a parolee convicted of a multi-million wire fraud in the US who still has about 3 years left in […]
That Whooshing Noise
By Murray Gottheil | October 10, 2024 Let’s talk about deadlines. Here are two quotes to get started: From Douglas Adams, we give you the light-hearted associate’s perspective: “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” Don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security, because the truth […]
Quebec class action raising questions over DB pension liability following plan sponsor reorganization
By: Julius Melnitzer | October 8, 2024 A recent Quebec Superior Court decision has unleashed uncertainty over the liabilities of companies and their directors when a pension deficit appears in the context of a reorganization. The court authorized a group of defined benefit pension plan members to proceed with a $65 million class action against companies […]
Monkhouse Law v. Belyavsky: Could this be among the worst attempts ever to justify lawyers’ fees?
By Julius Melnitzer | September 18, 2024 It’s not just that Justice Robert Centa of the Ontario Superior Court cut Monkhouse Law’s bill to Yefim Belyavsky by over 90 percent, from $25,163 to $2,000: what’s really astounding is the Toronto employment law boutique’s misplaced presentation of the case it made to support its fees. Centa […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Lawyer disbarred for extramarital affairs | Five-year ban for harassing associate with 900 texts | How not to respond to disciplinary proceedings
By Julius Melnitzer | September 11, 2024 PHILLIPPINES SUPREME COURT HAS A PLACE IN LAWYERS’ BEDROOMS The Phillipines Supreme Court, concluding that sex with a third party while married amounts to grossly immoral conduct, has disbarred a lawyer who had extramarital affairs with at least three different women, “completely disregarding his marital vows”. It’s not […]
Vacation Frustration
By Murray Gottheil | September 10, 2024 A junior associate at a law firm called me the other day to complain. There is nothing unusual about that. Associates complain a lot, often with good reason. Her complaint this time was that she had told H.R. that she needed to take a day off for personal reasonS and […]
Employees seeking alternatives to substance abuse treatment must provide evidence of effectiveness: Alberta court
By Julius Melnitzer | September 8, 2024 The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta has ruled that employees who suggest an alternative to an employer’s accommodation for substance abuse treatment must provide evidence that their proposal is an effective alternative to the employer’s recommendation. “The decision confirms that an employee doesn’t get to dictate what […]