The Advocacy Club: a special place for junior advocates
By Julius Melnitzer | April 13, 2021 Some 15 years ago, a seasoned Ottawa lawyer’s frustration with the failed potential of young advocates led to the creation of The Advocacy Club, a unique program that has quietly trained hundreds of junior lawyers and students at law firms and governmental organizations in the arts of civil […]
Ten key tips: pivoting to a mediation practice
April 7, 2021 | By Rafeena Bacchus, guest contributor In Part I of this series, I provided 10 tips by way of a general roadmap to pivoting a legal career. Here, I will expand on those tips in the context of embarking on a mediation practice. Know your skill set and determine your area of […]
Ten key tips: how to pivot your legal career
February 10, 2021 | By Rafeena Bacchus, guest contributor I’ve been a Toronto-based insurance defence and human rights counsel for more than 15 years. I’m now transitioning to a focus on mediation. The first installment of this two-part series will provide a general roadmap to pivoting a legal career; the second will specifically apply the […]
Writing & practice tips for paralegals
January 23, 2021 | By Julius Melnitzer Recently, I appeared as a guest presenter on an episode of Justice in Pieces, presented by triOS College’s Paralegal Program, and hosted by its coordinator, award-winning lead legal instructor, John-Paul Rodrigues. The discussion included writing , formatting, marketing, practice and practical tips for paralegals who intend to strike […]
10 Tips for lawyers: How to get in the news and stay there
October 5, 2020 | By Julius Melnitzer INVESTIGATE: Which online, print, news and trade publications target the clients you want? ACCUMULATE: Make a list of the above. Keep updating it. Your best bet to be heard is by someone who’s listened to you before. ANTICIPATE: Tell the media what’s coming. If something newsworthy is pending, […]
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. […]
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 […]
Machine learning is helping to lighten legal grunts’ minutiae-laden jobs
NOV 7, 2017 Law firms are adapting to the growing number of millennials who are filling their associate ranks and moving toward partnership status by keeping up with their penchant for technology. “Millennials have grown up in the digital age and they want to cut out the mindless, tedious tasks that often characterize associates’ and […]