Don’t get too excited about the latest Canadian law firm rankings
Thursday, April 26, 2018 With a passing glance at Acritas’ Canadian Law Firm Brand Index 2018, many Canadian firms who have resisted the impulse to merge with global giants might just be patting themselves on the back. But the self-congratulation probably shouldn’t go too far, because any euphoria would be a tad hasty and somewhat […]
Cannabis Is a Complicated Business
Politics and societal moral concerns add layers of complexity to legitimizing the sale of cannabis Jul 5, 2018 It’s not often that a handful of Canadian stocks get the attention of Barron’s, the venerable newspaper that, for the most part, covers US financial information and market developments. But not only did Canada’s cannabis stocks get attention, they […]
Meeting the AI Challenge
Firms are learning to adapt and prosper in the age of Artificial Intelligence Oct 10, 2018 As it turns out, the ongoing debate about the extent to which emerging legal technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), will make lawyers redundant or at least reduce the profession to a small colony of high-level strategists, misses the point. […]
The Evolution of P3s
Sep 28, 2018 If there’s any doubt that public-private partnerships (P3s) are beacons of innovation, the emergence of Montréal’s $6.3-billion Réseau express métropolitain (REM) should silence the skeptics. The REM is a new, integrated, fully automated transportation network linking Montréal, the South Shore, the West Island, the North Shore and the airport. When completed, the […]
Top 10 Business Decisions of 2018
Canadian courts delivered a number of notable decisions that affected Canadian business in 2018, including the Federal Court of Appeal overturning Tsleil-Waututh Nation v. Canada (Attorney General) Feb 14, 2019 While six of Lexpert’s top 10 business decisions from Canadian appellate courts and administrative tribunals in 2018 came out arguably in favour of the business community, that trend […]
Driving Innovation
Technology aimed at lawyers continues to change the way law is practised as those with deep subject-matter expertise recognize there’s a better way to service clients Mar 14, 2019 Berating the legal profession as lacking in innovative drive — particularly when it comes to technology — verges on the fashionable. But fashion passes, frequently into […]
‘Vestige of the past’: Competition Bureau mulls scrapping ‘efficiencies’ defence in merger laws
Advocates had argued that the law was crucial as consolidation can be more beneficial than competition, but its value appears to have diminished in the digital economy April 30, 201910:51 AM EDT With the Competition Bureau poised to release new guidelines on the role of efficiencies in merger reviews, Canada’s unique “efficiencies” defence, which allows […]
FP Dealmakers: After a tough first half, Bay Street bets on low interest rates driving more deals
Mining was a bright spot, but trade tensions and prospects of higher interest rates sucked the life out of deal flow in the first half of 2019 Bay Street’s top dealmakers blamed trade headwinds and prospects of higher interest rates for disappointing issuer activity in the first half of the year, but expect the outlook […]
Merger challenge shows Competition Bureau focus on digital economy
Canada’s new Commissioner of Competition, Matthew Boswell, appointed just four months ago, has taken little time to make his mark as a man of his word. By initiating the first contested merger challenge since 2015, the first merger challenge ever involving software companies, the first involving a private equity company, and a rare challenge to […]
FSRA offering late-filing pension plans ‘safe harbour’ on administrative monetary policies
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority is giving late-filing pension plans a “one-time” opportunity to avoid administrative monetary penalties. The “safe harbour,” which applies to any outstanding filings under the Pension Benefits Act, expires on Oct. 31. “Rather than have people concerned about flagging non-compliance with late filings, the FSRA has offered this amnesty of sorts,” […]