The Professional Development and Competence Committee of the Law Society of Ontario commissioned a survey to research the experiences of articling students as part of its licensing process review. The survey was aimed at lawyers who had completed their articles between 2014 and 2017. A summary of the results was recently released. The Law Society reported that […]
Law Society of Ontario Releases Results of Articling Survey Read More »
On October 6, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled, unanimously, that the collection of documents for the independent compensation assessment process (IAP), a part of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, should be destroyed unless survivors choose to have their records preserved. The Court found that the IAP process was meant to be a “confidential
There have been some changes happening at the Law Society in the last few months. Below is a quick run-down of some of the new developments: 1.LSUC No MoreOn September 28, 2017 the Benchers voted 38 to 11 to stop using the name Law Society of Upper Canada. On November 2, 2017 the Benchers voted
What’s Happening at the Law Society? Read More »
While more and more law firms and in-house legal departments are using freelance lawyers for their overflow work, we are still often asked “What is a freelance lawyer” and “Why would I use one?” To help answer these questions, Flex Lawyer Heather Cross has written this helpful blog post “Seven Reasons to Hire a Freelance Lawyer”: 1.
Seven Reasons to Hire a Freelance Lawyer Read More »
By Heather Cross “May you live in transitional times” could be the modern criminal defence bar’s equivalent of the ancient Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” The Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision in R. v. Picard illustrates the level of uncertainty that exists and will continue to exist in the criminal justice system while the “transitional
Living in Transitional Times: R. v. Picard Read More »
any lawyers, in particular personal injury lawyers, are paid through contingency fee arrangements (“CFAs”), where the lawyers charge their clients a fee based on a percentage of the damages recovered by their clients (the amount of money the client ‘wins’). It wasn’t until 2004 that the Solicitors Act and the Rules of Professional Conduct were amended to authorize CFAs
At the Law Society of Upper Canada’s June 2017 Convocation the Rules of Professional Conduct were amended to add a new rule (Rule 3.7-7A) governing a lawyer’s professional obligations when leaving a law firm. This is a welcome amendment. Previously, there was a dearth of available guidance. While at one point there were guidelines on the LSUC
By Emily Lukaweski* Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) came into force July 1, 2014. It established a set of rules for sending marketing and promotional emails, texts or other electronic messages, referred to as Commercial Electronic Messages (CEMs). These rules apply to law firms sending electronic newsletters, blog posts or other legal content marketing pieces. On July
While civil claim e-filing has been available since 2015 in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, it has been limited to the Small Claims Court Division (i.e. for claims less than $25,000.00). A new pilot project is expanding e-filing for claims above $25,000.00, but there are some limitations (for now). Below is the information you
E-Filing has come to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice! Well, sort of… Read More »
If you are a lawyer or law student in Ontario, you’ve likely heard something about the debate over the future of the lawyer licensing process in this province. What is the best way to vet future lawyers? The Law Society of Upper Canada (“LSUC”) wants to find out, and they want to know what you think too.
Don’t Be Alarmed, but the Law Society Wants to Talk to You: A “Dialogue on Licensing” Read More »
