Articles

As an articling student, and even as a young lawyer, direct interactions with clients can seem daunting. So, for those of you heading into your first solo or lead file, or for those of us who are still developing and fine-tuning this skillset, here are some considerations and tips for client management from colleagues and hard-learned lessons.

The number of Canadians without a Will should astonish lawyers. A recent study found that the majority of Canadians do not have a Will. In my experience, anecdotal evidence suggests that these statistics are consistent among young lawyers, particularly among those who are just beginning their practices. As a young lawyer (potentially with student debt, but also on the verge of significant financial milestones such as home ownership and child rearing) you should seriously consider making a Will.

For the first time, the Ontario Dispute Adjudication for Construction Contracts ("ODACC”) previewed five adjudication processes, costs and an example adjudication timeline—all as part of the application package to become an adjudicator. This first look surveys a number of potential adjudication processes and highlights the summary nature of the regime as envisioned by the Act.

Tahir Khorasanee, section editor and associate at Wakelin & Associates, expresses in poetry what inspires him and so many others to battle injustice and oppression. Human rights and civil liberties are essential to the functioning of a democratic society. Without these, there is no democracy and there is no justice.

The new Impact Assessment Act came into force at the end of summer, changing Canada’s long-standing regime from environmental assessment to impact assessment. Federal decisions to approve projects will now be made after evaluating whether the project is in the “public interest”, replacing the previous test of avoiding “significant adverse environmental effects”. This article explains five things all participants need to know about the new Act as they address its new requirements and processes.

Published on August 1, 2019, the CSA Staff Notice 51-358 Reporting of Climate Change-related Risks, highlights the disclosure obligations of a securities issuer in light of climate change-related issues as they relate to the issuer's MD&A and AIF. This article explains those risks and their impact.

The Impact Assessment Act and two important regulations came into force in August 2019, transferring greater oversight of the federal environmental assessment process to the new Impact Assessment Agency. This article summarizes these oversight powers and how they have changed from the previous regime.

Technology lawyer recommends amendments to Canada’s Directive on Automated Decision-Making to foster responsible use of Artificial Intelligence.

On November 1, 2019, amendments to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act will come into force. This article anticipates the practical application of the amendments.

This article discusses the importance of effective data governance in our increasingly technological world and introduces data trusts as a potential answer to some of the concerns surrounding data privacy and use.