Content Type
Past 40 years marked by a changing mix of lawyers
Ontario’s legal profession has experienced significant changes over the last 40 years. In the mid-1970s a critical mass of women began joining the profession in record numbers. Then, in the 1980s, lawyers from Aboriginal, Francophone and equality-seeking communities began entering the profession. Today, the province’s legal profession continues to grow and evolve at a rapid… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Diversity, FeaturesCultural competence: An essential skill in an increasingly diverse world
With each passing day, the legal profession becomes ever more diverse. That diversity brings challenges and opportunities. LAWPRO turned to diversity specialist Ritu Bhasin, Founder and President of bhasin consulting inc., for practical advice about the steps that lawyers and firms can take to welcome lawyers regardless of their personal and cultural identity characteristics, and… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Diversity, FeaturesPaths to success: As varied as the lawyers who follow them
“Diversity” describes the characteristics of a group. When we examine how diversity influences the profession as a whole, it’s easy to lose sight of the experience of being an individual lawyer, with specific identity characteristics, practising law in Ontario. While cultural sensitivity benefits all lawyers, what is it like to practice law when, at least… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Diversity, Features, Legal CareersManage malpractice risk by recognizing cultural diversity
In the social realm, cultural differences can be awkward for those on both sides; but in the context of legal services, cross-cultural misunderstandings and other culture-related factors can occasionally lead to malpractice claims against lawyers. The good news: claims with a cultural component are easily preventable as they tend to reflect certain recurring themes. One… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Civil Litigation, Communications Errors, Criminal Law, Diversity, Practice Tips, Real EstateWhat does diversity mean for our profession?
As I look forward to celebrating in 2015 the 20th anniversary of LAWPRO providing the Ontario bar’s primary professional liability program, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the changes our society and profession have experienced during that time. This issue discusses the diversity that is now represented in our profession, how we are… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Diversity, EditorialsDoes title insurance bring benefits to the primary professional liability program?
We all know that notwithstanding the rise of title insurance in Ontario, claims arising from real estate practice are still a large (and in many years, the largest) exposure for the primary professional liability program that LAWPRO provides for the Law Society’s lawyer-licensees (the “E&O program”). We have explored why in other articles and settings…. Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Insurance Business, Real Estate, Title insuranceUntangling the myths of Excess insurance
Unfortunately, far too many lawyers do not appreciate their full exposure to claims and how excess insurance could be of benefit to them. Excess liability insurance is intended to provide additional limits over that provided by the underlying (primary) liability policy. For lawyers in Ontario, the underlying insurance which all practising lawyers (not on exemption)… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Excess, Excess insuranceTitle insurance policies are like a box of chocolates – No two policies are the same
“The lawyer should be knowledgeable about title insurance and discuss with the client the advantages, conditions, and limitations of the various options and coverages generally available to the client through title insurance,” states Rule 2.02(10) of the Rules of Professional Conduct. This obligation was brought home in a recent malpractice case where the lawyer did… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Real Estate, Title insurance, TitlePLUSDoes your firm have a social media policy?
So your firm has one or more social media accounts they use to deliver its message. But do you have a social media policy for your employees to use? In this day and age, many of your employees have personal (Facebook) and professional (LinkedIn) accounts that may be effectively associated with the firm, based on… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Firm Management, Social MediaWarning: Insurers can ‘contract out’ of the Limitations Act, 2002 in ‘non-consumer’ policies
The law of limitations applicable to insurance claims has entered a period of uncertainty, arising in part from insurers’ ability to “contract out” of the Limitations Act, 2002 (LA 2002) where the insured is not a “consumer.” Claims on group long-term disability policies may prove especially hazardous. This article discusses this new development, and touches… Read More »
Categories: 2014 September Diversity, Articles, Casebook, Civil Litigation, Failure to Know The Law, Limitation Periods