by Dan van der Burg | Mar 14, 2026
The Opening Ritual at MediationAnyone who mediates motor vehicle cases in Ontario will recognize the pattern almost immediately. Counsel starts to deliver their opening remarks, and before the medical records, before the treatment chronology, before the plaintiff’s...
by Dan van der Burg | Mar 12, 2026
I read an recent article[1] reporting on a case where the judge came down hard on defence counsel who had stepped up to fill in for an ill colleague.The recent Ontario Superior Court decision in Hicken v. Abbot Chiropractic and Health Care[2] offers a useful window...
by Dan van der Burg | Mar 10, 2026
The Changing Landscape of Urban CyclingI have recently mediated cases involving bicycles and cars. I’ll say this. When steel hits flesh, it is often so much worse than when steel hits steel.Over the past decade, cycling has moved from the margins of urban...
by Dan van der Burg | Mar 8, 2026
IntroductionFew procedural tools in Ontario civil litigation are as powerful, or as frequently misunderstood, as the motion to strike. When properly used, it acts as an early gatekeeping mechanism that removes legally defective claims or defences before the parties...
by Dan van der Burg | Mar 6, 2026
Not long ago, I received a call from a young lawyer about a file. Before the conversation even began, a recorded message announced that artificial intelligence software was recording and transcribing the call.I stopped the discussion immediately.I told counsel that if...
