Pierringer Agreements in the Wake of Cadieux: Lessons for Counsel and Mediators
At a recent mediation, one defendant proposed a Pierringer agreement (often misspelled “Perringer”) with the plaintiff...
A Primer in CAT Threshold: Where Case Law is Heading in Catastrophic Impairment Designations
When in practice, my team succeeded in achieving catastrophic impairment designations for some of my most seriously...
Private vs. Judicial Mediation: The Complicated Art of Resolution
“I have called you together so we can resolve your indifferences.” Chief Justice Warren Winkler, 2010 I have been...
Revoking Probate in Ontario: Limitation Periods and the Boundaries of Challenge
In Ontario, a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee[1] is not immune from challenge once issued. Beneficiaries...
When Trust Vanishes: Withdrawing as Solicitor of Record in Ontario
Over the course of my years representing individual plaintiffs in personal injury cases, I discovered that the most...
Executor Compensation Battles: Percentages vs. Principles in Estate Disputes
Executor compensation is one of the most common flashpoints in estate cases. For estate litigators, these disputes are...
Poisoned Work Environment: Toxic Workplaces & Mediation
Overview Here’s the straight story, in plain English, on when a “toxic” workplace becomes a poisoned one in law—and...
The MIG Squeeze: Why Minor Injury Guideline Fights Keep Escalating at the LAT
If you’re hurt in a car crash in Ontario, you can claim accident benefits from your own auto insurer—no matter who...
The Price of Hardball: Ontario CA in Barry v. Anantharajah on Costs
On August 29, 2025, the Ontario Court of Appeal released its decision in Barry v. Anantharajah, 2025 ONCA 603[1], a...
When Costs Eclipse Damages: A Case Commentary on Barry v. Anantharajah
The decision in Barry v. Anantharajah (2024 ONSC 1267)[1] stands out not because of the modest damages awarded at...
The Winter Maintenance Puzzle: Recent Decisions on Municipal and Contractor Responsibility
Ontario winters are more than a nuisance—they are a legal flashpoint. Each year, slip-and-fall claims on icy...
Civility on Trial: What the Supreme Court’s Groia Decision Really Means for Lawyers
For years in the courtroom, civility was something debated as much as it was practised — a question of how far an...
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: The Legal Fallout of Beauty Salon Mishaps
When I was running my own shop, for years on Staff Appreciation Day, my partner and I would shut down the office, rent...
Read Before You Leap: The Ironclad Waiver
Here’s the straight goods. When I was a practicing personal-injury lawyer, I sometimes had to tell hard truths to...
Rear-Ender, Reviewed: How the Reverse Onus Survives Rebuttal
Rear-end collisions look simple until you’re litigating them. Ontario law imposes a common-law reverse onus on the...
When Capacity Is in Question: Mediation, Gatekeepers, and Enforceability
The call came the day before a mandatory mediation. Defence counsel, her tone edged with concern, explained that she...
The Bus Stops Here: Passenger Contributory Negligence in Transit Injury Claims
During my years in practice, I saw more than a few clients who came through the door with injuries suffered on public...
The $50K Turning Point: How Small Claims Court Expansion Will Reshape Mediation
Not long ago, I found myself on the other side of the courtroom—personally represented in a Small Claims Court trial...
A Painful History: Ontario’s Deductible and the Price of Suffering
What the deductible is—and isn’t If you sue for pain and suffering (non-pecuniary damages) after a motor-vehicle...
Hiring a “Competent Contractor”: Shield or Mirage?
A mediation I conducted not long ago involved a condominium corporation facing a slip-and-fall claim. The corporation...