Bound by Association: The Legal Risk of Group Strategy
In estate litigation and beyond, it’s not unusual for a single lawyer to be retained jointly by multiple individuals...
Grenade in the Will: No-Contest Clauses, Solicitor Negligence, and the Two-Year Limitation Trap
Estate litigation has its share of legal landmines. Chief among them is the no-contest clause, a ticking grenade...
Before the Storm: Why Employment Disputes Should Settle Early
Ontario’s civil justice system is changing—and for the better. After years of calls for reform, we’re finally seeing...
When the Shoe No Longer Fits: Removing an Executor in Ontario
Introduction: Trust, but Verify In the world of estate litigation, few remedies are more drastic, or more necessary,...
When the Gloves Come Off: What Ontario’s Top Court Is Teaching Estate Trustees in 2025
In estate litigation, the gloves rarely come off all at once. Distrust builds gradually—through silence, exclusion,...
Leap of Faith: Embracing Early Mediation in Ontario’s New Era of Civil Procedure Reform
Ontario stands at the edge of a civil justice crossroads[1]. With a sweeping overhaul of the Rules of Civil Procedure...
The Clock Is Ticking: Why Demand for Experienced Mediators Is About to Surge
The Ontario court system isn’t just slow. It’s teetering on collapse in many jurisdictions. Civil trials are now being...
Navigating CAT Designation in Ontario: A System Under Pressure
Introduction: CAT Designation in Context In Ontario's accident benefits system, few thresholds carry as much...
Word on the Street: Bay Street’s Take on Ontario’s Civil Justice Overhaul
Introduction Ontario’s civil litigation landscape is on the cusp of its most significant overhaul in decades. The...
Policy, Practice, and the Potholes in Between: A Mediator’s Firsthand Journey Through 35 Years of Ontario Auto Insurance Reform
Introduction: Life Before No-Fault I initially stepped into the world of insurance law in the late 1980s when I was 23...
The Last, Best Chance: Mediating Before Trial in the Age of Judicial Resource Scarcity
A System Under Strain The backlog in Ontario’s civil courts has reached unsustainable levels, with motions and trials...
Breaking the Ceiling? The High-Water Mark for Pain and Suffering Damages in Ontario Personal Injury Law
Introduction: What Is My Case Worth? During my years in practice, one of the most common questions I was asked, both...
The Credibility Crisis: Rebuilding Trust in Expert Evidence Through Civil Reform
I recently prepared for a mediation involving the death of a family patriarch. It was a high-stakes case—personal,...
Rewriting Discovery: Ontario’s Proposed Shift to an Up-Front Evidence Model
In 1985, Ontario undertook a major codification of its civil justice system—transforming scattered procedural...
No Soup for You: When Surveillance Destroys Subjective Injury Claims
It was a textbook example of how credibility can implode in an instant. Back when I was still in active practice, I...
Executor Insurance and No-Contest Clauses: Navigating the Duty to Defend Amid Beneficiary Objections
Understanding Executor Liability Insurance Executor liability insurance is designed to protect estate trustees from...
IN THE DITCH: Turning Mediation Breakdowns Into Breakthroughs
In every mediator’s career, there are many moments when negotiations stall. I call that moment: “IN THE DITCH”....
Soft Tissue, Hard Truths: Credibility, Chronic Pain, and the Threshold Battleground in Ontario Courts
Introduction: Between Skepticism and Suffering Ontario’s civil justice system is facing unprecedented delays, and...
Mediating in CAT Limbo: Strategic Considerations in Ontario Tort Claims Involving Statutory Third Parties and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Introduction In Ontario motor vehicle litigation, mediation has become an indispensable tool for resolving complex...
“Threshold or Not?” – Recent Ontario Cases Shaping the Serious Impairment Standard
Introduction In Ontario, the “serious impairment” threshold under the Insurance Act serves as a critical determinant...