Month: October 2014
LAWPRO Tales of Horror: A U.S. court decision on a a bank’s duties to a firm in a bad cheque scam
Lawyer Ethics Alert Blogs has a post describing an Illinois appeals court case in which the court ruled that a law firm had no recourse against its financial institution in a counterfeit cheque matter. While the laws dealing with financial institutions in the U.S. are different than here, the takeaway for Ontario lawyers is to… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionWhat keeps family lawyers up at night? Managing your stress
Like many areas of practice, family law is going through a period of change. Both clients and their lawyers are questioning traditional modes of practice. Economic woes both cause legal problems, and leave clients with limited resources with which to resolve them. Stress – for both families in crisis and for their lawyers – is… Read More »
Categories: Family LawLAWPRO Tales of Horror: The Phantom Client Returns…Again and Again
Recent LAWPRO claims have driven home to us the importance of formal retainer arrangements and avoiding the spectre of the phantom client. Unfortunately, these issues are not new. In 1991,William S. O’Hara wrote an article for the Law Society of Upper Canada Errors and Omissions Bulletin entitled “Beware of the Phantom Client.” He wrote: Of… Read More »
Categories: Communication Errors, Civil LitigationWhat keeps family lawyers up at night? Providing effective service while managing expectations
Like many areas of practice, family law is going through a period of change. Both clients and their lawyers are questioning traditional modes of practice. Economic woes both cause legal problems, and leave clients with limited resources with which to resolve them. Stress – for both families in crisis and for their lawyers – is… Read More »
Categories: Family LawBreach of copyright agreement scam using the names Rab John and Ikeda Publishing
A North Carolina firm reported to us that they’ve been contacted by the purported Rab John of Ikeda Publishing Co with regards to retaining their services to collect on a breach of an IP agreement. This is a classic bad cheque scam that presents as legal matter requiring the assistance of a lawyer. In this… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Warnings, Intellectual Property Rights FraudHomewood Human Solutions e-Learning courses can now be claimed for the LAWPRO Risk Management credit
As maintaining good mental health and coping well with stress helps lawyers avoid claims, LAWPRO financially supports the Law Society’s Member Assistance Program (MAP), which is administered by Homewood Human Solutions (HHS). As of September 16, 2014, e-Learning courses offered on the HHS site will now be approved for the LAWPRO Risk Management credit. The… Read More »
Categories: Announcements, Wellness and BalanceWhat keeps family law lawyers up at night? High-conflict cases
Like many areas of practice, family law is going through a period of change. Both clients and their lawyers are questioning traditional modes of practice. Economic woes both cause legal problems, and leave clients with limited resources with which to resolve them. Stress – for both families in crisis and for their lawyers – is… Read More »
Categories: Family LawCommercial debt collection scam using the names Hu Shunliang and Ma-Shan Iron and Steel
A Hawaii firm notified us that they received an email from the purported Nagamoto Hu Shunliang of Ma-Shan Iron and Steel looking to retain them with regards to a commercial debt collection. This is a classic bad cheque scam that presents as legal matter requiring the assistance of a lawyer. In this scam lawyers will… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Warnings, Debt Collection Fraud