Areas of Law
Working Group on Lawyers and Real Estate’s documents for the purchase of a condominium
The Working Group on Lawyers and Real Estate has established a sub-committee to consider the work undertaken in the purchase of a condominium. The Subcommittee is working on various documents to assist real estate lawyers and their purchasers in a resale condominium transaction and intend to consult with and obtain a broad range of comments… Read More »
Categories: Real EstateLAWPRO Magazine: Avoiding the Unintentional Expansion of Retainers
Here’s the scenario: A lawyer is retained to assist a client with a tort claim and an accident benefits claim. The client, meanwhile, has been informed that the long-term disability (LTD) benefits provided by her employer’s group plan are about to be terminated. In an effort to forestall the termination of benefits, she asks the… Read More »
Categories: Civil Litigation, Communication Errors, Family LawDotting all the “i”s
I have a songwriter friend who reports that the hardest part of writing a song is finishing it. She finds that her enthusiasm for writing means that she loves the initial burst of creative energy, but she has trouble keeping herself on task for the polishing process: When a song is nearly finished, she finds… Read More »
Categories: Corporate Law, Family LawAccess-to-justice barriers hurt ALL of us. What can lawyers do?
Here at LAWPRO, we monitor the news, especially legal journalism, to better understand the challenges facing lawyers. It’s rare that a week goes by without a story about barriers to access to justice. Indeed, while doing research for a feature about the challenges facing family lawyers in August 2012 (read it here), we were struck… Read More »
Categories: Civil Litigation, Family LawpracticePRO Resource: Sample real estate retainer letter
TitlePLUS has on its website sample forms, letters and reports for the use of real estate lawyers. Among the useful documents there is a sample real estate retainer letter. It is provided for your consideration and use when drafting your own versions of these respective documents. It is not meant to be used “as is”…. Read More »
Categories: Law Practice Management, Real EstateBuying together doesn’t have to mean equal shares
Statistics Canada reported, in the fall of 2012, that the number of Canadian households headed by unmarried couples is at an all-time high. As families change, so do views about property. Fewer Canadians now see marriage as a prerequisite to home ownership. But many aspects of property law reflect a time when marriage was more… Read More »
Categories: Real EstateLimitation period clarified for family law constructive trust claims
The concept of constructive trust has long been used, in family law, to support the awarding of an interest in property to a common-law spouse who is not on title. While the concept of the matrimonial home exists to ensure that married spouses share in the family home on marriage breakdown, the matrimonial home rules… Read More »
Categories: Family Law, Real EstatePrincipato and proportionality: Balancing value, benefit, and risk
Two weeks ago, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice sent a message to family lawyers (other litigators should take notice, too!) via a costs ruling in Principato v. Principato, a somewhat tortured family law proceeding. The Principatos, it turns out, are like the vast majority of us: They lack the personal wealth sufficient to pay… Read More »
Categories: Family Law