Risk Management & Claims Prevention
New variation of the bad cheque fraud: Dog bite cases
[First posted May 2019. Updated January 2020] Several lawyers have notified us of a new variation on the old bad cheque debt collection scam. This scenario involves a dog bite, and the promise of an insurer to pay a settlement for medical expenses. It even comes with gruesome dog bite photos that were apparently taken… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionDownload our updated Limitations Period Resources
Missing a limitation period is a lawyer’s nightmare. Although most claims are subject to the 2 year limitation period set out in the Limitations Act, 2002, there are over 40 statutes that impose limitation periods in Ontario. LAWPRO has developed several resources to help lawyers navigate Ontario’s limitations periods and notice periods. The Limitations and… Read More »
Categories: Civil Litigation, Limitations ClaimsFraud for Shelter Update
With housing prices on the rise, more rigorous mortgage rules, and the resulting difficulty for some Ontarians to purchase property, real estate lawyers should be mindful of fraud for shelter. Fraud for shelter differs from traditional real estate frauds. Usually in a real estate fraud, the goal is to fraudulently sell the property or to… Read More »
Categories: Real Estate, Fraud PreventionWills: Why you should send clients detailed reporting letters
While the will itself is the product of the collaboration between lawyer and client, the reporting letter serves a separate purpose: it’s the record of the context. To the extent that the reporting letter documents the process of crafting the will, it can bolster validity, shield the lawyer from malpractice allegation and demonstrate the value… Read More »
Categories: Communication Errors, Wills & Estates, Areas of Law, Risk Management & Claims PreventionWindows 7 support coming to an end in January
Windows 7 was one of the most popular Windows operating systems, and many users (including law firms) would be content to keep using it and put off upgrading. However, Microsoft has announced that support for Windows 7 will end as of January 14, 2020. That means no more updates, including security updates. So while computers… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Prevention, Legal Technology, TechnologyFraud warning from the Law Society of BC regarding fake client payment instructions
The following is from an August 6, 2019 warning from the Law Society of BC. Similar attempts to divert funds have been reported in Ontario as well. Fraudsters continue to target BC lawyers “If you are about to pay out trust funds and your client’s payment instructions change, stop and ensure that the change is… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionCommon Limitation Period Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
It is one of a lawyer’s worst nightmares: missing a limitation period. It can be a very easy mistake to make and yet the consequences can be enormous. There are numerous “pitfalls” that can lead to missed limitation periods and other limitation period problems. Some of these pitfalls are relatively easy to avoid whereas others… Read More »
Categories: Biggest Claims Risks, Civil Litigation, Limitations ClaimsFirm websites being impersonated by fraudsters
LAWPRO has heard from a number of Ontario lawyers that their firm websites have been copied by fraudsters to further their schemes, such as the “inheritance from a long-lost relative” scam. They often use the name of a real law firm in one jurisdiction, the web content from a firm in another jurisdiction, and the… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Prevention