Risk Management & Claims Prevention
Manage client expectations to be safe on limited scope retainers
Helping clients reduce the costs of resolving family disputes has become a practical issue for many family lawyers. As a result, many family lawyers are offering to do work on a limited scope retainer or “unbundled” basis. This means doing part, but not all, of the work on a legal matter. This could include one… Read More »
Categories: Communication Errors, Family LawOpen a file for pro bono matters too
Pro bono work is something nearly every lawyer does occasionally. Here’s one practical tip for avoiding some pro bono pitfalls: open a file for every matter you handle. By “open a file”, we mean treat the work like you would any other work. Run a conflicts check; diarize deadlines; document the client’s instructions, your advice… Read More »
Categories: Communication ErrorsTake your health and well-being to the next level with your Member Assistance Program
Are you ready to take your health and well-being to the next level? Homewood Health’s Member Assistance Program now offers The 12 Weeks to Wellness Program : a comprehensive, self-directed approach to support behaviour changes and includes access to life coaching, nutritional counselling, and a confidential health risk assessment over a 12-week period. You can… Read More »
Categories: Wellness and BalanceAmendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct — Transactions with Clients
The following is from the Law Society of Upper Canada’s June 2016 e-Bulletin Resources for Lawyers. The Rules of Professional Conduct (the “Rules”) with respect to Doing Business with a Client (now called Transactions with Clients) were amended on May 26, 2016. New Definition The term “transaction with a client” is now defined in rule… Read More »
Categories: Communication Errors, Conflicts of InterestLAWPRO Magazine archives: Funds handling – and the benefits of wire transfers
The recent increase in the number of frauds – many involving counterfeit financial instruments – have been a wake-up call to the bar on two fronts: First – fraudsters are targeting all lawyers, not only real estate practitioners. For more on this, see LAWPRO’s Fraud Fact Sheet. Second – that there is some confusion about… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionNew Phishing Attack Pretends to Be Bar Communication
The following warning was issued by Lawyers Mutual of North Carolina. We haven’t had any reports of this in Ontario yet, but lawyers should always be alert to phishing scams that try to trick them into opening an attachment or clicking a link that could instal malware. There is a new phishing scam targeting bar… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionSimultaneously acting for members of the same family is risky
Many lawyers assume that simultaneously acting for members of the same family and their business or corporate entities is relatively safe from fraud and conflicts issues. After all, the parties all know each other and everyone is on good terms. Unfortunately, this is just not the case. An analysis of LAWPRO claims files tell us… Read More »
Categories: Conflicts of InterestPrepare your client for trial and avoid a malpractice claim
I recently spoke about preparing your client for trial and avoiding a malpractice claim at the Advocates’ Society “Practice Essentials: Managing Your Way to Trial Success” CPD chaired by Emily C. Cole and Norm J. Emblem. The CPD spurred us to create a Client Trial Preparation Checklist to help you cover the bases with your clients. I hope the thoughts below… Read More »
Categories: Civil Litigation, Communication Errors, Precedents, Risk Management & Claims Prevention, Risk Management Strategies