Risk Management & Claims Prevention
Cyber crime example of the importance of reconciling your trust accounts each month
This article appeared in the September 2013 issue of TitleNews. An escrow company holds real estate closing funds in trust in the same way a law firm in Ontario would. Cyber Criminals Steal More Than $1.5 million from California Escrow Company. California-based Efficient Services Escrow Group was shut down by the state after cyber criminals… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionpracticePRO Resource: Managing the Practice of Investing in Clients booklet
The practice of lawyers investing in clients’ businesses is current and growing. Historically, this type of business transaction found some application in the real estate and mining industries. Inevitably, tha practice resulted from time to time in claims against lawyers. Today, we see the practice being undertaken in the high tech sector whose fast pace… Read More »
Categories: Conflicts of Interest, Law Practice ManagementIncivility: Practical Consequences for You and Your Client
Debate about lawyers’ incivility – whether it’s on the increase, whether it’s worthy of concern, how it should be handled – caught the attention of many of us in 2012. The subject continues to be discussed, and we can expect to hear more about it in the coming months and years. But high-profile cases aside,… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management StrategiesConflicts tune-up: 5 steps to avoiding conflict of interest claims
Every so often, a case about a lawyer removed from a matter or reprimanded for acting while in an “obvious” conflict of interest pops up in the media. These cases make all of us (or at least they should) shake our heads in dismay: Surely everybody knows how to avoid a conflict – don’t they?… Read More »
Categories: Conflicts of InterestLAWPRO 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 LawpracticePRO Resource: Voicemail tips
Although not everyone likes it, voice mail is an essential tool. Used properly, it can help you better communicate with and serve your clients. To avoid frustrating clients, consider the following points for handling incoming calls from our Managing a Better Professional Services firm booklet,: Give callers the option to leave a traditional message: If… Read More »
Categories: Communication Errors, Law Practice ManagementLAWPRO Magazine archives: Let’s get talking – A look at communications breakdowns
Humans communicate from the time they are infants until the day they die. At its heart, communication is all about the same thing – whether we speak, write, gesture, sign, listen, or tweet. It’s a way of telling someone something. So why, if lawyers have been communicating for as long as they have, are the… Read More »
Categories: Communication ErrorsFraud warning from a U.S. title insurance company
This is a warning from a U.S. title insurance company, advising that fraudsters are impersonating the company in an attempt to get real estate lawyers to divulge bank account information. This is less of an issue for Canadian real estate lawyers who still handle the transfer of money themselves (rather than using title insurer software),… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Prevention