Articles 2021

Today
Today

Ontario Considers Eliminating Juries from Civil Trials

  • June 23, 2020
  • David Milosevic, Milosevic Fiske LLP

Ontario's Attorney General considers eliminating civil jury trials, as a response to the expected backlog created by the COVID-19 pandemic. David Fiske reviews the underlying reasoning.

Civil Litigation, Student Forum
Illustration of a woman standing and watching leaves float in the wind

Redefining Resilience

  • June 21, 2020
  • Rachel Migicovsky, Member-at-Large

What are lawyers worried about in the midst of a global pandemic? The issues are varied, from balancing childcare with work, to caring for vulnerable elderly family members, to financial concerns. Yet, there is a common thread: people are feeling the pressures of this moment in time and need a way to cope. In this article, Rachel Migicovsky discusses how building up resilience can help people acknowledge and accept the emotional distress they may be feeling.

Women Lawyers Forum, Student Forum
Rachel Sachs, Vice-Chair

This is What a Lawyer Looks Like: Meet Alexandria Winterburn

  • June 21, 2020
  • Rachel Sachs, Vice-Chair

The face of law is changing. In an effort to highlight the diverse range of individuals working across the legal landscape, we are pleased to present our new series, This is What a Lawyer Looks Like. The goal of this series is to put racialized and Indigenous women lawyers in the spotlight and amplify their voices in the conversation about gender equality. In this instalment: meet Alexandria Winterburn, a lawyer with a wealth of wisdom and experience in Indigenous rights and Aboriginal law.

Women Lawyers Forum, Student Forum

Opportunities for Law Students in the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond: a resource list for in-house counsel

  • June 21, 2020
  • Barbara De Dios, corporate counsel, Canadian Dental Services Corporation

The Canadian Corporate Counsel Association - Ontario Chapter has compiled a resource list of career development divisions and contacts at various law schools across the province of Ontario, in the event that its members may have opportunities available at their respective organizations (or know of opportunities within their networks), in support of students who may be experiencing difficulties with the job market as a result of COVID-19.

Canadian Corporate Counsel Association - Ontario Chapter, Student Forum

FCA Confirms CASL is Constitutional, but Limits Business Communications Exemption

  • June 21, 2020
  • Molly Reynolds, Ronak Shah, Andrew Bernstein and Saambavi Mano

The Federal Court of Appeal recently dismissed an appeal against two CRTC decisions regarding enforcement actions under CASL. In addition to upholding the Commercial Electronic Message provisions as constitutional, the Court provided clarity on the “business-to-business” and conspicuous publication exemptions, as well as the unsubscribe mechanism requirements.

Privacy Law, Student Forum

Court of Appeal Summaries (June 8 – 12, 2020)

  • June 19, 2020
  • John Polyzogopoulos

Following are our summaries of last week’s civil decisions released by the Court of Appeal for Ontario. There were four substantive decisions, but quite a few very short ones.

Civil Litigation, Student Forum

At-Home Learning: Legal Considerations and Challenges for School Boards

  • June 19, 2020
  • Sakshi Chadha and Shamim Fattahi, articling students, Keel Cottrelle LLP

The closure of Ontario's schools due to COVD-19 has raised a number of legal considerations. The unique circumstance of learning and working remotely marks a significant change in how school boards, students, schools and educators function. The OBA Education Law Section's recent CPD examined some of these legal considerations and challenges.

Education Law, Student Forum

Accommodation Issues in Post-Secondary Education

  • June 19, 2020
  • Kevin Roche

Ontario's publicly-funded school boards have created a uniform and structured approach to identifying and accommodating students with exceptionalities, however, inconsistencies remain at the post-secondary level where students can be left feeling alone and dejected. Reasonable accommodation must be available at Ontario's post-secondary institutions as well to ensure equitable opportunities for students.

Education Law, Student Forum
Jon Wigley

Celebrating the Late Jonathan Wigley, OBA Murray Klein Award for Excellence in Insolvency Law Recipient

  • June 18, 2020

The 2020 OBA Murray Klein Award for Excellence in Insolvency Law winner, Jon Wigley, a partner at Gardiner Roberts LLP, was a credit to the profession – a stellar lawyer, model of integrity and generous mentor. Sadly, Jon passed away before he could receive this honour. In this Q&A, two of Jon’s long-time friends and colleagues offer insight into why he was so highly regarded within the legal community and how his legacy will live on in those who benefitted from his sage advice and fine example.

Insolvency Law, Student Forum