Articles 2024

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Rejection, a Stepping Stone

  • March 04, 2020
  • Rand Salih

The path to become a lawyer and practice law can be difficult. Both current and aspiring lawyers can expect to experience rejection, but it does not define who we are. Rejection can be re-purposed as a stepping-stone for growth.

Student Forum, Young Lawyers' Division

Updates to the Canada Elections Act: Impact on Non-Profits and Charities

  • March 03, 2020
  • Susan M. Manwaring and Gwenyth Stadig, Miller Thomson LLP

Recent amendments to the Canada Elections Act (the “Elections Act”) came into force and effect on June 13, 2019. This article summarizes these significant changes and how they impact non-profit organizations and registered charities.

Charity and Not-For-Profit Law, Student Forum

Copyright No Plaything: Celebrity Tattoos in Video Games

  • March 03, 2020
  • Tara Parker

Since copyright laws generally grant the owners of artistic works the sole right to control the use and reproduction of their works in all media (subject to some limited exceptions), any unauthorized use or reproduction of a celebrity’s tattoo in an e-sports game (e.g., NBA 2K20), movie (e.g., The Hangover), or other media may result in a copyright infringement claim — not to mention a trademark, publicity or personality rights claim, depending on the circumstances.

Entertainment, Media and Communications Law, Student Forum

Brown Bag Lunch – January 14, 2020

  • March 03, 2020
  • Rebecca Rauws, associate, and Tony Ma, articling student, Hull & Hull LLP,

A summary of the topics discussed at the January meeting of the OBA's Brown Bag Lunch program, or "BBL." Discussion covered planning-related topics such as ODSP limits, lifetime benefit trusts, and the prudent investor rule, as well as litigation issues such as bank policies around multiple attorneys acting under a joint POA, and the court's process when a Notice of Objection to a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee has been filed.

Student Forum, Trusts and Estates Law
Kira Domratchev

Is an RESP a Trust? .... And So What If It Is?

  • March 03, 2020
  • Kira Domratchev, Hull & Hull LLP

Is an RESP a trust? The answer, this author discovers, depends on the context, and maybe the province. This article aims to cut through the confusion by going back to first principles, applying them to the unique ownership features of an RESP, and then considering how the case law compares.

Student Forum, Trusts and Estates Law
Cara Zacks

Party Time? Naming Parties in a Dependant Support Application

  • March 03, 2020
  • Cara Zacks, Casey & Moss LLP

In law, sometimes the simplest questions are the most difficult to answer. This article explores why the fairly basic question of "who should I name as a party?" could yield contradictory answers in the context of a dependant's support application. In the face of a potential contradiction between the Succession Law Reform Act and the Rules of Civil Procedure, this article suggests some best practices for avoiding a last-minute adjournment of your client's application. 

Student Forum, Trusts and Estates Law

Brown Bag Lunch – December 17, 2019

  • March 03, 2020
  • Rebecca Rauws, associate, and Devin McMurtry, articling student, Hull & Hull LLP

A summary of December's Brown Bag lunch meeting of estates and trusts practitioners. Topics discussed included NoticeConnect’s Will registry and who can submit Wills to the registry, whether a drafting lawyer can still be sued in negligence if the impugned Will has been probated, probate for digital assets, and the fate of basket clauses.

Student Forum, Trusts and Estates Law
Blair L. Botsford

Real Estate Meets Trust Law: Land Registration Ontario Style

  • March 03, 2020
  • Blair L. Botsford, partner, Blaney McMurtry LLP,

Trust law can be difficult enough, but the Land Registry Office’s current approach to registering trusts (or refusing to do so) has further complicated matters, potentially obscuring the true ownership of land. This article explores the difficulties of the current treatment of trusts in the land titles system, and where that leaves lawyers interacting with the system.

Student Forum, Trusts and Estates Law

Running Your Law Practice Like a Well-Oiled Machine

  • March 03, 2020
  • Karl Kremer, business coach at The Peak Potential

A law practice is a business and needs to be treated like one. The great lawyers that are running them need to learn to be great business owners. Here are five steps to help you get your practice running like a well-oiled and profitable business.

Sole, Small Firm and General Practice, Student Forum

Development Impacts of ‘Building Transit Faster’

  • March 02, 2020
  • Signe Leisk and Marisa Keating

This article provides an overview of Bill 171, An Act to enact the Building Transit Faster Act, 2020, which was introduced on February 18, 2020.

Municipal Law, Student Forum