“A lawyer’s duty to act with civility does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, it exists in concert with a series of professional obligations that both constrain and compel a lawyer’s behavior”. Groia [...]

I believe that inside every tool is a hammer.  Adam Savage I was called to the Bar in 1977, and although I have presented many papers over the years for a variety of purposes, it was not until [...]

“Intuition of truth, not preceded by perceptible meditation, is genius” – Lavator, Aphorisms on Man In my last post I identified 5 methods of knowing, the first of which is Intuition. [...]

“scientia est potentia” How do our new and junior colleagues, who do not get everything they need at law school, continue to acquire knowledge, and therefore the confidence to perform [...]

In Part 1 of this comment (see “Skill Sets # 12: Beware the Bear” ) I addressed the moment when we move from interviewing to counselling. I stressed the importance of ensuring that our junior [...]

In a recent endorsement out of Civil Practice Court in Toronto (713949 Ontario Limited, Applicant and Hudson’s Bay Company ULC, Respondent, OSCJ January 25, 2021) Mr. Justice F.L. Myers took an [...]

“I can’t say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days” – Daniel Boone 1734 – 1820 Overview In working with new calls and younger colleagues in law it is not uncommon, but [...]

Nature’s first green is gold/ Her hardest hue to hold/Her early leaf’s a flower/ But only so an hour – Nothing Gold Can Stay – Robert Frost We hear a lot these days about ‘rounding the [...]

There is a strong connection between mentorship and storytelling.  Mentorship is all about relationships. Relationships are all about communication.  And storytelling plays an important role in [...]

Interview, who’s interviewing who/ Are you interviewing me/ Or am I interviewing you   Cyndi Lauper The art of interviewing a prospective client, a skill central to our business and [...]