Law360 Canada

Organizations doing business in Quebec face new compliance obligations as the right to data portability comes into force at the tail end of September, spelling the end of a one-year leniency period following the entry into force of Quebec’s sweeping overhaul of its privacy regime.

There can be a tax liability with long-term disability payments, and if an individual is forced to rely on long-term disability (LTD) insurance as an income replacement after an injury or disability, they may wonder if those payments are taxable. The answer depends on several factors.

Timely resolution of legal disputes is not merely an ideal in family law, it is a vital necessity for families who are undergoing the traumatic process of divorce.

A few years ago, I received a phone call from my security alarm company advising that the alarm was going off at Pravda Vodka Bar, an iconic downtown Toronto nightclub that I had purchased in 2020.

Media reports suggest more Canadians are seeking medical services outside of Canada, sometimes referred to as “medical tourism.” A common reason people travel for health-care services is weight loss. A popular medical technique for weight loss is bariatric surgery, which includes reducing the size of the stomach. Costs for the surgery at private clinics can exceed $25,000.

Insurance companies need to take a good-faith approach when assessing mental health claims. I am not talking blind faith. By good faith, I mean there has to be more trust when considering the veracity of these claims. Specifically, more trust in what claimants and their treatment providers are reporting to them. That starts with asking the right questions of the person’s treatment providers.

The parties in Parvizi v. Taherzadeh, 2024 BCCA 205 were in the midst of their 10-day trial when an issue arose as to the value of a property, alleged by Mesbah Taherzadeh to be excluded property. The issue on appeal was whether Taherzadeh bore the onus of proving both that the property was excluded, and the value of the exclusion based on the property’s value at the date the relationship commenced.

Family lawyers see firsthand how intimate partner violence wreaks havoc upon victims. Compassion and empathy often lead us to want to see something more to help them, especially when these victims are our clients. However, creating a new tort of family violence is not the way to do so.

Separating spouses continue to face a daunting process when navigating the end of their relationship if they want to rely on the public court system. Choosing how to settle a divorce has become the no. 1 question when a couple separates.

When lawyers map out an annual business plan, it often includes a lengthy list of costly initiatives such as attending conferences, speaking engagements, client travel and launching podcasts. All of these come with a hefty bottom line and a long run time to launch. Rather than trying to pinch pennies and squeeze more into the budget, what if you could build a solid business development plan without spending a dime? According to the Canadian Bar Association’s 2024 State of the Canadian Law Firm Market, 67 per cent of firms find controlling costs and expenses a significant or moderate challenge while 59 per cent have challenges acquiring new business.