More than 1100 Ontario lawyers to defy Law Society’s Statement of Principles

As the deadline draws nearer, a growing number of lawyers and paralegals in Ontario are refusing to draft a controversial new document aimed to advance “culture shift” within the profession. To date,1,125 licensed members of the legal profession in Ontario have signed a petition on the website “stopsop.

Law firms ‘imbued with machismo’ says former attorney-turned-therapist

Inside a billion dollar skyscraper somewhere in Manhattan is a lawyer nicknamed “The Machine”.  He’s lauded, feared and respected for his nearly inhuman capacity to chase billable hours. Nevermind breaks, vacations, hobbies, family or even a semblance of balance in life. In a profession where money equals prestige, and

Weekly Webinar: "Look beyond the data - uLaw Analytics

This is a summarized post of THIS WEEK'S WEBINAR (March 2, 2018). Subscribe here and listen/watch our uLaw webinar for the week hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(2569152, 'cab99a21-7cb5-45e3-a75c-b841a50368b4', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); For a

Lawyers with more success, more depressed; study says

New research emerging from the University of Toronto suggests lawyers who attain higher status roles in private sector practice are more prone to having mental health problems and depression. Published earlier this year in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, researchers Jon Koltai, Scott Schieman and Ronit Dinovitzer compared

Plainer language in BC court forms among new rule changes for court of appeal

The appeal procedure is getting a changeup in BC courts revolving around civil matters. According to the British Columbia government, this will make it easier to understand and more efficient for lawyers to navigate the appeals procedure. The same can also be said for self represented individuals, of which there

From Supreme Court to.. Hong Kong? McLachlin C.J. heads to Asia

Mandatory retirement? Not in Asia! Canada's former top judge, Beverley McLachlin, is potentially heading to Hong Kong later this year to sit as a temporary judge on that country's Court of Final Appeal. After nearly 18 years of sitting on Canada's Supreme Court, McLachlin

Canadian Feminists to launch“Wikipedia Takeover”

In preparation for 2018’s impending International Women’s Day, Amnesty International Canada is mobilizing feminists around the world to partake in what they're calling a "Wikipedia Takeover". In a bid to equalize gender representation on the world’s largest open source encyclopaedia--whose users are predominantly

CBA to host immigration law conference about diversity

How does a country balance economic prosperity, security, international obligations and humanitarian compassion? And what’s required of lawyers who want to make sure their clients stay on the right side of that balance? That will be the focus of this year’s Immigration Law Conference Running from April 19-21

Canadian Feminists to launch“Wikipedia Takeover”

In preparation for 2018’s impending International Women’s Day, Amnesty International Canada is mobilizing feminists around the world to partake in what they're calling a "Wikipedia Takeover". In a bid to equalize gender representation on the world’s largest open source encyclopaedia--whose users are predominantly

Precautions for lawyers to take in the wireless world

The modern smartphone and, to a lesser extent, the tablet have become indispensable tools in the management of your practice.  Such power, mobility and convenience, however comes with some security vulnerabilities that can be somewhat mitigated with a few security practices that should become part of your professional life.  In

CCLA Paralegal Committee CPD event in Ottawa Nov 21

Paralegals, lawyers and students who are looking to learn more about how to effectively manage the administrative and accounting components of their legal business are being given an opportunity to learn practical skills during a seminar hosted at the Elgin St. courthouse in Ottawa later this month. Dubbed “Disbursements De-Mystified

Judges among speakers at Ottawa Paralegal conference

Two judges were present at Ottawa's Centurion Centre on Oct. 21 to serve paralegals and lawyers a mix of wisdom to promote a greater understanding of the profession and the requirements necessary in order to be successful. Much of the seminar was focused on “hands on” subjects paralegals

HillCowan Legal Services: uLaw “the most reasonably priced, feature-rich legal software on the market”

First thing in the morning, uLaw is open on my desktop. It’s my primary application of use. Why? It’s the ultimate at-your-fingertips legal management tool, keeping me ever-vigilant on my client and matter account management and legal accounting. This application strengthens my ability to be proactive and never

Build compliance with speedy, computerized conflict checking

In order for a lawyer to function properly in Canadian society, it almost goes without saying that practitioners are meant to tenaciously pursue the interests of their clients while serving the court. Ideally nobody else should stand in the way of attorney-client privilege. Everybody knows it’s integral to the

7 ways a smart phone can harm a lawyer's practice & how to stop it

The modern smart phone, and to a lesser extent, the tablet have become indispensable tools in the management of your practice. Such power, mobility and convenience comes with security vulnerabilities that can be highly detrimental for a lawyer if not mitigated. In our experience consulting with the administrative staff of

Cloud based computing and Canadian Law: What matters for lawyers

Lawyers are pretty interested in privacy matters. In fact, many lawyers are experts in the area of privacy. That’s why as practice management service providers in the cloud, we get so many questions about privacy and security as it relates to the use of cloud-based applications. As with any

Celebrating a nation of inventors and innovators on CANADA 150!!

Here at uLaw Practice we’d like to take a moment to say HAPPY CANADA 150 to all our clients, friends, families and fellow countrymen/women who are all part & parcel of this great, tolerant, economically powerful, clean, safe, vast & beautiful land that we all call our home.

Time is precious for 'accident Benefits' lawyers, so make it quick

Perhaps unlike patent law, where corporate giants battle against one another for years at a time, the personal injury lawyer is in a whole different world—and so are her clients. Time is of the ultimate essence for practitioners who have carved their niche serving Ontarians who suffer injuries or

Avoid conflict of interest with software-assisted keystrokes

When a solo practitioner first begins representing clients it can appear to be quite easy to avoid conflicts of interest. After all, if you’re just beginning and your law firm is relatively new, it’s highly likely your client base is small enough that the potential for problems to

DRAFT LEGAL DOCUMENTS FASTER

PRE POPULATED DOCUMENTS The lawyer's interaction with his or her clients occurs on a regular basis. Establishing a good rapport, understanding the client's concerns, deciding the consequent steps are some of the many conversations held during attorney-client meetings. Following such discussions, Law Society guidelines urge the

Get Audit ready, instantly, with uLaw

Our pro bono cases, trial cases, depositions, transcripts are to be maintained and categorized for the audits. With court cases, client meetings, keeping track of our clients and associated documents becomes a mammoth task. Organizing the log with updated details based on everyday proceedings requires time, time that could have

KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR INVOICE BALANCE

INVOICE BALANCE REPORT GENERATION Invoices are sent to the client for the case at hand once the matter has been closed or if it requires interim billing. Following an invoice, clients settle their dues with the lawyer(s) handling the case. When a client transfers the money owed to the

Marketing your new law firm in 2017

Marketing your new law firm in 2017 The ever increasing presence of social media is beginning to shift how consumers hear about products and services that can help their lives. Successful entrepreneurs and paralegals are jumping on these trends and stomping on their competitors. Take a look at how to

Blog REVIEW: Is Dropbox a good storage service for lawyers? ANSWER: Yes, but its not flawless

As part of uLawPractice's 2017 review of cloud storage services available to lawyers, we're going to put Dropbox under the microscope to view whether it's a worthy service for you to use in your day-to-day business dealings. Lawyers are jumping on board to use

APPS that make sense for Legal Profession - Marketing Apps

Legal marketing has to be among the least glamorous subjects to market in today’s consumer driven world of celebrity-endorsed vehicles and budget trips to Jamaica. Nobody seems to want a lawyer like they want an iPhone or a Cuba Libre on the side of the ocean. Despite this, there