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Availability of insurance coverage for lawyers acting as executor or trustee
Estate lawyers will sometimes be called upon by a client to act as executor or trustee as part of their Professional Services. Depending on the complexity of the estate or trust, these appointments can last for years and involve a substantial time investment. As with other aspects of a legal practice, alleged errors in the… Read More »
Categories: LAWPRO policy, Online Only, Wills & EstatesLaw Is a Buyer’s Market: Building A Client-First Law Firm
Law firms are experiencing a wrenching period of upheaval. Economic crises, technology explosions, and a regulatory revolution have spawned a wave of innovative competitors. Newly empowered clients have adopted aggressive buying behaviours and begun dictating the terms of their relationships to law firms. Faced with this unprecedented competitive landscape and an industry-wide drop in demand… Read More »
Categories: Book, Firm ManagementUnderstanding mental health in the legal profession
Herman Melville wrote that the legal profession is one where “misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none.” In Melville’s story of Bartleby, the Scrivenor, a solicitor watches this silent misery slowly consume and destroy his copyist, Bartleby. Although Melville wrote his tragedy about depression in the legal profession in 1853, it… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Wellness, WellnessUsing the MAP to find a healthier way
Although compromised mental health within the legal profession has historically been a widespread and deeply rooted problem, increasing awareness and new resources are building a healthier, more resilient, and stronger profession. That’s where myassistplan.com from the Member Assistance Program (MAP) comes in. The MAP provides Ontario lawyers, paralegals, law students, judges, and family members, with… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Wellness, WellnessWarning signs: Why it’s important for lawyers and firms to be proactive about mental health
When lawyers ignore their mental health and fail to act on warning signs, they not only harm their quality-of-life and job satisfaction, they leave themselves open to a claim, or even a cluster of malpractice claims. It’s 10:00 p.m. Do you know where your associates are? A lawyer’s life can be a lonely one. Long… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Wellness, WellnessPuttıng the fire out: Dealing with the stress of a malpractice claim
There is simply no doubt about it: making an error or having an action commenced against you is stressful, even for the most successful lawyers. And because almost half of Ontario lawyers in private practice will face a malpractice claim at least once in their career, at some point this stress will be a reality… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Wellness, WellnessWhat are my insurance options if I need to take a temporary leave of absence from practice?
You can apply for Exemption ‘C’ under the LAWPRO Program if you are taking a temporary leave of absence from practice. The leave may be up to five years for family reasons or illness and two years for other reasons. This exemption is for a temporary leave of absence only, meaning you must intend to… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, FAQs, LAWPRO policyDo your firm’s marketing practices expose you to vicarious liability?
While “law firm” once conjured an image either of a sole practitioner with a small storefront office or a multi-generational law firm with clearly defined partners and associates, many other firm structures now exist as lawyers opt to work from their homes, from virtual offices, and from shared accommodations. The work lawyers choose to do… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Excess, LAWPRO policyRun-Off coverage: The coverage you have after you leave practice
When lawyers retire, get appointed to the bench, go in-house or otherwise claim exemption from maintaining LAWPRO insurance, they commonly ask LAWPRO two questions: 1. Do they still need to pay for insurance? 2. What sort of services are they still allowed to perform? When you leave private practice you are not “off the hook”… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Errors & Omissions, LAWPRO policyDid you know that some title insurers include exceptions to fraud coverage for private lender transactions where the mortgage funds are not paid to acceptable parties?
In light of the commonly held view that real estate is a safe investment, many individuals use mortgage investments to supplement income or as a means of saving for retirement. Unfortunately, a reality of the current real estate landscape is that private lenders are often the target of identity frauds. A title insurance policy generally… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Practice Tips, Real Estate, Title insurance