Barrister, Solicitor & Notary Public Your Legal Solution
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Not so much "Good Bye" as much as "I'll See You Later"
It's been a while since I updated this blog, and mostly before the holidays, it was just due to sheer volume of closings that were happening. In January, I was planning on getting back into updating the blog, and I even had some great articles planned with my outlook for the year. Unfortunately, some personal matters have arisen and I need to attend to them. As a result, I don't know when I'll get back to posting articles here.
People who know me have stood by me over the past few weeks and I want to thank them for their support. I recognize that there are a lot worse problems out there, but at the same time, I cannot ignore or try to escape from what I need to address. I have decided to not only take some time away from updating, but I will also be away from the office a little more in the next while. It is not that I am giving up on writing on my blog, but rather, refocusing my efforts onto something else that needs my attention.
If anybody is actually reading this and is interested in reading my writing, I can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TOLegal.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
With the drop in local home sales, many condo developers have been pushing their projects into final closing recently, leading to a spike in real estate closings for me lately. Unfortunately, many of these developers do things on such short time frames that I am often rushed to get everything done. This rush is really created because they can't get their figures together in time or they don't advise solicitors of the closing dates, thus forcing us to rely upon our client's memory.
As a result, I've had to close several condos with only a few days notice. The mortgage is often ...
Last night, CityNews ran a story about how to convert a basement into a separate apartment for rental purposes. I've always been intrigued with basement apartments as I felt that they would be a nice option for extended family to use as guest suite. I applaud them for their recognition that it may be best to speak to an accountant or financial adviser about possible tax credits since it is always best to get advice from qualified professionals.
However, they did not mention speaking to legal professionals. Other than the permits, which they mention, there is one other issue that ...
Ontario Government on the Hook for Large Legal Bills
I'm not really sure how to title this one. I was going to call it "WeirFoulds Sticks Ontario Government with Large Bill", but, while it is attention grabbing, it doesn't properly characterize my post or my opinion of the situation. So I eventually settled on the title that I used.
While browsing the Internet today, I found a service called LawMail which is supposed to be an email service targeted towards lawyers with special features. I haven't tried it, so I can't really comment on the service, but it looks to be a knockoff based on GMail. If anybody is interested in giving it a try, let me know the results.
Although I'm a little late to the discussion on this, but the Financial Post has published an article discussing the possibility of allowing law firms to become publicly traded entities. The author makes some very good points in this article and it's worth a read. The short version is that, with the removal of the restriction that ownership of the firm must be held by lawyers in the UK and Australia, the author views that allowing law firms to go public is generally a good thing.
I'm not as concerned about the situation cited by the author about "Wal-Mart offerring ...
I know that I haven't been posting a lot of more serious articles for the average purchaser or seller lately, and it's mostly because with the market the way it is, I haven't seen anything particularly new or interesting that dictates an article. Instead, I've been looking for inspiration elsewhere. While I patiently await to see if my last post shows any readership, I might as well post something more serious, even if it hasn't been confirmed that someone is actually out there reading it.
While awaiting the results of my last post, I began to browse the MLS listings to see ...
A while ago, I came across an article citing examples of how court papers could be served on someone using Facebook as the means. It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it will become the norm. After all, it is fairly easy to open up a fake account and say that a person was served, even though it is not one and the same person, nor even an actual person sometimes.
In Ontario, there are much stricter rules for service, which have all been codified in the Rules of Civil Procedure. The rules are fairly clear, but non-compliance is ...
The Toronto Star is reporting that January home sales are down 50% compared to last year. The article cites several reasons, including the fact that last year purchasers were scrambling to complete transactions before the City of Toronto Land Transfer Tax was implemented, thus increasing the number of sales.
Historically, I haven't seen many purchases between January through March. Usually March is when I typically have more people making inquiries about buying or selling a home. In 2007, I remember not having many transactions and getting started into blogging around that time. At that time, many other lawyers felt things ...
Want Secure Communication? Use Obama Approved Tech
As shown through many media outlets, President Obama of the United States used a BlackBerry to remain in communication during his campaign. However, the White House is concerned with potential security issues revolving around the use of the BlackBerry device, despite the security features and encryption built into the system.
