Employment Law

I made my own hand-written will few years ago. I believe it’s valid and truly reflects my wishes, however my financial advisor told me I should get a proper will drafted by a Lawyer. Why should I do that? Wills are legal documents that will dictate the distribution of assets after one’s passing and there…

Q: My husband and I are separating. It is fairly amicable, and we have agreed on how we want to divide our assets and how parenting will work. Can we both see the same Lawyer to draft a separation agreement? We would like to keep legal costs to a minimum. Everyone likes to avoid or…

Work at my business has slowed down quite a bit this year. I currently have 11 employees but there is not enough work to go around. I should be getting a set of new contracts that will keep everyone busy this spring, but I’d like to make some temporary layoffs in the meantime to avoid…

I’m a young professional and I am currently engaged to be married. I’ve heard of people signing prenuptial agreements. What is a pre-nup and do I need one? What people call a pre-nuptial agreement, or a “pre-nup” is called actually called a marriage contract in Ontario. If a marriage meets an unfortunate demise, the marriage…

I want to transfer my house to my son. Do we have to pay Land Transfer Tax on such a transfer? As long as there is no consideration passing between you and your son, and the transfer is a gift to your son, there is no Land Transfer Tax payable. What is Land Transfer Tax? Land Transfer Tax…

We have been married for the last 25 years but don’t have any children. Do we need a will, or would everything just go to the surviving spouse anyway? Yes, you do need a will. Whenever you don’t have any children, under the statutory distribution scheme for individuals that die without a will, your spouse…

My spouse and I are separated with children. Who pays for back to school expenses? Parents often like to joke that back-to-school is “the most wonderful time of the year.” Covering the costs of sending the kids back into the classroom also makes it quite an expensive time of year. For parents who are separated or divorced, figuring out…

Q: I run a small business and I am currently in the process of looking for commercial space. Do I need a Lawyer to review the lease? A commercial lease is a complex legal document. In addition to the usual but important commercial provisions such as the term of the lease and monthly rentals, there are numerous other commercial…

I was at a party out in cottage country and I collided with a parked car while leaving. There was some damage. I thought it looked pretty serious, but the owner said if I paid $500 cash, it would be no problem. Is there any down side to this? Yes. It is risky to settle…

Question: I recently changed roles at work. My new title is “Accounts Manager” and I am responsible for all the company’s accounts payable and receivable. I also help other staff price our products and develop new accounts. I am very happy about my new role but my job used to be “9 to 5” and now I have…