March 24, 2026
The argument that a legislature’s use of the Charter’s s. 33 “override” clause can temporarily prevent judges from striking down a law but not from reviewing the law’s constitutionality or stating that the law infringes Charter rights and freedoms sparked a lively exchange between counsel and the bench as the Supreme Court of Canada kicked off its inquiry into the constitutionality of Quebec’s controversial “secularism” (Bill 21) law.
March 23, 2026
Alysa O’Keefe is a new associate at Aird & Berlis LLP.
March 23, 2026
This week’s blockbuster Bill 21 appeal at the Supreme Court involves 140 counsel of record — with 64 of them slated to make oral argument over four days on behalf of the 10 main party groups and the record 51 interveners.
March 18, 2026
In the first part of this two-part series (see link below), I wrote that in addition to actual legal work, most lawyers are also expected to act, speak and dress in certain ways. This added layer of effort can feel like a performance. It requires constantly monitoring yourself to maintain the image of a “good lawyer,” and it is exhausting. Here, I turn to what can be done to reduce the stress associated with all this extra labour.
March 18, 2026
When a party is incapable of instructing counsel, or their capacity is in question in a proceeding, two distinct safeguards exist under Ontario law to protect that party’s interests.
March 11, 2026
Early in my career, I noticed a pattern I could not ignore. I would build rapport with clients, earn their trust and then watch everything fall apart the moment the invoice was sent. They were not upset with me personally, even though sometimes it felt that way. They were blindsided by a system that charged them in a way they found unfair. Even worse, I would get penalized if I found strategies to be fast and efficient to make it more fair.
March 10, 2026
MLT Aikins has welcomed Courtney Yaremchuk as an associate lawyer in the firm’s Edmonton office.
March 10, 2026
In Anroop v. Naqvi, 2026 ONCA 142, the Court of Appeal overturned the Application Judge, Justice Cory Gilmore’s decision Anroop et al. v. Naqvi et al., 2025 ONSC 160, and declared the fourth invalid largely due to the drafting lawyer’s “conflict of interest.”
March 09, 2026
Lawyers drafting wills for others must be diligent in avoiding conflicts of interest, says a lawyer acting in a case in which last wishes were deemed invalid due to evidence of a “suspicious circumstance.”
March 06, 2026
In a Charter s. 15(1) equality rights milestone, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Quebec’s exclusion of refugee claimants from eligibility for subsidized childcare in the province unconstitutionally discriminates against women based on their sex.