Jul 28, 2023
Reviewers noted that the team is highly regarded for its “contentious private wealth offering” and the following strengths: .
“The Casey & Moss team are smart litigators, sensible and practical.”
“Casey & Moss has great client service”
Congrats to all of the firms recognized this year!
Jul 21, 2023
When Angelique Moss and I first flirted with the idea of starting a law firm, more than one confidante questioned whether it was a good idea to go into business with a friend.
But here we are seven years later. And I can say unreservedly that it was the best decision I ever made. Since then, we got to partner with two more amazing women who are also great friends.
There have been so many upsides to partnering with friends:
- I genuinely love coming to work.
- Making decisions is so much easier when the partners have a shared set of values. For example, all four partners value environmental responsibility and our health, so we all commute by bicycle when we can. When we found an office space that had a secure indoor bike cage, a shower on our floor, and a “robing room” to store our professional clothes, we knew instantly we had found “the one”. We all value humane working hours, mentoring, access to justice, a love of the law, and humour. Decision making is smoother because we aren’t pulled in opposing directions.
- I completely trust my partners’ judgment, legal skills, and ethics.
- It eases my stress to have partners who genuinely care about me. Most lawyers I know are one major illness or family emergency away from dropping one of the balls in the air. I know that I could lean on my partners to carry me through a tough period, and I would do the same for them.
- Unlike many law firms where partners compete with each other, it is natural for us to work collaboratively for the good of the firm. We genuinely feel that a win for one of us is a win for all of us. This is the natural consequence of being actual friends.
- Early on, referrals started coming into the firm, rather than to one of us. Whoever wasn’t in court that day could call the person back. Our colleagues at other firms know that that they can refer a file to any of us or our associates without offending any internal political order.
- We have something rare and old-fashioned: loyalty.
Some early feedback made me feel like there was something unprofessional, almost juvenile, about starting a business with a bestie. Now, I wonder what is crazier: starting a law firm with a friend, or going into partnership with people you don’t genuinely like.
Angela Casey
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.
Jul 17, 2023
Congratulations on obtaining your judgement! Now it’s time to open a bottle of champagne and grab your calculator. We’ll walk you through the process of calculating post-judgement interest with partial payment. Let’s go!
Step 1: Determine the Judgement Amount and Judgement Date
Post-Judgement Interest starts accruing automatically based on the amount owed or awarded under the judgement, beginning from the date on the order.
Step 2: Secure the Applicable Interest Rate
The interest rate may be set by the contract between the parties or by Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O 1990 c. C43. You can find the applicable interest rate by looking up the quarter when the judgement was issued through the table here, published by the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.
Step 3: Calculation
Let’s consider an example to demonstrate the calculation:
E.g.: The judgement was awarded to the creditor for $100,000.00 on February 1, 2023. The debtor made a partial payment of $50,000 on April 30, 2023 and is scheduled to pay the remaining balance on September 15, 2023. We need to calculate the amount due on the final payment date.
Step 3.1: Calculate Interest Period Days
First, determine the number of days for each interest period:
Period A: Judgement Date to First Payment Date
30-Apr-2023 to 01-Feb-2023 = 88 days
Period B: First Payment Date to Final Payment Date
15-Sep-2023 to 30-Apr-2023 = 138 days
Step 3.2: Calculate Post-Judgement Interest Per Diem
(Judgement Amount x Interest Rate % ) ÷ 365* = Post-Judgement Interest Per Diem
**If it is a leap year, use 366.
In the example, the interest rate in the first quarter of 2023 is 5.00, according to the table published by the Ministry of the Attorney General. We need to calculate two different interest per diem amounts as the interest must be calculated on the unpaid amount only.
For period A, the interest per diem = $100,000 x 5% ÷ 365 = $13.70
For Period B, the interest per diem = ($100,000 – $50,000) x 5% ÷ 365 = $6.85
Step 3.3: Calculate Total Post-Judgment Interest
Post-Judgement Interest Per Diem x Number of Days = Post-Judgement Interest
In this example, we need to calculate the post-judgement interest for both before and after the first payment date on April 30.
Post-judgement interest before the first payment date (Period A) = $13.70 x 88 days = $1,205.48
Post-judgement interest after the first payment date (Period B) = $6.85 x 138 days = $945.21
Period A Interest + Period B Interest = Total Post-Judgement Interest
$1,205.48+$945.21=$2,150.69
Step 3.4: Calculate Total Outstanding Balance
To calculate the total outstanding balance on the final payment date (September 15, 2023):
Total Post-Judgement Interest + Unpaid Judgement Amount = Total Outstanding Balance
$2,150.69 + ($100,000 – $50,000) = $52,150.69
Calculating post-judgement interest with partial payment may require some math, but with a few calculations, you can determine the total outstanding balance accurately. You may need to consult legal professionals or use specialized software to ensure compliance with specific jurisdictional rules.
Jennifer Jiang
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.
Jul 7, 2023
Before January 1, 2022, Ontario courts would only consider a Will valid if the Will complied with the strict, technical formalities set out in the Succession Law Reform Act. For example, under the SLRA, a Will was only considered valid if the Will was in writing, if it was signed by the testator at the end of the document, and if it was witnessed by two or more people.
However, with the recent addition of section 21.1(1) to the SLRA, even Wills that don’t meet those formal requirements may be considered valid, as long as the court is satisfied that the document “sets out the testamentary intentions of a deceased”. This means the court now has the power to order that a document is as valid and as effective as a Will, even if it does not meet the requirements of a Will. This new section of the SLRA applies to Wills of people who died after January 1, 2022.
For a while, we didn’t have many examples of people relying on section 21.1(1). Now, however, we are starting to see the court interpreting section 21.1(1) in some recent decisions.
As expected, the court has relied on cases from other provinces that already introduced provisions similar to section 21.1(1) of the SRLA. In a series of recent decisions from the Ontario Superior Court from June 2023, the court found that even when a Will wasn’t witnessed at all or signed by the testator, the Will was valid because it recorded a “deliberate or fixed and final expression of intention as to the disposal of the deceased’s property on death.” If it is clear from the facts and evidence that the deceased intended the document to be a proper Will, it seems like the Ontario court will have little difficulty finding the document to be a valid Will.
In these first few cases interpreting section 21.1(1) of the SLRA, all the documents validated as Wills looked very much like a proper Will, but for a few key issues, like missing signatures. Only time will tell how far the court will go to validate documents that may set out someone’s testamentary intentions, but that stray even farther from the technical requirements of a Will.
Cara Zacks
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.
Jun 30, 2023
Choosing to act as an incapable person’s attorney or guardian of property is a considerable and important responsibility. Part of that responsibility is keeping a clear record of all money coming into and leaving the incapable person’s hands. Pursuant to section 32(6) of the Substitute Decisions Act, attorneys and guardians of property are required to keep accounts of all transactions involving the property of the incapable person.
It is important for guardians to maintain accurate, thorough accounts for several important reasons. First and foremost, keeping proper accounts is a part of a guardian’s fiduciary duty to the incapable person and the legislation requires that you do so. Second, keeping thorough accounts can protect you from personal liability if you are required to pass your accounts. Third, the guardian’s compensation is tied directly to the incapable person’s receipts and disbursements.
Below are some helpful tips for guardians and attorneys keeping accounts:
1. If possible, speak with the grantor of the Power of Attorney prior to that person becoming incapable. Discuss their wishes, assets, and where they are keeping their will. Continue these conversations after you begin acting as an attorney or guardian and encourage your loved one to participate, to the best of his or her abilities, in your decisions about their property.
2. Review the Power of Attorney document. Often the Power of Attorney will stipulate whether there are any limitations on how you can manage the incapable person’s property.
3. If you are a guardian for property, you must follow the court-approved Management and Guardianship Plans. If any material change is required to your Management Plan, you should prepare an amended Management Plan and submit it to the Public Guardian and Trustee for approval.
4. Locate and review the incapable person’s Will. If property is specifically gifted in a will, it cannot be sold unless it is necessary to care for the incapable person.
5. When you are named guardian or begin acting as an attorney, make a list of all the incapable person’s assets (whether solely or jointly owned). Assets include real estate, money, securities, investments, motor vehicles, other personal property, etc.
6. Keep a record of all transactions you make on the incapable person’s behalf. It is important that you keep a copy of all receipts and bank statements. These can be maintained in a binder, or scanned into an electronic folder regularly. If maintaining these digitally, ensure that your files are backed up.
7. Keep the incapable person’s financial accounts and transactions completely separate from your own.
8. Consult regularly with the incapable person’s supportive family members and friends about decisions that you make with respect to the incapable person’s property.
9. Most importantly, the incapable person’s comfort and well-being should guide each decision that you make with respect to their property. You are required to exercise your fiduciary duties diligently, with honesty and integrity, and in good faith for the incapable person’s benefit.
10. You have a right to seek advice and direction from the court to deal with questions about your obligations, and the incapable person’s legal rights. This is not meant to displace your duty to make tough decisions as a substitute decision maker, but to provide you with judicial guidance in complex situations.
Rebecca Suggitt
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.
