Seminar Partners Archive

Thursday, December 1, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-12-01 12:00:00 2022-12-01 13:30:00 America/Toronto SCC Family Law Update: 10 Cases & Their Implications Seminar Partners Program - SCC Family Law Update: 10 Cases & Their Implications hosted by Prof. Rollie Thompson, Q.C. Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Too busy to attend a full day family law institute? Then this program is for you! Over an 18-month period, the Supreme Court of Canada will have heard or decided 10, count ‘em 10, family law appeals, appeals with significance for many areas of family law: fresh evidence in custody/parenting appeals, deference in such appeals, relocation and the “refinement” (or end) of Gordon v. Goertz, any remaining natural parent preference in parenting cases, retroactive child support (and spousal support), family mediation and the privilege for settlement negotiations, jurisdiction in non-Hague custody cases, the constitutionality of the new federal Indigenous child welfare statute, and the weight to be given to informal spousal contracts. These decisions are already having a huge impact on cases you see every day...Read More

Thursday, November 24, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-11-24 12:00:00 2022-11-24 13:30:00 America/Toronto Testamentary Capacity & Undue Influence in Estate Planning Seminar Partners Program - Testamentary Capacity & Undue Influence in Estate Planning hosted by Geoffrey White, K.C. & Mark Weintraub, K.C. Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Will challenges are often based on claims that the testator lacked the capacity to execute a will, or that the will was the result of undue influence. These are not easy matters to assess, especially with new clients for whom you have no frame of reference. As a practitioner, you must assume that the will you are drafting could be contested and take clear steps to rule out issues of incapacity and undue influence, and build a record documenting your conclusions. This highly practical webinar featuring experienced estates counsel Mark Weintraub, K.C. and Geoffrey White, K.C. will review your duties when taking will planning instructions, offer practical techniques you can use to evaluate capacity and undue influence, and discuss how to better help or decline to help a prospective client, while protecting your practice from negligence claims. By the end of the program you will...Read More

Thursday, November 10, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-11-10 12:00:00 2022-11-10 13:30:00 America/Toronto Insolvency Basics for Wills and Estates Lawyers Seminar Partners Program - Insolvency Basics for Wills and Estates Lawyers hosted by Lou Brzezinski & Margaret Rintoul Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Dealing with financial challenges can raise complex considerations for executors, beneficiaries and the lawyers who advise them. This program will guide you through three important questions you may be asked by clients in your wills and estates practice: What do you do when as estate’s liabilities exceed its assets?, What happens to the debts of a person who dies while still in bankruptcy?, How does bankruptcy of a beneficiary affect their inheritance? Experienced insolvency lawyer Lou Brzezinski and veteran estates practitioner Margaret Rintoul will explain how indebtedness and insolvency can impact the administration of an estate and create personal liability for the executor and trustee, as well as factors executors and trustees should consider in deciding whether to administer an estate themselves or assign it into bankruptcy. In addition...Read More

Thursday, October 27, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-10-27 12:00:00 2022-10-27 13:30:00 America/Toronto Impaired Driving Basics: Cross-examining the Arresting Officer Seminar Partners Program - Impaired Driving Basics: Cross-examining the Arresting Officer hosted by John Hale Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Cross-examination is one of the strongest keys to winning an Impaired or DUI trial. There are many technicalities the Crown must prove in an impaired driving case and the arresting officer’s investigation provides one of the most fertile grounds for obtaining an acquittal. This 90-minute presentation will focus on essential aspects of the arresting officer’s investigation, including observations of the vehicle and defendant, administration of field sobriety tests, use of approved screening devices, and breathalyzer demands and tests. Experienced criminal defence counsel John Hale will describe strategies involved in cross-examining the arresting officer, with practical examples of common defence arguments, including...Read More

Thursday, October 20, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-10-20 12:00:00 2022-10-20 13:30:00 America/Toronto Tax Basics for Estate Planners Seminar Partners Program - Tax Basics for Estate Planners hosted by Kathleen Butler Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Do you assist clients with estate planning or advise executors of their duties in estate administration? Are you thinking about building a trusts and estates practice? Don’t forget the tax! Trusts and estates practice requires a fundamental understanding of some basic tax rules. Attend this webinar and get the information you need to be a more effective advisor. Experienced tax and estate planning lawyer Kathleen Butler will explain common scenarios that give rise to tax issues and break down important tax concepts that drive many estate planning strategies. You’ll learn...Read More

Thursday, October 13, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-10-13 12:00:00 2022-10-13 13:30:00 America/Toronto Creating Legal Templates in Microsoft Word Seminar Partners Program - Creating Legal Templates in Microsoft Word hosted by Craig Brody Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Many lawyers rely heavily on form documents as an essential tool in their practices, yet waste time and become frustrated when the basic components of these documents aren’t formatted correctly. If recreating documents in Microsoft Word is causing you stress, why not join us for a condensed course on how to use this program the right way? In just 90 minutes, legal technology trainer Craig Brody will show you how to use Microsoft Word templates to standardize frequently used documents in your practice. Craig will teach you how to properly create a legal template from scratch, including applying styles, formatting paragraphs, numbering pages and inserting commonly used tables. The lessons you learn will apply to memos, client letters, pleadings, agreements, timesheets and more! By the end of the program you will have a better understanding of how to...Read More

Thursday, September 29, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-09-29 12:00:00 2022-09-29 13:30:00 America/Toronto Use of Trusts in Estate Planning Seminar Partners Program - Use of Trusts in Estate Planning hosted by Fiona Hunter Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Think trusts are just for wealthy people with tax problems? Think again! Trusts are a flexible estate planning tool that can be used to meet a wide variety of goals and objectives. Understanding what trusts are, how they work, and when they’re useful can help you determine if they fit within your client’s estate plan. In this practical, easy to understand session, experienced trusts practitioner Fiona Hunter provides current guidance on the basics of trust law and the use of trusts as an estate planning tool. You will learn...Read More

Thursday, September 22, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-09-22 12:00:00 2022-09-22 13:30:00 America/Toronto Understanding Financial Statements Seminar Partners Program - Understanding Financial Statements hosted by Adam Fitzpatrick, CPA, CA Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Having a basic knowledge of financial statements is crucial for every well-rounded lawyer. The more you understand about financial statements, the better you’ll be able to counsel clients with confidence and use your financial understanding to your client’s advantage during negotiations or litigation. Attend this newly updated program with CPA, CA Adam Fitzpatrick and learn how to understand the basic structure of a financial statement and identify its key components. You’ll work through sample balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements, including examples for a small law firm. You’ll also learn...Read More

Thursday, September 15, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-09-15 12:00:00 2022-09-15 13:30:00 America/Toronto Drafting Will Provisions: Complex Clauses Seminar Partners Program - Drafting Will Provisions: Complex Clauses hosted by Lynne Butler Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Many factors can take a client outside of the “basic” will category and raise unusual considerations related to will drafting. Second marriages, business interests, vacation or cottage properties, special needs planning, charitable giving, and other complicated situations all raise complex legal, financial and practical issues for testators and beneficiaries - and their lawyers! Proper preparation of a will in these circumstances means that you will have to call on knowledge from a number of legal fields, including tax law. This new short course with experiences estates and trusts lawyer Lynne Butler is designed to help you recognize difficult or unusual issues related to will drafting and get practical guidance on appropriate solutions to effectively implement your client’s wishes and reduce the risk of future negligence claims. After taking this course you will...Read More

Tuesday, June 28, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-06-28 12:00:00 2022-06-28 13:30:00 America/Toronto Waivers in Sports and Recreational Activities: Current Law & Emerging Issues Seminar Partners Program - Waivers in Sports and Recreational Activities: Current Law & Emerging Issues hosted by Morgan Martin & Chet Wydrzynski Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

If you’re a member of a fitness club or a recreational sports league, or have a school-aged child, liability waivers are a fact of life. Questions about the validity and enforceability of waivers are common, both from activity operators seeking to protect themselves from negligence claims and from patrons who signed a waiver and were subsequently injured. Challenges to waivers, and the defence of claims involving the interpretation of waivers, require careful analysis of a number of variables. This webinar, featuring experienced personal injury litigators Morgan Martin & Chet Wydrzynski, will introduce general practitioners, corporate counsel, and other non-personal injury specialists to this discrete area of practice. Topics include requirements of a valid liability waiver, challenges to enforceability or validity of waivers, and developing issues in the law of waivers, including waivers executed on behalf of children. The course will provide...Read More

Thursday, June 16, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-06-16 12:00:00 2022-06-16 13:30:00 America/Toronto Drafting Will Provisions: Gift Clauses & Basic Trusts Seminar Partners Program - Drafting Will Provisions: Gift Clauses & Basic Trusts hosted by Lynne Butler Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Do you have the knowledge and skills to draft wills that your clients can understand? Precedent clauses, carefully considered and customized, can save countless questions and hours of searching when you’re starting out or building an estates practice. This presentation will help you take the first steps toward building a wills precedent library and developing drafting habits that result in clearer, more readable wills. Experienced estates and trusts lawyer Lynne Butler will share time-tested clauses for executor and guardian appointments and compensation, specific and residuary gift clauses, and basic trust provisions. Along the way, she’ll discuss key considerations to help you adapt sample language, so it better expresses your client’s wishes. By the end of the program, you will have new tools to help you...Read More

Thursday, May 12, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-05-12 12:00:00 2022-05-12 13:30:00 America/Toronto Helping You & Your Clients Avoid & Resolve Tax Debts Seminar Partners Program - Helping You & Your Clients Avoid & Resolve Tax Debts hosted by Dennis Kish Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Unpaid taxes are among the most stressful and intimidating debts to resolve. These debts can relate to personal income tax, corporate tax, goods and services taxes and payroll taxes, and can result from any number of changes, oversights and errors by the taxpayer. If you or your firm have ever received a notice of unpaid taxes, you’ll have some insight into the unique and financially devastating powers of the CRA to collect these debts. Still, there are solutions. This program is designed to educate lawyers from all practice areas about types of tax debts and how they arise, the collection powers of the CRA, and legal solutions to personal and corporate tax debts owing to the CRA. Repayment of CERB overpayments and CEBA loans will also be covered. The program will appeal to...Read More

Thursday, May 5, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-05-05 12:00:00 2022-05-05 13:30:00 America/Toronto Choosing, Using & Preparing Expert Witnesses Seminar Partners Program - Choosing, Using & Preparing Expert Witnesses hosted by Renée Vinett Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Using an expert witness to assist with the resolution of a claim or to adduce evidence at trial involves many considerations. Do you need them? Who should you choose? When should you hire them? Can you aid them in drafting their report? How do you get the most from them at trial? In this new 90-minute webinar experienced litigator Renée Vinett will explore the relationship between you and your expert witness up to preparation for trial. Renée will address practical considerations relating to selecting an expert, timing of retention, instructing and communicating with your expert, and producing your expert’s report, as well as strategies to help your expert deliver their best performance as a witness. Topics will include...Read More

Thursday, April 28, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-04-28 12:00:00 2022-04-28 13:30:00 America/Toronto Limited Scope Lawyering in Family Law Cases Seminar Partners Program - Limited Scope Lawyering in Family Law Cases hosted by Lisa Eisen & Susan Blackwell Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Have you incorporated unbundled legal services or legal coaching into your practice yet? Attend this program and learn how doing things differently can help you do more - to improve access to justice, reduce family conflicts, enhance your career satisfaction, and grow your client base. A promising solution to the growing number of self-represented litigants in family court, unbundled legal services and legal coaching - also known as limited scope retainers - allow lawyers to assist litigants with parts of a case, based on the client’s needs and budget, instead of handling the entire case. Clients have more options for affordable legal services and lawyers attract new clients unable to afford full representation. So, what are the opportunities and challenges of limited scope retainers in family law cases? And how do you competently and effectively integrate different ways of providing legal services into your family law practice? Join us...Read More

Thursday, April 21, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-04-21 12:00:00 2022-04-21 13:30:00 America/Toronto Drafting Powers of Attorney for Property Seminar Partners Program - Drafting Powers of Attorney for Property hosted by Jasmine Sweatman Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

A clear and effective Power of Attorney for Property is a critical component in estate planning. Without one, there is no guarantee that your client’s financial affairs will be dealt with according to their wishes, in the event of disability or incapacity. In this highly practical webinar, experienced estates lawyer Jasmine Sweatman will share specific drafting strategies and techniques she uses in her own practice to clearly capture a grantor’s wishes and reduce the chances of abuse. The presentation will address essential clauses and the rationale behind them, how to adapt ‘standard’ language to meet your client’s unique circumstances, additional recommended clauses for use in some scenarios, and common drafting slip-ups and how to avoid them. After just 90 minutes you will be better able to...Read More

Thursday, March 31, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-03-31 12:00:00 2022-03-31 13:30:00 America/Toronto Microsoft Word for Lawyers: Formatting Text, Paragraphs & More Seminar Partners Program - Microsoft Word for Lawyers: Formatting Text, Paragraphs & More hosted by Sean Dillman Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Are you tired of wrestling with Microsoft Word every time you need to draft or edit a document? Do you wish you could make documents look the way you want? Then this program is for you! To make the most of Word, you need to first develop competency in its most lawyer-friendly features. This fun, introductory level course is designed for lawyers, by a lawyer. Using simple, easy to follow live demonstrations, legal-specific descriptions, and time-saving tips that target the most common formatting frustrations lawyers encounter in daily practice, lawyer and legal tech trainer Sean Dillman will show you how to save loads of time and stress in the future. Here are just some of the problems you’ll learn to overcome...Read More

Thursday, March 17, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-03-17 12:00:00 2022-03-17 13:30:00 America/Toronto Impaired Driving Basics: Evaluating the Case Against Your Client Seminar Partners Program - Impaired Driving Basics: Evaluating the Case Against Your Client hosted by John Hale Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

A conviction for impaired driving can have major life consequences - jobs, driver’s licenses, travel, child custody all hang in the balance of the outcome. Lawyers who understand the basics of impaired driving offences and defences will be better equipped to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a case against a client, and help the client make an informed decision about whether to try and resolve the case before trial. In this introductory level primer, experienced Ottawa criminal defence counsel John Hale will provide practical guidance on what impaired driving means, what to ask for in disclosure, how to evaluate the Crown’s case, opportunities and strategies to challenge aspects of the case against your client, and approaches to resolve charges before trial. Topics include...Read More

Thursday, February 24, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-02-24 12:00:00 2022-02-24 13:30:00 America/Toronto Drafting Powers of Attorney for Personal Care Seminar Partners Program - Drafting Powers of Attorney for Personal Care hosted by Lisa Feldstein Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

Drafting clear, well-written documents is an important skill for any lawyer but is critical for practitioners whose documents will speak on behalf of a client unable to speak for themselves, due to disability or incapacity. This highly practical webinar will focus on the drafting of clauses in Powers of Attorney for Personal Care, advance directives, or other documents that have legal authority to express wishes about future health care. Family health law™ lawyer Lisa Feldstein will address essential clauses and the rationale behind them, how to adapt ‘standard’ language to meet your client’s unique needs, additional recommended clauses depending on your client’s circumstances, and common drafting pitfalls and how to avoid them. Along the way she’ll discuss Attorney powers, execution formalities, using these documents with third parties, and issues of advance consent. By the end of the webinar you’ll be better equipped to...Read More

Thursday, January 20, 2022
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern) 2022-01-20 12:00:00 2022-01-20 13:30:00 America/Toronto Tax Planning for Lawyers Seminar Partners Program - Tax Planning for Lawyers hosted by Greg London, CPA, CA Live Video Webcast at SeminarPartners.ca

You've spent years honing your skills to become a great lawyer but building a successful practice also includes planning for your own taxes. Make tax-time a little easier this year with this highly practical webinar designed for solo lawyers and small law firms. Greg London, CPA, CA and Partner, Canadian Tax with BDO will review important tax planning considerations for lawyers who have incorporated and for those who file personally. You'll learn about tax credits, filings, making instalments, income splitting, recent government updates, and what Greg is seeing from the Canada Revenue Agency in practice. Along the way Greg will clear up deduction grey areas, dispel common myths, and...Read More