micheal@mrlegal.com

613-231-7644

Articles

Danger: Lawyer on Board

Danger: Lawyer on Board A recently certified class action could discourage lawyers from sitting on boards. By Michael Rappaport, CCCA Magazine For years, corporate lawyers proudly served as directors on their clients’ boards; it was considered a mark of prestige, proof of their role as trusted advisers, and an excellent way of generating business. But corporate governance rules have since tightened, placing greater emphasis on the independence of directors, widening the scope of their personal

More

Lawyers as CEOs

Lawyers as CEOs Moving on up from the legal department to the executive suite By Michael Rappaport Lawyers are far too risk averse to make it as entrepreneurs. They’re a bunch of naysayers, out to kybosh or toss cold water on every business decision. They’re obsessed with details and fail to see the big picture. They lack the bold vision, marketing skills and financial savvy to lead a company. The legal department is where deals

More

The tale of The Honest Lawyer

The tale of The Honest Lawyer By Michael Rappaport John Downing has the distinction of being both a member of the Bar and a bar owner. The London, Ontario-based lawyer at Miller Thomson LLP, is the co-founder and co-owner of The Honest Lawyer, a restaurant and pub, with a name that’s meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek. “We wanted a name that’s catchy,” Downing told The Lawyers Weekly. “It wasn’t lost on us that a lot

More

Step-by-step toward a cure for breast cancer

Step-by-step toward a cure for breast cancer By Michael Rappaport “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” observed Lao-tzu. Audrey Loeb – the founder and chair of The Weekend to End Breast Cancer, a 60 km two-day walk to raise funds for research, next weekend in Toronto – would certainly agree with the revered Chinese sage. She could add that the first step is often the hardest. “Nobody would concede that

More

The Ballad of John, Yoko and Jerry Levitan

The Ballad of John, Yoko and Jerry Levitan By Michael Rappaport Back in 1969, when Jerry Levitan was a bright-eyed, brash 14 year-old Beatles' fan, he posed as a reporter and talked his way into an exclusive interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who were holed up in Toronto's King Edward Hotel, during the couple's "bed-in" for peace period. Thirty-eight years later, Levitan produced a short animated film based on the audiotape. On Feb.

More

The Bay Street lawyer behind AIDSbeat

The Bay Street lawyer behind AIDSbeat By Michael Rappaport An epic battle of the bands showcasing some of Bay Street’s best lawyers/rock stars. Alluring dancers, who gyrate on stage between sets. A bevy of models with sponsors’ logos painted on their bare chests. Just a few of the familiar features that have transformed AIDbeat into the hippest, swankiest, must-attend bash for young lawyers in Toronto each October for the past twelve years. Less familiar is

More

A small courtesy, a huge legal battle

A small courtesy, a huge legal battle By Michael Rappaport Bus drivers in Toronto must call out every stop along their routes now. Sounds like a small courtesy? Actually, it's the result of a 12-year long battle - one, which is still being waged in other municipalities across Ontario. Leading the charge was David Lepofsky - a blind, disability rights advocate and an appeals lawyer with the Crown Law Office (criminal) - and the recipient

More

Nobody likes a lawyer until they need one

Nobody likes a lawyer until they need one By Michael Rappaport "Nobody likes a lawyer until they need one" goes to the old adage. Public opinion studies on the legal profession support this view. A 2006 Harris poll found that only 18 per cent of Americans trust lawyers completely. Closer to home, a 2004 Leger poll found that only 44 per cent of Canadians trust lawyers. Yet, despite the public's general lack of trust in

More

Unbundling and the self-represented litigant

Unbundling and the self-represented litigant By Michael Rappaport I was sceptical when I first began to volunteer for Law Help Ontario's self-help centre in Ottawa last spring. The centre, housed on the fifth floor of the Superior Court House on Elgin Street, is a walk-in clinic where unrepresented litigants in civil actions can get advice from pro bono duty counsel on a first come, first served basis. How much help could I possibly be to

More
Older Posts