How Much Should You Pay for an Injury Attorney?

Most injury lawyers will work on an agreement that they’ll be paid out of the settlement you receive. That means they’ll work for free. Kind of. Sometimes payments, especially those that go on for a long period of time, will amount to 40-50% of your settlement. The total value is dependent on how complex and long your case is.

It can amount to a lot of cash tomorrow, but generally this is the only way one can afford representation.

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Terms of Employment Contracts

The rules of employment contracts are similar to the rules of contract in general. For example, as per the freedom of contract, one is fully entitled to choose whether or not they want to enter into a contract. This applies to employment contracts as well. Employers are free to decide whether or not they want to enter into a contract with you i.e. hire you. Just like in regular contracts, the principles of offer, acceptance, consensus ad idem, etc are necessary to form an employment contract. An employer cannot unilaterally impose a contractual term onto an employee.

Obvious Check Before Buying a Condo

Condo living can be good for the environment, requires less maintenance, and can increase security/community. Smaller spaces and sharing heat reduces your carbon footprint (assuming you pay attention to that kind of thing). You don’t have to vacuum common area carpets, shovel snow, or cut grass. The garbage is taken away down your chute, and your condo fees cover most of your utilities. You also have the benefit of living in close proximity to others for added security. Continue reading “Obvious Check Before Buying a Condo”

Just a Number with Insurance Companies

We all have to get insurance if we do certain things like drive. Other forms of insurance are ways of mitigating risk, like life insurance or home insurance.

To complicate matters there are a variety of forms of insurance one can purchase to protect the same thing. Life insurance has ‘term insurance’ or the much maligned ‘universal life‘, but there thousands of iterations.

But what happens if you need to make a claim?

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How Do Contingency Agreements Typical Work?

A Contingency Agreement is a type of agreement that is typically used in various types of arrangements between client and lawyer. For example, personal injury cases. It allows individuals to hire a lawyer without having to pay out any funds until the case is either settled or a judgment is granted against the person responsible for causing the injuries.

The fee is payable only if there is a favourable result. It is generally defined as a fee charged for a lawyer’s services only if the lawsuit is successful or is favorably settled out of court…. contingent fees are usually calculated as a percentage of the client’s monetary settlement/award.

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Pay Attention to the Fine Print – Chattels

Have you heard of horror stories that upon purchase of a new home, a couple may encounter that there are no appliances. Not just a microwave or toaster oven, but the fridge, range, washer and dryer, all gone?

It happens all the time.

You have to declare in the sale what items are included with the purchase, they are called chattels.

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What is a ‘whiplash’ injury?

When you’re involved in a collision you may face a range of injuries to your neck. Whiplash is a soft tissue injury to the neck. It can also be called a neck sprain or neck strain. Whiplash is characterized by a collection of symptoms that occur following damage to the neck, usually because of sudden extension (bending the neck backwards) and flexion (the bending of a joint so that the bones forming the joint are brought closer together).

Paying close attention to your injury, and giving yourself ample time to heal, are critical components before proceeding with any legal action in a vehicle collision.

The disorder often occurs as the result of an car accident and may include injury to intervertebral joints, discs, and ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerve roots. Symptoms such as neck pain may be present directly after the injury or may be delayed for several days. In addition to neck pain, other symptoms may include neck stiffness from injuries to the muscles and ligaments (also known as myofascial injuries).

For a more comprehensive list of the different types of WAD injuries visit Conway Injury Law Calgary and their post on WAD 1, 2, 3.

Collective Bargaining – Excluded Employees

As per labour relations legislation, some employees are excluded from collective bargaining. In the past this exclusion has survived Charter scrutiny as it has been held that the freedom of association and freedom of speech do not guarantee a right to collectively bargain. However, newer case law seems to suggest that there is a Charter protected right to collectively bargain. In Health Services, it was held that the Charter includes a procedural right to collectively bargain, but does not guarantee particular objectives. Further, the Charter does not protect all aspects of associational activity, only those which constitute a substantial interference with associational activity. Notably, Bill 5 in SK designates certain employees as “essential services”, and restricts their rights to collectively bargain.

Wrongful Dismissal – Reasonable Notice

When it comes to wrongful dismissal, the main job of the court is to determine what is reasonable notice (i.e. you get paid money to compensate you). This is an implied term of the employment contract as per common law. There are two main approaches to determine reasonable notice. The oft-cited Bardal approach where the court considers such factors as the character of employment, length of service of the servant, age of the servant and availability of similar employment (most important) having regard to the experience, training, and qualifications of the servant. The Bardal approach is augmented with by the Lazarowicz approach, approved by the SK QB in Bartlam. Here, the court imagines that the employer and the employee had sat down at had a chat at the time the employee was hired. How much of a notice period would they have agreed upon? This approach is useful because it takes it flexibly takes into account factors such as the economic situation, norms of the industry and so on.