A new series focuses on artificial intelligence (AI), including an overview of what it is, its strengths and weaknesses and your duties as a lawyer when using AI. While some episodes focus on the new Law Society Artificial Intelligence Guidelines, useful information is included for all. See also our recent post on Generative AI Guidance for information regarding guidelines in your jurisdiction.

Effective communication with your client is key to avoiding claims. The Lawyer’s Insurance Association of Nova Scotia (LIANS) has compiled several useful communication tips on their website.

Failure to communicate effectively with clients is the common factor in a large percentage of errors and omissions claims. The Lawyer’s Insurance Association of Nova Scotia (LIANS) has compiled several useful communication tips on their website.

At the spring 2012 American Bar Association Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability National Legal Malpractice Conference, Ronald C. Minkoff, Laura Frankel, Richard A. Simpson and Robert H. Moses presented a session on professional liability claims arising out of a family law practice.

Before Samuel Teichroew went to law school, he met with Barney Christianson to talk about rural legal practice.

As previously noted in our post on limitation periods, Roundup: Avoiding Missed Limitation Periods, human error and inadequate office systems are two of the reasons lawyers miss deadlines, including limitation period. Improving time management skills can help.

The recent Supreme Court of British Columbia decision, Zhang v. Chen, 2024 BCSC 285, highlights the danger in relying on generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, for legal research. The lawyer in this case relied upon two non-existent cases, which were discovered subsequently to have been invented by ChatGPT.

With the explosion of Generative AI and the subsequent confusion and misuse by lawyers, several useful resources have been created to assist lawyers to better understand how lawyers can incorporate AI into their practice and professional responsibility considerations.

Missed limitation periods continues to be one of the most common claims areas for CLIA Subscriber jurisdictions. Some reasons for missing a limitation period are inadequate office systems, human error and applying the wrong legislation. To help, we’ve compiled resources developed by our Subscribers and Partners. While some of the resources included below may be jurisdiction specific, there are more general useful tips throughout to help you avoid missing limitation periods no matter your jurisdiction. If you’re aware of any other useful resources or tips, please let us know!

The Federation of Law Societies of Canada recently developed an online learning program to provide guidance to legal professionals on how to mitigate money laundering and terrorist financing risks and comply with their legal and regulatory obligations.

In addition to mandatory professional liability insurance, CLIA offers excess insurance available to firms through our Voluntary Excess Program (VEP).

CLIA has a strong commitment to loss prevention. We take a proactive approach to avoiding claims and recently developed a Loss Prevention Strategic Plan to more focus our energies on helping lawyers find the loss prevention resources they need.