Being a new lawyers can be overwhelming. While law school, the bar course and articling can teach skills such as legal research and writing, new lawyers may still need guidance in some of the day-to-day strategies to work more efficiently and effectively. The ‘New Lawyer’s Guide to Avoiding Mistakes’ series by blog contributors Kelsey Barnes and Zina Scott shares numerous tips to help new and more experienced lawyers alike:

In case you missed it, CLIA relaunched our Loss Prevention Online Repository in 2025. The Repository houses a collection of links to numerous checklists, tips, articles, videos and guides created by our subscribers and partners. See our posts below

Several of my posts this year have focused on the importance of plain language for our profession. Good, clear communication is a vital component of client management as it helps us better understand our client’s needs and enable the client to make informed decisions.

One of the most critical skills a young lawyer can develop is not necessarily displayed in the Courtroom, it’s the art of managing client expectations. While legal practice is about crafting arguments, interpreting case law and legislation, and zealous advocacy, it is also a customer service industry.

Lawyers in CLIA jurisdictions are required to report a claim as soon as practicable after learning of a claim or becoming aware of circumstances which might give rise to a claim, however unmeritorious. On July 1, 2025, the current CLIA mandatory policy of Professional Liability Insurance will expire, and a new Policy will come into effect.

Breakdowns in the lawyer/client relationship is one of the most frequent cause of claims. Many of these issues are avoidable by adopting good processes and honing your client management skills. To help, CLIA has compiled numerous resources on Client Management in our newly relaunched Loss Prevention Repository.

CLIA acts as a central hub for our subscribers by offering one-stop-shopping for those who need a quick source of loss prevention resources. Our revamped Loss Prevention Online Repository houses a collection of links to numerous checklists, tips, articles, videos and guides created by our subscribers and partners.  

Last November I presented to law students about plain language and the importance of good communication. As always when preparing for a presentation, my first consideration was ‘who is my audience’ and ‘how best can I deliver my message to this audience’. In this circumstance, who my audience was and the impact on their communications has become the message.

CLIA acts as a central hub for our subscribers by offering one-stop-shopping for those who need a quick source of loss prevention resources. Our revamped Loss Prevention Online Repository houses a collection of links to numerous checklists, tips, articles, videos and guides created by our subscribers and partners.  

For over ten years, CLIA produced more than 70 articles for our Loss Prevention Bulletin. While discontinued in 2016, the advice shared in some of these articles is timeless and still of value. We’re curating those articles to bring you our ‘From the Vault’ series. The articles below are #159 and #161 from No. 38 (Fall 2006).In last year’s Manitoba decision of Funk et al. v. Aviva Insurance Company of Canada et al., 2022MBQB 149, the Court granted the defendants’ summary judgment motion and dismissed the claim. The Court held that the defendants exercised the appropriate standard of care and as such there was no genuine issue for trial.

In last year’s Manitoba decision of Funk et al. v. Aviva Insurance Company of Canada et al., 2022MBQB 149, the Court granted the defendants’ summary judgment motion and dismissed the claim. The Court held that the defendants exercised the appropriate standard of care and as such there was no genuine issue for trial.

The focus of my career has shifted from primarily creating legal information for those without legal representation to now include risk management and loss prevention for lawyers. This expanded focus has also broadened my view on the importance of plain language for our profession.

CLIA acts as a central hub for our subscribers by offering one-stop-shopping for those who need a quick source of loss prevention resources.

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 avoid these claims in the future, here are three examples of real claims:

For over three years, the Law Society of Saskatchewan has developed the Bite Size CPD Series. These informative under-10-minute video episodes cover a variety of topics and are available for all to view on the Law Society website. A new episode is released each Thursday.