CLIA’s Top 5 Blog Posts of All Time

The Not So Risky Business blog launched November 30th, 2023 with our aptly named post, Welcome to the CLIA Blog. That introductory post promised that each Wednesday you could expect an informative post on topics to better help you manage your practice, avoid errors and better understand your insurance coverage needs.

Since the blog launched in November 2023, CLIA has published over 100 blog posts. Curious which posts have been CLIA’s most widely read? Here are the top 5:

1. Claims Based vs. Occurrence Based: Understanding Your Coverage Needs

   There is a significant difference between a “claims made” and “occurrence based” policy. A claims-made policy covers claims that occur—and are reported—within the specific time period set by the policy. An “occurrence based” policy protects the firm from any claim that happens during the policy period, regardless of when a claim is reported. 

2. To Take a File or Not Take a File

   What is Barney’s 2 out of 3 rule? When determining if you should take a file or not, you need to make sure you have two of the following:

   1. You like the money.

   2. You like the client.

   3. You like the work.

   If you don’t have at least two, the file will linger because you’re going to hate working on it.

3. Generative AI Guidance

   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.

4. Recent BC Case Highlights Dangers of Generative AI

   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. The lawyer later admitted they made a serious mistake by referring to two cases suggested by ChatGPT without verifying the source of information.

5. The 7 C’s of Effective Communications

   Often we talk about the importance of effectively communicating with our clients, but what does that mean? Here are the 7 C’s of effective communication, applicable to both written and oral communication.