Month: April 2017

THE LAWYER’S DAILY – Lawyers table motion to implement rules on paralegals’ practice in family law | Darryl Singer, wellness columnist

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“With family law you’re dealing with the single-most important thing in people’s lives. You’re dealing with their rights to see their children. You’re dealing with — in the case of representing a wife, who in most cases is going to have the kids — the question of whether that person is going to have the financial ability to go on with whatever settlement there is with respect to support,” he [Darryl Singer] said.

“I think there is no harm in having paralegals jumping into the game provided they have specific training in family law.”

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NEWSTALK 1010 – Capping lawyers referral fees not in the public’s best interest, Darryl Singer tells Barb DiGiulio (MP3, 17 mins.)

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On the eve of Convocation at the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) voting to adopt both a sliding scale for lawyers’ referral fees as well as a $25,000 cap, personal injury lawyer Darryl Singer disagrees with the changes. He says that lawyers’ referral fees do not harm clients in any way because they come out of standard one-third contingency fee, which is how personal injury lawyers get paid.

But capping referral feels may prevent some Ontarians with a personal injury lawsuit from finding a lawyer who will be willing to take their case because the profit margins will be slim.

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THE LAW TIMES – New system means change in role of mediators

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“I think cutting out the mediation stage was a mistake because it gets rid of a lot of files that then don’t have to go through to an arbitration,” says Darryl Singer who saw 75 per cent of his cases resolved through mediation before the LAT [Licence Appeals Tribunal] began.

“The two major shortcomings of the LAT is that it eliminates very early mediation of the AB [accident benefit] claims and also in many cases eliminates the opportunity for an actual full-blown arbitration in place of a mediation.”
(April 10, 2017 edition of The Law Times, Page 11.)

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THE LAWYER’S DAILY – The healthy lawyer is not an oxymoron | Darryl Singer, wellness columnist

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New “Wellness Columnist” Darryl Singer wants to shine a spotlight on health and well-being of lawyers. Many lawyers suffer from mental health issues, including rates of depression as high as 33 per cent, two to three times higher than the general population (law students suffer depression rates of 40 per cent).

As a result, many lawyers suffer from alcoholism and substance abuse issues at twice the rates of the general population, especially cocaine and prescription drugs. Substance abuse increases with years of practice.

Not surprisingly, a reported 25 per cent of the lawyers facing disciplinary issues suffer from drugs, alcohol or depression.
(Subscription required.)

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