News and Media Appearances by Michael Lesage

Michael’s Law Firm is in the news. For a list of media appearances and citations, see the articles and links below:

CBC News Story on Technology in the Courts

Olivia Stefanovich interviewed the Chief Justice of Ontario along with Michael Lesage on the efforts by the Ontario court system to modernize in the face of Covid-19.

Note: This clip originally appeared on CBC on April 7, 2020

Buyer beware when it comes to hiring a contractor for household renovations

See the full clip here.

Note: This clip originally appeared in the Nov 26, 2018 issue of Channel Zero Inc..

How Well is Chief Justice Morawetz Overseeing Ontario Superior Court Operations?

See Michael’s article in Slaw looking at the objective performance of the Ontario Superior Court and it’s chief justice here.

Ontario Superior Court – Part 1

Michael is interviewed by the First Freedoms Foundation regarding the state of operations of the Ontario Superior Court, which you can see here.

Ontario Superior Court – Part 2

See part 2 of the interview here.

The Law Society of Ontario governing coalition will face serious challenges

See Michael’s Article in Canadian Lawyer discussing a number of challenges the regulator will face in its next session here.

Should the Ministry of the Attorney General be run by Clowns?

See Michael’s article in The Lawyer’s Daily detailing the poor performance of the Ministry of the Attorney General and Courts Administration at here.

Ontario Superior Court Attempts to Hide Poor Performance Behind Privacy Excuse

See Michael’s article in Canadian Lawyer about the Ontario Superior hiding behind a privacy excuse here.

Law Society bailing out Bay Street on backs of small firms, minorities?

See Michael’s recent article in the Lawyer’s Daily, which you can read here.

Licensee, stakeholder feedback leads LSO to extend virtual verification policy exemption

Michael is cited in The Lawyer’s Daily in relation to his efforts to extend the Law Society’s Virtual Verification Policy exemption, which you can read about here.

Michael Wins at Trial

See Jon Wells article from the Hamilton Spectator, covering Michael’s successful defence and counterclaim in a case that was tried before a Judge over 6 days, here. Article originally published by the Hamilton Spectator on December 10, 2022.

Next Up for the Civil Rules Committee

Read Michael’s latest article as to the next rules the Civil Rules Committee needs to address here.

Can the Ontario justice system and civil rules committee adapt?

Read Michael’s article in Canadian lawyer here.

Benchers File Motion at LSO

See the article in the Lawyer’s Daily about the motion filed by Michael at the Law Society of Ontario, which you can read here.

Court Delays in Ontario

See Michael’s article about court delays in Ontario, published in Canadian Lawyer Magazine here.

The Lawyer’s Daily Wrote About Michael’s Motion to the Board of the Law Society

See the article about Michael’s motion here.

Is the Law Society of Ontario led by nepotism?

See Michael’s article, exploring how the Law Society is governed, here.

Did the LSO Hold Back Court Modernization and Performance?

In this article, Michael explores the role played by the Law Society of Ontario in impeding Court performance, which you can read here.

Law Society of Ontario mandates minimum wage for articling students

Michael is quoted in an article concerning the debate over whether articling students should be paid. You can read the article here.

Chief Justice Leads Court System Backwards

Michael writes about recent efforts to take the Superior Court ‘offline’ which you can read about here.

Attorney General disregards bench/bar

Michael writes about the “wisdom” of the Attorney General’s recent Notice to the Profession. You can read his article here.

Law Society Leaves Superior Court in its Dust

Michael writes about how the Law Society Tribunal is modernizing faster than the Superior Court. You can read his article here.

Should the Law Society Award Participation Trophies?

See Michael’s article, which explores whether the Law Society should award ‘participation trophies’ to the senior judiciary on the Civil Rules Committee. You can read the article here.

Is the Law Society Dangerously Underfunded?

Michael explores whether the Law Society budget is sufficient, given its spending and growth. You can read the article here.

Superior Court Self-Parodies

Michael writes about how the Superior Court scored an “own-goal” here.

Should the Ontario Law Society sponsor a judicial exchange program?

See Michael’s recent article regarding the role of the Law Society in promoting the proper function of the Ontario courts, which you can read here.

Can Ontario’s Chief Justice Exceed Expectations?

See Michael’s recent article in Canadian Lawyer Magazine, asking whether Ontario’s Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz of the Superior Court can exceed expectations, which you can read here.

Benchmarking the Ontario Court System

See Michael’s article in Slaw benchmarking the Ontario Court system against its peers, which you can read here.

What Leafs rebuild can teach courts

See Michael’s article in the Lawyer’s Daily comparing the rebuild of the Leafs with what is needed in the courts, which you can read here.

To restore court functionality in 2021 we must expect more from our institutions of justice

See Michael’s article in Canadian Lawyer on the need to modernize the justice system, which you can find here.

Is evidence law worth it in civil cases?

See Michael’s article in the Lawyer’s Daily questioning the continued relevance of evidence law in the Ontario civil system, which you can read here.

Time to Put Civil Justice Out to Pasture?

Michael explores some of the delays inherent in the Ontario justice system. Read the full article here.

LSO Board Member (Bencher) Michael Lesage Suggests Covid-19 Relief for Small Firms

New Bencher Michael Lesage discusses his proposal to provide financial relief to small firms impacted by Covid-19 in a Law Times article, which you can read here.

Note: This article originally appeared in the July 2, 2020 issue of Law Times.

LawPro loses out on potential $87.8M tax windfall in Federal Court of Appeal decision

Michael Lesage was quoted in an article the Lawyer’s Daily on a significant tax case involving the Law Society of Ontario. You can read the article here.

What Virtual Arbitrations Can Teach the Courts

Read Michael’s article on what the court system can learn from virtual arbitrations here.

How Covid-19 Helped Ontario’s Court System

See Michael’s article in the Lawyer’s Daily on the technological improvements made by our courts in the face of Covid-19 here.

Coming out of the Stone Age

Michael Lesage discusses the choices faced by the Ontario court system as it modernizes, in a column published by the Lawyer’s Daily. Read it here.

Courts scramble to modernize to keep the system working in a pandemic

Michael Lesage was quoted in the CBC article Courts scramble to modernize to keep the system working in a pandemic, which you can read here.

Courts across Canada restrict access or suspend operations due to COVID-19

Michael Lesage was quoted in an article featured in Canadian Lawyer on the impact of Covid-19 upon court operations, and why it didn’t need to be so severe. You can read it here.

The erosion of contingency based representation

The Lawyer’s Daily published my article on the structural factors impacting upon people’s ability to retain a lawyer on contingency here.

Ontario’s Rules of Civil Procedure need updating

Michael Lesage writes about the need to modernize Civil Procedure in Canadian Lawyer, which you can read here.

Court of Appeal decision shuts many out

Michael Lesage’s article on a recent Court of Appeals decision was published by The Law Times, which you can read here.

Firm in $1.7-million dispute with insurer

Michael Lesage is quoted in the January 21, 2019 issue of Law Times on insurance law, which you can find here.

Access to Justice: View from the trenches

See Michael Lesage’s column on problems with Ontario’s judicial system, first published by the Lawyer’s Daily, a division of LexisNexis, here.

Court of Appeal allows negligence claim against law firm

Michael Lesage is quoted in the December 17, 2018 issue of Law Times, which you can find here.

Court of Appeal decision has bizarre implications for insurance law – The Lawyer’s Daily

Michael Lesage is quoted in an article that has significant implications to the field of insurance law.

See the full article here.

Note: This article originally appeared in the Sep 17, 2018 issue of The Lawyer’s Daily.

LSO boldly leaps into the ’20th Century’ – Advocate Daily

Michael Lesage is quoted in an article that gently pokes fun at the poor adoption of technology within the Court system. Article no longer posted online.

Debate Heats Up On Paralegals in Family Law – Law Times

Michael Lesage is actively involved in the recent debate of whether paralegals should be allowed to practice certain areas of Family Law in Ontario. He recently introduced a motion calling on the Law Society of Upper Canada to release findings of any reports relevant to its review of whether the scope of family law should be broadened to allow paralegals to practice. Lesage urges the law society to take its time in reviewing the issues in-depth before making any changes. See the full article here.

Note: This article originally appeared in the May 15, 2017 issue of Law Times.

Courts reluctant to interfere with written beneficiary designations

The Lawyer’s Daily printed Michael Lesage’s  article about the Moore v. Sweet, 2017 ONCA 182 case on April 5, 2017, which you can find here.

OCA adds complexity to summary judgment process

A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision adds more complexity to the summary judgment process, Michael Lesage tells Advocate Daily. Read more here.

Ignoring best practices can mean cost consequences

Michael Lesage was quoted in the above article by Judy Van Rhijn that was published in the October 3, 2016 edition of Law Times.

Cloud technology could reduce costs, better service clients

Ontario’s lawyers need to collaborate on their own standard for using Cloud technology, says Toronto litigator Michael Lesage. Read why here.

Late Accident Report Doesn’t Always Forfeit Coverage – The Lawyer’s Weekly

Michael Lesage recently authored an article published in The Lawyers Weekly regarding an Ontario Court of Appeal decision that technical non-compliance with reporting requirements of an insurance policy would not act as a bar to coverage. Read the full article here.

Note: This article originally appeared in the June 24, 2016 issue of The Lawyers Weekly.

Niagara Region Lawyer Wants Former Firm to Pay Up – Law Times

Michael Lesage gives his opinion as a legal malpractice lawyer regarding a  Niagara Region lawyer’s $5-million claim for negligence and breach of contract. Read the full article here.

Note: This article originally appeared in the June 6, 2016 issue of Law Times.

Don’t delay calling a lawyer after an accident – AdvocateDaily.com

The long-term impact of injuries can’t always be recognized at the outset and, as a result, many accident victims delay contacting a lawyer to their own detriment. Article no longer posted online.

Lessons to be learned in limitations malpractice – AdvocateDaily.com

An Ontario Court of Appeal decision which allows a Toronto couple’s case against their former lawyer to proceed for failing to file an injury claim within the time limit is a caution to the profession. Article no longer posted online.

Judge rules law firm in the clear – Law Times

Michael Lesage was quoted in Law Times where a law firm was sued under a theory of vicarious liability for the actions of an of counsel lawyer. You can read the story
here.

LSUC poised to dictate how law firms are run – AdvocateDaily.com

The Law Society of Upper Canada is seeking submissions on a proposal that could change the way law firms are run and further dictate how legal services are provided in Ontario, says Greater Toronto Area lawyer Michael Lesage. Article no longer posted online.

Insurance coverage not forfeit by technical non-compliance – AdvocateDaily.com

A recent Court of Appeal decision reaffirms an important principle in insurance law — insurers may not deny insurance coverage based on a policy holder’s non-compliance with technical policy provisions. Article no longer posted online.

Title insurer ordered to provide coverage – Mondaq.com

Mondaq.com also picked up my title insurance article, which can be found here.

Title insurer ordered to provide coverage – AdvocateDaily.com

Advocate daily published an article based on my blog post concerning title insurance coverage. Article no longer posted online.

Landlords obligated to ensure rental properties are safe – CanLII Connects

A recent article quoting Michael Lesage on landlord liability was picked up by CanLII Connects. You can read the full article here.

Parental Liability Article Shared on AdvocateDaily.com

A recent article written by Michael Lesage for his own blog was recently re-published by AdvocateDaily.com. Do you know that as a parent you may be legally responsible for bullying in Ontario? Read the article here.

Ontario Courts Must Join the Digital Age – Advocate Daily

Practising law in the United States then moving back to Ontario was like “replacing my iPhone with a carrier pigeon” in terms of the ease of the administration of justice, says Toronto civil litigator Michael Lesage. Article no longer posted online.

Michael Lesage – Bencher 2015 Candidate – Law Times

Michael Lesage’s 2015 Bencher Candidate Platform was posted on Law Times, but they have apparently taken the page down.

Michael B. Lesage – Ontario Bar Association

First licensed in Florida in 2006, I was called to the Ontario bar in 2012 and recently started my own firm, with an emphasis on personal injury and business law. Including law school, I’ve worked in 3 jurisdictions, and have seen things that work, and things that work better. My relative youth, small firm background and international experience would bring some much needed diversity to Convocation. Read more here.

Connect with Michael Lesage

For media inquiries or for a professional opinion on your legal matters, please call Michael’s Law Firm at 1-647-495-8995.