Most people, when they think about estate planning, think about wills. That makes sense. A will is the document that determines what happens to everything you own after you die. It's the thing people mean when they say "I really need to get my affairs in order."

But a will only matters after you die. It does absolutely nothing for you while you're alive.

Ontario law sets a surprisingly low bar for what makes a will technically valid. You can write your will on a napkin and it can be legally binding. The question isn't whether you can do it yourself. It's whether doing it yourself will actually accomplish what you need it to.

I review employment contracts regularly as part of my practice, and I also draft them for employers. That combination means I know what these clauses are designed to do, what's standard, what's aggressive, and what's likely unenforceable. In this article, I'll walk through the key provisions you should understand before you sign.

If you run a business in Ontario and your employees don't have written employment contracts, or you're using a template you found online - you are most likely exposed to far more legal and financial risk than you realize.

As an employment lawyer, wrongful dismissal claims are a very significant part of my practice. I represent employees whose employment has been terminated and also defend employers against such claims.