LAW
How to use Virtual Office Spaces to boost your firm’s image
When you’re running a small firm, it can be daunting to have a client visit your business. Especially if you’re managing day-to-day operations from home. Many small firms tend to deal with this issue. But why would you move into an expensive office space if your firm consists of a team of only 2 to 3 people?
There is another way. Now you can rent virtual office spaces from shared workspaces. We’ll cover the benefits that come with virtual offices and how they can impress your clients.
You’ll have access to a professional address
It can be uncomfortable putting your home address on business cards and your website. Now, you can use the address from your virtual office space. Doing this makes your business seem more professional especially when it pops up on Google Maps.
At Wolf Law Chambers, we have locations in premium places that are perfect for legal professionals. You can use one of our addresses to invite your clients to and use as your permanent working address.
Utilize the workspace amenities
With virtual office spaces, you’re usually able to use their workspaces. This can include working desk areas, having printer access, internet, and more.
If you use our virtual offices, you’ll even have access to a receptionist. They will handle calls from clients when they call into the lobby and will handle clients when they come to visit. This is a fantastic way to “WOW” your clients. There’s nothing more professional than having your own receptionist.
You can rent out office spaces
Have an upcoming client meeting? You can rent or request access to boardrooms or meeting spaces. These rooms are equipped with the tools you’ll need to make a great impression.
At our virtual office spaces, you will even have access to snacks and drinks. Your guests will love the accommodations and will appreciate the gesture.
Are virtual offices right for your business?
Virtual office spaces are a no brainer solution for small firms. With our virtual office spaces, you have a big business image despite your company’s actual size. Our office spaces are designed with legal professionals in mind. We will promote your business on our websites, help you record videos about your practice, and you’ll have instant access to our referral network. Rent any of our virtual office spaces in central Mississauga and Downtown Oakville. It’s time to take your business to the next level and join a community of legal professionals. Get in touch with us today.
Presentation Skills for Lawyers – Webinar Event
We would like to give a huge thank you to Max Beaumont from Potato Chip Communications for adjusting his presentation “Presentation Skills for Lawyers” to fit an online medium. Although we were not able to participate in some of the interactive exercises that were originally planned before COVID-19 arrived and online meetings became the norm, Max still made the session fun, interactive and memorable.
Everyone has experienced the nervousness that comes with giving public presentations, perhaps reminding us of that first middle school presentation that felt like a flop! Max understands this nervousness and outlines six major things to focus on to improve our presentation skills: mindset, body language, audience interaction, conversational delivery, and simple messages.
The biggest takeaway was mindset and audience interaction.
Our natural bent when explaining our presentation before our peers or others is to focus on ourselves: not messing up, slowing down our speech, getting sales, how we’re coming across. Bottom line? We’re thinking about ‘me’. Max challenged us to change our mindset, shifting it from the mechanics we’re engaging in to get our message across, to instead think about our audience, to listen to ourselves as if we were sitting in their shoes. In addition, he let us in on the ‘secret sauce,’ the key ingredient to channeling our nervousness into a presentation that achieves a conversational style and engages our audience in an accessible way. By the end, we all left the meeting with something to think about.
This is one of the benefits of being a member of Wolf Law Chambers, that from time to time we come together as a community of professionals to participate in ongoing educational seminars that are also open to friends of Wolf Law Chambers. And of course, the credits gained by attending count towards a legal practitioners’ annual requirement for continuing education.
We invite you to join us for our next seminar. Who knows? Maybe Max will be back.
What are your rights and obligations during the declared emergency?
Here’s a primer on the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
This past long weekend you may have observed more police and provincial offences act officers out and about at public parks and in the community.
Police and provincial offences officers are now responsible for responding to calls related to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (the “Act”) invoked by the Province of Ontario and as well as ensuring the public’s general compliance with it.
An emergency was declared by an Order in Council (Ontario Regulation 50/20) on March 17th, 2020 pursuant to section 7.0.1 of the Act. It was recognized that the outbreak of a communicable disease, namely COVID-19, constituted a “danger of major proportions that could result in serious harm to persons.”
The initial period of the declared emergency was for fourteen days. It was extended a further fourteen days until April 13, 2020. On the recommendation of the Premier, the Assembly may by resolution extend the period of an emergency for additional periods of no more than twenty-eight days.
There have been a number of orders made under the Act which cover things like price gouging on hand sanitizer or the pick up and delivery of cannabis (if you are a holder of an authorization) during the declared emergency.
The emergency declaration has also called for a number of measures including:
- Closure of establishments (for example, all bars and restaurants, except to the extent such facilities provide takeout food and delivery) O. Reg 51/20
- The mandatory closure of non-essential workplaces (O. Reg. 82/20)
- Closure of outdoor recreational amenities (which includes outdoor playgrounds and outdoor sports facilities) O.Reg.104/20
- Strict restrictions on the size of organized public events, social gatherings, and conducting religious services, rites and ceremonies, being limited to 5 persons (except for members of single household), funeral services (not more than 10 people) O.Reg. 52/20
There are penalties in place for breaching the orders. Keep in mind that there are also provisions for the enforcement of these orders.
For example, officers may require an individual to provide their correct name, date of birth and address if they believe that a person has committed an offence (O. Reg. 114/20).
Failing to comply with any of the emergency orders is an offence under the Act but so is the failure to identify oneself accurately.
For example, failing to correctly identify one self carries a fine of $750 for failure to comply with an order made under the Act or $1,000 for obstructing any person in exercising a power if a provincial offences officer issues a ticket.
This is a significant departure from the law prior to the declared emergency. In my criminal practice I am often asked by my clients whether they are required to identify themselves to police upon request. My standard answer to that question was, “well that depends.”
If police stop you while you are driving or cycling you DO have to show the police identification. (This is required by the Highway Traffic Act and municipal bylaws.) But in many cases, if the police simply stop you on the street I tell my clients that you don’t have to show the police your identification or answer their questions.
An important caveat is that during the declared emergency – the scope of police powers are now significantly broader. If police or provincial offences officers have grounds to believe that you are breaching the Act, you should hand over your identification.
Finally, there is one last question I wish to address. Are the police stopping cars with two or more occupants and issuing tickets under the Act?
There have been rumours swirling on social media recently that police forces in the GTA are issuing tickets under the Act when there are two ore more people in a car if they do not live at the same address.
In fact, this rumour became so pervasive that Peel, Durham and York Regional Police have taken to social media to confirm that officers have NOT been directed to ticket vehicle occupants when there are two or more people in a car. Peel Police, however, DID recommend limited the number of people in any car to family, to limit the spread of the virus.
Be well and stay safe.
-Michelle Johal
Michelle Johal is a local criminal defence lawyer. She can be reached at [email protected]
Michelle Johal is a member of the Wolf Law Chambers community.
For more information on being a member try our free office calculator now.
Finding the Right Client for Your Practice
On February 19, Wolf Law Chambers welcomed Kim Piller from Sandler Training to give a talk on how lawyers and paralegals can increase their sales effectiveness.
Thanks to everyone who came!
Dezso Farkas, the Director of Wolf Law Chambers, started the evening with a summary as to why lawyers and paralegals don’t like to sell. When it comes down to it, there’s a negative connotation associated with sales. There’s also a general feeling that sales are not what the legal practitioner is trained to do. Law is what they trained to do. But as sole practitioners or small firms, the reality is that finding clients, promoting your practice is something you have to do.
In his presentation, Kim Piller spoke about why some sales fail: “winging” the sales pitch, lack of a plan, not really knowing what you’re selling, no process in place, and sometimes a sheer lack of compatibility. But all of that can be overcome. He provided tips and techniques to help make connections and land new clients.
He advocated for putting a system in place to help you sell. With a system, you’ll know what beats to hit in your sales pitch and this will help you maintain control, save time, stay on track, duplicate positive results and recognize any problems.
The goal is to get a positive result: a yes, a no, or a referral. Although getting a “no” may be counterintuitive as a positive result, it can lead to a lesson learned or simply saved time. Maybe’s are the negative result; causing you to bleed time and resources.
In the end, he reminded everyone, the thing to remember is people decide to purchase or choose you as their legal practitioner based on emotions. They will justify it later intellectually, but the emotions they feel are the deciding factor.
- Look at their personal needs.
- Be a good listener.
- Understand why they are coming to you.
Toronto Wolf Law Chambers coming soon
Dezso Farkas, a lawyer and the Director of Wolf Law Chambers, made his vision of a shared workspace for legal practitioners into reality in 2019. Wolf Law Chambers opened two locations, one in Mississauga in April and another in Oakville in December. It is designed to be a place to foster community and collaborations across all legal disciplines while still allowing the members to be autonomous.
Dezso recognized that solo practitioners face a lot of challenges in the day to day running of their practices and he wanted to help. Wolf Law Chambers has a marketing team to help with branding and advertising, sponsors networking events as well as CPD credit events and on the whole tries to anticipate its members’ needs.
To better serve the legal community, a new location is opening in Toronto in 2020. In addition to the courier and reception services that are already available, Wolf Law Chambers will be starting copying and binding services, and will have the option of the presence of a qualified legal practitioner available to sign documents with a client at one of the locations, all with the aim of saving our members’ time and making their lives easier.
Wolf Law Chambers is all about providing a place for legal practitioners to collaborate and be part of a community while still maintaining their solo identity and brand. If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, come on in. The doors are open.
No Detail Is Too Small: Thamar Abdu
Thamar Abdu of Thamar Bilingual Legal Services Ontario provides legal services in both French and English. After becoming a licensed paralegal in April 2018, Thamar started her practice in May 2018. She focuses on Small Claims Court matters and commercial litigation, such as a contract dispute between two businesses or between a business and an individual, as well as Landlord and Tenant issues. Her true love, though, is anything to do with contracts: going through the terms, finding the defects, examining the details.
Background
Up until three years ago, Thamar lived and worked in Quebec. She spent many years working in the financial industry before working for the government of Quebec. Both of these jobs played a role in where she has ended up today.
Her first encounter with the law as an employment opportunity was when she was asked to fill in for a colleague in the legal department of her employer’s company. To her delight, during her training she discovered an aptitude for law, understanding the concepts and aspects quite easily. As she did not have a legal education at the time, it remained a delightful discovery about herself, nothing more.
A few years later, Thamar was working for the Quebec government in a job that required her to know governmental procedure quite well and be very familiar with the law that intersected with her work. When her uncle visited from Ontario, she accompanied him to court on a minor matter, both for moral support and because she was familiar with the structure of a governmental/legal organization. Her uncle, seeing how much she enjoyed the visit to the Quebec courthouse, told her that in Ontario she could go back to school and become a licensed paralegal and provide legal services to the public.
At this point, a yearning for a new challenge had been quietly residing in the back of her mind for some time, specifically a chance to start her own business. But Thamar is not a person who works with her hands and so was not sure what her business would focus on. With no focus or outlet, the desire for her own business remained an idea. When her uncle told her about the paralegal educational opportunity, her dream came into laser sharp focus. Within a month she had resigned from her job in Quebec and enrolled in a paralegal education program in Ontario. Although it was scary and daunting to leave behind an established life as well as a secure and well-paying job, Thamar was also excited to be setting out on a new challenge, a challenge that she relished. She’s never looked back.
Puzzle Pieces
Thamar loves examining details, investigating terms, searching for information and uncovering facts. Every case is made up of thousands of tiny pieces and she enjoys putting them together to see the big picture. In another life, she might have been an investigator. As a paralegal, her passion for facts and details help her to understand each case fully. She examines every facet of a case thoroughly, looking for anything that might help or hinder her client. Although this level of detail might be daunting to some, Thamar thrives on it. She uses her drive to understand everything to her advantage, to enable her to grasp the situation a client might be facing and examine and present each possible outcome. She never underestimates the value of one detail. Although this passion for detail may cause frustration, it can also have the benefit of finding that one piece of the puzzle that changes the perspective of an entire case.
Although she is still building experience and her practice is young, she doesn’t let her newness stop or intimidate her. She throws her heart and soul into preparing for every case. All doubts and inexperience can be overcome with preparation and knowledge, she says. When asked how this translates to helping her clients, Thamar says that she is very thorough and outlines all possible outcomes that may arise. Her goal, she says, is not winning per se, but getting the best possible outcome in the circumstances for her client – be that money, an order from the judge or something else entirely.
Wolf Law Chambers
Choosing Wolf Law Chambers as the home for her practice is another decision Thamar has no regrets over. When she first started as a licensed paralegal, she worked out of a home office for a year but found it to be lonely work. She realized she needed to have other professionals around to talk about work, get opinions, brainstorm, get advice or even just to have a quick chat about coffee. Wolf Law Chambers provided this as it is a community of legal professionals. “It feels like a family,” she says. She found that her productivity soared when she was around other professionals and as an added boost, Wolf Law Chambers is more convenient for her practice. There’s a professional space readily available to meet clients, the boardroom, and if a client has problems in other areas of law, there are other legal professionals just outside her door who could help.
One of the benefits from starting her own business that Thamar enjoys is the freedom she’s gained to structure her day. As an early riser, Thamar long ago discovered her most productive hours were early in the morning. Once, those hours were needed to prep to get to the office for 9. Now that she runs her own practice, she can use those hours more effectively and efficiently because she can work from anywhere.
Although starting her own business has been challenging, Thamar focuses on the positive. She took the leap of faith to open her own business and pursue her love of law and details and contracts; what someone else may find tedious, Thamar finds fascinating.
Thamar and her eye for detail is ready to help you with your contract issues.
Determination and Perseverance Always: Gideon McMaster
Gideon McMaster of McMaster Law practices in the areas of criminal defense, civil litigation and commercial law. He was admitted to the bar in Trinidad and Tobago in 2012 and upon moving to Canada in 2017, started the accreditation process to be a licensed legal professional. Gideon has now been a Foreign Legal Consultant in Ontario since May 2017. He currently maintains his practice in Trinidad & Tobago, separate from his practice here in Ontario, which is new and growing quickly.
Gideon is grateful for the experience he gained in Trinidad and Tobago that shaped him into the lawyer he is today and where he has been involved in numerous high-profile cases. He values being licensed to practice both there and in Ontario and believes that both jurisdictions continue to develop him as a lawyer in their own unique ways. Gideon is inspired by top litigators who win difficult cases, especially those in which it seemed all hope had been lost.
The Choice to Become a Lawyer
Gideon’s choice to become a lawyer gradually formed from several factors. Since childhood Gideon has been outspoken, independently minded and passionate about the things in which he believes. Gideon’s interest in law as a career path developed through his association with persons involved in law and politics during his adolescence, including close friends of his family. His home is well known by relatives as a battleground for political debates. Gideon viewed the legal profession as a viable avenue through which he could generate positive changes in his environment. On the business side of things, he saw his parents build a very successful business from the ground up. Watching them, Gideon recognized that all success and failure would come through his own grit and determination. He understood that these qualities would also bring fulfillment in his life’s work.
Philosophy
Gideon sees his philosophy of life as consistently working towards being an agent of positive change in any environment he is in. He believes that determination, grit and a burning desire to succeed even when the odds are against you are the hallmarks of most successful individuals irrespective of profession. That’s the kind of lawyer Gideon desires to be.
The Mark of a Good Lawyer
Litigating is a superb career choice for people who like to argue, and Gideon thrives on arguing! While this might lead to difficulty in other professions, it is an excellent asset for litigators. It is the job of the litigator to argue for his client’s rights and it is one of Gideon’s goals to become a top litigator in the province. Litigating is not about winning – even though a love of arguing implies a love of winning. While Gideon loves competition, it is simply not the most important thing to him. He commented that winning is simply expected of lawyers, a by-product of their true purpose to fulfill their civic duty.
He freely admits that while winning has its benefits, he feels that making litigation about winning is not a true test of a lawyer’s skill or aptitude since there are many factors that may skew the results and make them look positive: choosing only “winnable” cases, getting a sympathetic judge, or having at one’s disposal considerably more favourable evidence. Because of these factors, Gideon believes that what makes a good lawyer is skill, not necessarily the lawyer’s record of wins.
To him, being a top litigator is more about honing his skill and doing the job with excellence and perseverance. It is about helping the people who come to him with the very best of his ability – this is Gideon’s passion.
Gideon describes a good lawyer as a person who:
- Understands the importance of the client and their obligation to them,
- Understands that in many instances people come to lawyers at the worst points in their lives, and,
- Shows compassion to those seeking out their services. Of course, every lawyer needs to have paying clients in order to make a living but Gideon believes there are times that a lawyer may need to take on a case pro bono, and he has personally found much fulfillment in doing so.
He has been fortunate to have won the vast majority of his cases, but he refuses to put a number to his win ratio. He attributes it to good trials and good luck together. Instead Gideon prefers to focus on his passion to help people who are in need of a skilled litigator.
Choosing Wolf Law Chambers
Gideon is excited to be a part of Wolf Law Chambers and the benefits it brings to his practice. Since he doesn’t need to worry about administrative details such as internet, phone bills or going to the post office – it’s all taken care of in-house – this allows much more time to be focused on his case load. Gideon chose Wolf Law Chambers because of its structural similarity to the law chambers model which exists in Britain and the Caribbean, where he was trained. He also practices in a law chambers in Trinidad & Tobago. Gideon is attracted to the idea of lawyers working in close proximity to one another as it fosters an environment in which lawyers can bounce ideas off one other, work collaboratively, have an intellectual exchange, and have the opportunity to learn and help one another.
Gideon is a very determined, goal-oriented lawyer. His belief that there is always room for growth inspires him to continue striving for excellence as he builds up his practice in Ontario and continues to hone his advocacy skills. His love of arguing and his sincere desire to help his client get everything they deserve make him a valuable addition to Wolf Law Chambers. Gideon never gives up… just like his favourite soccer team.
Gideon is an avid supporter of Manchester United. Attending Law School in Manchester, UK, gave Gideon plenty of time to observe the team’s story and philosophy of sheer determination and doggedness; to see them as a team that never says ‘die’ and fights to the bitter end. He believes that this is consistent with his own outlook and philosophy of life. Gideon is also an amateur soccer player and plays in the Burlington Soccer League with Squire FC.
If you have any legal matters pertaining to criminal defense, civil litigation or commercial law, feel free to contact Gideon for a consultation.
Cyber Security with Humzah Khaial
Cyber Security has been the most requested seminar after How to Survive an Audit (which took place in the spring of 2019). Humzah Khaial kindly gave a seminar on the tactics used by hackers and preventative measures against their attacks to the group gathered at our Oakville location on December 5, 2019.
Even though it can be a scary topic, it is important to educate ourselves not only about ways to prevent attacks but also how hackers try to infiltrate our systems. If we know their methods, it’s easier to recognize their tactics.
One of the main targets for hackers is small businesses because they’re lucrative. They have money and sensitive information, but they’re small, so they don’t have a dedicated security department, making them easier to hack into.
What to look for
Attachments in emails can look legitimate. But if after clicking on the attachment, it asks you to change something to your system, don’t. If you do, it gives access to the hacker.
How do you know the email is fake? Hover over the “From” address. Microsoft Office and Outlook 365 now give you the full address when you hover. This is to help you identify senders. If you don’t recognize the sender, don’t click.
Another technique hackers use is grammar and spelling mistakes. They want to filter out anyone who is paying attention. They want victims who aren’t paying attention because those people may not remember what exactly they clicked on or allowed onto their computer.
If the email contains an image of text instead of just plain text, this could be hackers trying to get around your detection software. Software can read text easily, but it cannot read images.
Prevention
The best way is a combination defence. Use as many methods as possible to foil hackers.
When on a public network, use a VPN, a Virtual Private Network. It acts as a tunnel between your device and the public network, preventing any would-be hackers from easily accessing your device and any passwords you may enter while on that public network.
Constantly back up your work. This will protect your information no matter what happens.
Don’t use the same password for everything and use a combination of symbols, letters and numbers. Try not to put passwords on sticky notes. They can get lost easily.
Use two-factor authentication. It’s a password and a code sent to your phone, extra security to verify it is you who is accessing the account.
Update all operating systems on a regular basis.
Employees are your first line of defence. It’s important to train them in security awareness and prevention.
Risk Management
Going forward, we need to: prevent, protect, educate. It’s a continuous and changing process. The technological landscape is constantly changing and we need to keep up to date with it.
As the head of your business, you set the tone for your organization. Preventive, protective and educational measures starts at the top. It starts with you.
At Wolf Law Chambers we strive to host seminars that are relevant to the challenges legal practitioners are facing today. Let us know if there is a topic or challenge you want to learn more about.
Oakville Grand Opening
The red ribbon stretches across the entrance. Snip, snip, sings the great golden scissors. The ribbon flutters to the ground. The Oakville location of Wolf Law Chambers is open!
On December 5, 2019, we celebrated the official opening of the Wolf Law Chambers West location in downtown Oakville.
The man behind Wolf Law Chambers, Dezso Farkas, moved into the realm of solo practice just over a year ago. He discovered that there were very few, if any at all, work spaces designated to the legal practitioner who chose to strike out on their own while cultivating a community. He decided to change that.
He opened Wolf Law Chambers in Mississauga in the spring of 2019. Even though it’s only been a little over half a year, Dezso is obviously filling a need, because the Mississauga location is reaching capacity. When he asked himself where he wanted to go next, he already knew the answer: beautiful downtown Oakville.
Thank you so much to everyone who came out and celebrated with us! It was such an honour that you chose to celebrate this milestone with us. Thank you to Mayor Rob Burton who came and cut the red ribbon, officially opening our downtown Oakville office with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
Wolf Law Chambers is all about providing a place for legal practitioners to collaborate and be part of a community while still maintaining their solo identity and brand. If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, come on in. The doors are open.
Scale up Your Legal Practice – A Successful Event
We would like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who came out on the evening of November 28, 2019 to our event Scale up Your Legal Practice. We had a great turnout of both paralegals and lawyers (and a printer who specializes in business cards!) We listened to presentations given by Amanda Russell from Legal Shield, who sponsored the event, and Dezso Farkas of Farkas Law about the importance, advantages and opportunities of networking while also having the opportunity to put their advice into practice.
Amanda Russell started the evening with a presentation about Legal Shield, an organization that is dedicated to providing legal access to its members through a network of law firms.
Legal Shield wants to help middle-income people who are priced out of hiring lawyers. They want to give these people access to law firms in case they need help with contracts or setting up a will or really, any legal issue. Legal Shield wants to connect people with lawyers or paralegals who can help.
The question then becomes how can lawyers or paralegals practicing on their own become involved with Legal Shield?
Amanda explained that Legal Shield is always looking for individual lawyers and paralegals to add to their referral network. If the designated law firm chosen by Legal Shield as their in-province representative is too expensive or can’t meet the needs of the client, a referral is made to a lawyer or paralegal within the network who can do so. It can become another way for lawyers and paralegals to gain clients and increase their network.
Though it may seem ironic to have a talk on networking at a networking event, Dezso Farkas’s presentation was informative and humorous. He spoke about the principles of networking (and how similar they are to dating) and the different personality types that might be found at networking events.
He addressed the pitfall that many of us fall into: going to these events with a specific goal or person in mind to connect with. Throughout his talk he emphasized the benefits of having no expectations, to take the opportunity to have fun, meet people and explore all the different and unique ways collaboration could be possible.
Did you know there were six personality types that show up at networking events? Dezso discussed their attributes, the benefits of knowing what type you might be, and how to recognize the different personalities at an event so that you might connect more effectively. To name just a couple, there was “the detective” who does their research on attendees beforehand to initiate an informed conversation, and “the comedian” the person who wins everyone over with humour.
The evening ended as it began – with mingling and conversation as the attendees introduced themselves, what area of law they specialize in and what they’re looking for, but also enjoying chats about the holidays and good food.
As Dezso said, networking is a numbers game. The more you go to, the more practiced you’ll be, the more meaningful connections you’ll make. If you missed this one, there are more coming. There’s always a chance to practice your networking skills. Feel free to join us, start a conversation and have some fun.
