Commercial Law

Although the geographic landscape in southern Ontario is similar to much of the northeastern United States, there are subtle traps for the franchisor who ventures northward expecting the franchise laws to be substantially the same. Southern Ontario contains the bulk of economic activity in Canada, and it has a franchise disclosure law based upon the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Franchise Rule. However, there are significant differences in how Canadian law in general will affect franchisors.

Although the fallout from the financial crisis is yet to be complete, the franchise industry seems to be weathering the storm fairly well to date. However, franchise attorneys say that caution is the order of the day and that an extended economic downturn could raise tensions between franchisors and franchisees.

Commentary on the latest cases.

This article explores a social networking site user's right to privacy, an adversary's right to obtain information from that site, and the admissibility of the information.

In-depth analysis of recent rulings.

What building modifications trigger an obligation to comply with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? The Second Circuit addressed that question in Roberts v. Royal Atlantic Corp. and reached a number of important conclusions.

When you file a suit on behalf of an out-of-state plaintiff, the state in which you file may have a borrowing statute. This type of statute usually prevents forum shopping by requiring the out-of-state plaintiff to file his case in the forum state within the statute of limitations permitted by his home state. Following is an analysis of this situation.

In Part One of this article, the authors covered ethical issues relating to e-mail. In Part Two below, they discuss ethical issues related to e-discovery and social networking and blogs.