What should be in my Nova Scotia Shareholder Agreement

/ Highlander Law Group/
What should be in my Nova Scotia Shareholder Agreement

A business run by multiple partners through a corporation in which you are all shareholders should have a shareholder’s agreement. Yes, even if you are all friends or family. In fact, it is perhaps even more important in that case! Business ventures sometimes fail and even the closest of friends can fight over how a business is being run. A shareholder’s agreement allows you and your partners to agree on many contentious points in advance of any problems arising while cooler heads still prevail.

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The End of the Road: Understanding Employment Termination

/ Highlander Law Group/
The End of the Road: Understanding Employment Termination

George Costanza, on an episode of Seinfeld, dramatically quit his job during a meeting. Regretting his impulsive decision, he decides to act like it never happened and simply shows up to work the next day. As was often the case, things went badly for George and he did not get his job back.

Employment disputes can be very tricky to deal with because our work is a fundamental part of our identity. Not to mention that jobs are how we put food on the table and a roof over our head. To make matters worse, there are plenty of myths, out of context advice, and some just plain wrong information floating around out there.

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Be King of the CASL

/ Highlander Law Group/
Be King of the CASL

Canada has some of the strongest anti-SPAM legislation in the world. Starting on July 1, 2017, it is going to get even tougher. In 2014 the Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL pronounced “castle”) became law in Canada. The purpose of the law is to protect people from getting commercial messages they do not want. 

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Who's On Your Team?

/ Highlander Law Group/
Who's On Your Team?

If this past Super Bowl has taught us anything, it is that with the right team, anything is possible. The same is true in the business world and so one of the first questions I will ask a new business client is: who is on your team? The most common response I receive is something like “I am just a small business” or “it is just me”. Although I understand what you mean (certainly you run the day to day operations), I encourage my clients to think a little broader and to work at building a support network that will allow them to grow and protect their business in the long-term.

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A New Year's Resolution for your Business

/ Highlander Law Group/
A New Year's Resolution for your Business

Every January there are an infinite number of blog posts on how to make or stick to your personal New Years Resolutions.  But what if your business could write its own resolutions for 2017, what would they be?  I don’t think many businesses would be begging for more of your time – entrepreneurs are notorious for devoting all of their time to the business.  But is that precious time used effectively? 

As a litigator, I meet far too many small business owners who were so busy trying to move their business forward that they didn’t notice they never made time to stop and protect the business they were working so hard to build – until it was too late.  The potential points of failure for a small business are unfortunately many.  Leases, employees, personal situations, intellectual property, product malfunction, and weak (or absent) contracts to name a few.

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