In this issue - #157 March 30, 2012

Why did you become a lawyer?

My parents always used to say that I could persuade anyone that black was actually white. Law seemed like a natural choice. I love my job.

Mild brain injury cases are very complex.

This series of articles by BC brain injury lawyer Paul Mitchell, Q.C., will explain the Top 5 Myths About Mild Brain Injury.

Find out what is involved in these challenging and difficult cases, and separate fact from fiction.

If you are a housewife or homemaker chances are that you are not living the extravagant lifestyle of the “Real Housewives” as depicted in the new television series, the Real Housewives of Vancouver (debuts on April 4, 2012).  More than likely your family depends on you for tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, home repair etc. and therefore if you are injured in an accident your ability to provide those services for yourself and others is affected.  In this column, I talk about ICBC benefits available for the loss of your ability to do household tasks and additional damages available (if someone else is at fault for your accident) for the loss of those services.  I will leave discussion on the value of the “Real Housewives“ to the gossip columnists.

With the ever-changing technology and innovation of social media and the potential uses for it, a question that is often asked by employers is whether they can use social media to perform a ‘background check’ on potential employees. For example, if a candidate sends their resume to a potential employer, can that employer look them up on Facebook? Twitter? Can the employer use Google to give them a list of what is out there? And most importantly, can an employer then use the information they collect in order to make a decision regarding the job candidate?

phi•lan•thro•py is defined in the English Dictionary as “altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.” Donations to charity via a Will are a main source of income for many Canadian charities. Money left to charities through these bequests has a major impact on the work charities are able to do and is extremely important to all sorts of charitable causes.

With the strong Canadian dollar and attractively low real estate prices in the US, more and more Canadians are purchasing real estate in the US. Some of the considerations prior to doing so should be the tax implications and whether or not ownership should be through a Canadian trust.

The B.C. Ministry of Finance has announced that the PST will be re-implemented effective April 1, 2013.  The Ministry also announced the introduction of enhanced New Housing Rebate during the transition period (April 1, 2012 to April 1, 2013), the introduction of the B.C. Transition Tax and Transition Rebate, Builder Disclosure Requirements (and penalties for non-compliance) during the Transition Period, and a Grant for Purchasers of New Residential Housing Used as a Secondary or Recreational Residence during the transition period.

Prisoners suffer disproportionately from past traumatic brain injuries.

Researchers are hunting for the best tools to treat this population in an effort to help them reintegrate into society--and avoid re-incarceration.

Data on resource and caseload statistics for legal aid in Canada are now available for 2010/2011.

If you want to sue someone but don't want a long, drawn-out court battle, there's another legal channel to turn to: Take your case to "Judge Judy."

But is "Judge Judy" for real? As the announcer says at the beginning of each episode, "The cases are real. The people are real. The rulings are final." In reality, though, it's a bit more complicated.

Here are some behind-the-bench "secrets" of "Judge Judy" and other TV judge shows that you may not have known:

You can now follow Pushor Mitchell on Twitter and receive updates and information on our legal articles, firm happenings and community events.

Start following at http://www.twitter.com/pushormitchell.

From Our Personal Injury Law Group – Recently settled a complicated medical malpractice file resulting in a settlement of $3.5 million. The action was against four doctors and a B.C. hospital.
 
Find out more about our Personal Injury Law Group: http://www.pushormitchell.com/service/personal-injury

Pushor Mitchell LLP was recently among eleven businesses that were honoured by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce for being chamber members for over 40 years. The long-time members included: Andrew Peller Limited, Astral Media Radio, B.C. Tree Fruits, Bank of Montreal, Doak Shirreff LLP, Jacobsen Excellence, Kelowna Flightcraft, Pushor Mitchell LLP, Royal Bank, Skoglund Enterprises Ltd, and Webster Management Ltd.

I am leaving my long-term employer to work for a competitor.  I have not signed any agreements restricting my ability to compete. I have nothing to worry about right?

A high roller who bet on some creative tax accounting has lost an appeal in court. The Canadian man tried to deduct more than $96,000 in gambling losses as business expenses.