Practical Guidance® Canada 
PRACTICE INSIGHTS NEWSLETTER

 May 2017

The Practice Insights newsletter is designed to keep you abreast of all the latest information available through this innovative service. Whether it's informing you about the newest modules available, the latest additions of top contributing authors, or recently updated tools and resources that are built to simplify your workday, this newsletter is designed for you.

What’s covered in this edition of the Newsletter?

  1. New Module Launches
    1. Family Law BC
    2. Finance
  2. Calculators
  3. User Interface update
  4. Quick Tips
  5. Newly Added Contributors
  6. Access to Justice Symposium

New Module Launches


The Practice Advisor team has added two brand new modules to the product over the last two months. Read all about it below.



(i)a Family Law BC Module


Tackle the complex and evolving area of family law, with information and guidance specific to British Columbia. This module provides practical, authoritative insights contributed by prominent experts in the field.


The module includes guidance on:

  • Guardianship appointments following the death of a guardian
  • How to recognize and respond to situations of parental alienation
  • How to make the most of case, settlement, trial preparation and trial management conferences
  • Using dispute resolution methods such as mediation, arbitration, parenting coordination and collaborative practice
  • Representing a client who has experienced family violence and enforcing a protection order

With insights from leading practitioners including:

  • Lynda Cassels, Cassels Murray
  • Michelle Kinney, Cassels Murray
  • Nicola Allen, Schuman Daltrop Basran & Robin
  • Georgialee Lang, Barrister, Solicitor, Mediator & Arbitrator
  • Elaine Kurek, EMK Law Corporation, Westminster Law Group
  • Melanie Magnusson, Onyx Law Group
  • Zara Suleman, Suleman Family Law
  • Ronald J. Smith, Q.C., Barrister & Solicitor

Some sample content from the module include:


Legislative Framework for Guardianship

Steps in an Equalization Calculation

Tips for Identifying Additional Income

Dos and Don’ts for Sperm and Egg donors

We spoke to Beth Virtue, our in-house Family Law lawyer and content lead for this module and acting Director for Lexis Practice Advisor Canada.

Q: What are some of the key areas covered under this module?
“All of the core family law areas are covered, like divorce, property and support, but they are supplemented by some expert content on specialized areas like parental alienation, child abduction and assisted reproductive technology.”

Q: How are you continuing to build this module?
“The module will continue to grow with more procedural topics, like pleadings and applications, which will complement the extensive coverage of conferences already available. Of course, the substantive law content will also continue to grow to reflect new and emerging areas. And we welcome suggestions from our subscribers, so if there is something you want covered, letting us know is as simple as clicking our feedback button.”

Q: Why would you say this product is indispensable to practitioners in this area?
“The module goes beyond just providing a cursory overview of topics and a reference to forms; rather, it provides comprehensive coverage of topics, including practical tips and sample completed court documents or example letters to clients. It allows lawyers to get up to speed quickly, save time drafting and enhance their communications with clients.” 


For more information on the Family Law BC module, please visit our product page.

(i)b Finance module


Developed to quickly and easily deliver the most important and sought after information, the Finance module provides tools, practice notes, precedents, and more. Get immediate access to the comprehensive set of resources available to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information and can successfully complete any task, including:


  • Conducting due diligence on a company in connection with a commercial loan transaction
  • Drafting and negotiating loan and security agreements
  • Registering a security interest under the PPSA
  • Enforcing security through contractual or statutory remedies
  • Advising clients on how to structure a DIP financing transaction
  • Drafting and negotiating forbearance agreements
  • Advising lenders of their potential liabilities
  • Ensuring firm precedents are up-to-date and reflect changes in legislation and practice

Some of the notable contributors to this module include:

  • Alison Manzer, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
  • Jeffrey Carhart, Miller Thomson LLP
  • David Thring, McMillan LLP
  • Charles Newman, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
  • William E. J. Skelly, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
  • Nicole Sigouin, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
  • Howard Wise, Goodmans LLP
  • Kori Williams, Dentons Canada LLP
  • David Reynolds, Miller Thomson LLP
  • Jillian Friedman, Friedman Law
  • Tracy Sandler, Osler, Hoskin Harcourt LLP
  • Robin Schwill, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
  • Jonathan Fleisher, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Some sample content from the module include:

Checklist for a Loan Transaction

Commitment Letter - Acquisition Financing

Forbearance Agreement

What is Debtor-In-Possession (DIP) Financing?

Ontario PPSA Foreclosure and Disposition Process

Here’s what Christopher Pelliccioni, our in-house module lead said when asked about the launch of this new module.

Q: What are some of the key areas covered under this module?
"The fundamental areas of finance (topics such as term sheets, lending, security, guarantees, subordination and intercreditor agreements and forbearance agreements), the in-depth international content, and the exciting new tools like the finance calculators and smart charts."

Q: What are some of the things you are working on to continue building this module?
"We are working to add more precedents, expand existing commentary, and develop more topics such as project finance."

Q: Why would you say this product is indispensable to practitioners in this area?
"It's a one stop shop. You can find all the information you need to get the job done."


For more information on the Finance module, please visit our product page.

(ii) Calculators


A number of task-based calculators are now available within certain module of Lexis Practice Advisor. You can access the calculators directly from the Essentials pod on the home screen, or through the “Browse Topics” page within specific topics or toolkits.


Image above shows the CPI Calculator in the Family Law module. Other calculators in the module are listed on the menu on the left.

Other calculators that have been added to Practice Advisor as part of the release include:


  • Age on Specified Date
  • Amount per Year, Month, Week, Day
  • Currency Converter
  • Date to Date
  • Grossing up
  • Life Expectancy
  • Percentages
  • Variable Interest

(iii)Updated User Interface


Based on client feedback, our team has created a brand new interface for Practice Advisor, making for a cleaner and more user-friendly interface to surface the content.


New UI shows the home page with less clutter, focusing on the most important tools for your work day.


Improvements to the Content page include repositioning of the Delivery Bar to the top-left of the screen.


You can preview the new interface through the interactive guide by clicking here.

(iv) Quick Tips


Easily print, download or email any document using the Delivery Bar available on the content pages as shown in the screenshot below.

(v) New Contributors


New Contributors in the last three months are:


  • Mark Kreger, Barrister and Solicitor
  • John Lucas, Deeth Williams Wall LLP
  • Albert Oosterhoff, WEL Partners
  • Kimberly Whaley, WEL Partners
  • Mark Handelman, WEL Partners
  • Andrea McKewan, WEL Partners
  • Janey Nystedt, Nystedt Law

(vi) Access To Justice Symposium


At Western University’s 4th annual Access to Justice Symposium this March, where LexisNexis was the Platinum sponsor, we featured Lexis Practice Advisor Canada, an invaluable tool for lawyers who want to improve their efficiency, effectiveness and ultimately profitability.


LexisNexis was the Platinum Sponsor at the 4th Annual Access To Justice Symposium


In this regard, Beth Virtue, Acting Director of Lexis Practice Advisor Canada, discussed the many benefits of the product, including the powerful workflow tools (such as calculators, toolkits, and quantums) and comprehensive content, such as precedent letters to clients, agreements, checklists and flowcharts. The content can be easily shared with colleagues, sent directly to clients, or personalized for a specific situation, saving time and improving communication on a file, as well as increasing client satisfaction and assisting in limited retainer situations.


Beth Virtue, our content lead for the Family Law modules, during her presentation


We also discussed how Practice Advisor helps articling students and junior lawyers get up to speed quickly, saving time for them, as well as their mentor/partner, and decreasing the cost to clients. Practice Advisor also helps lawyers expand into new areas with confidence, increasing the quality of the legal services being delivered, while mitigating risk, in a cost-effective manner.


Beth Virtue and Juneid Khan(Solutions Specialist) at the LexisNexis booth

Our Practice Advisor team will be actively attending industry events and conferences, and look forward to learning more about your unique challenges, and showcasing how we can add more value to your workday.