Category Archives: Personal Injury

Articles by Lawyers about Personal Injury, and car accidents. Burlington, Milton, Mississauga

Scotch Fridays – Tune in to the Podcast

Scotch Friday's Podcast Banner


 

Scotch Fridays formed its roots many years ago when our law firm shared office space with Nancy, a brilliant friend of mine. The Scotch Friday tradition evolved in those long ago days when Nancy would saunter over to my office on Fridays, just before the end of the day, and stand at my door and we would share stories about our week. They were more like rants but we enjoyed those afternoons tremendously, and sharing a little scotch was a bonus.

However, my love for story telling goes back to my childhood with my very large extended family and my elders sharing stories about the past. I always liked to listen and ask questions and know more of the details as if I was there with them experiencing it for the first time.

My love of storytelling continued to grow while working with my father in the grocery store in Burlington. "Ontario Variety", as it was known then and now, was a gathering point, a nucleus for the community, before Sunday shopping and the proliferation of grocery stores and 24 hour shopping. It was during simpler times when everyone knew each other and trusted to send their children with notes to go to the local grocer. My dad had the pulse on the community and if you wanted to know anything about what was going on, all you had to do was ask "Norm", my dad. I grew into the same role as my father, the ability to speak with people with ease, to know them and to know their story. Did I mention my dad loved Scotch?

I simply took my love of Scotch and love of Friday rants with Nancy and "voila" - Scotch Friday podcast it is.

I do this because I enjoy speaking with people. I have been criticized for asking too many questions. It's true. I do like to ask a lot of questions, and sometimes, I think "why not?" Let's get to know the person behind their enterprise, behind their title, behind their status, and behind their public persona and let's know their story of how they got to where they're at now and their views on the things that matter to us.

My love for conversation tells me that we are all part of the same fabric. And, I like to think of myself as finding the pattern and the stitch that connects us all. That's Scotch Fridays!

Tune in every Friday afternoon to scotchfridays.ca and listen to stories that matter and entertain you. It’s a great way to start your weekend.

Happy Listening.

Karmel Sakran, managing partner of the law firm of GREEN GERMANN SAKRAN »

What to do if you have a car accident

Personal Injury Lawyer – how to protect yourself.

If you have had a car accident, even if you don’t think you have been injured, there are certain things you need to do to protect your own rights and to protect yourself from claims from other people involved in the accident.

Always call the police even if it is just a “fender bender”. A police report is essential to making any sort of insurance claim yourself for damage to your vehicle or for accident benefits which are available regardless of fault to all insured motorists. A police report is also essential if you want your insurance company to defend you against a claim from another person involved in the accident.

Your next call, after the police investigation is completed, should be to your insurance agent if you have one or to your insurance company directly.

Late reporting of an accident may allow your insurance company to deny you coverage if you are sued as a result of a car accident or create skepticism if you are making an accident benefits claim.

If there is even a hint of you being injured and you haven’t gone to the hospital from the scene, go and see your family doctor for assessment and appropriate treatment as soon as you can. If you can’t get an appointment right away, go to a walk-in clinic for initial treatment. Car accident injuries, such as whiplash injuries, can take days or weeks to develop, and documenting the initial complaint as soon as possible after the accident creates a good foundation for a damages claim.

Then, feel free to call Earl Taylor at Green Germann Sakran at 905-639-1222 x245 for a free consultation about your rights after an accident. There are no upfront legal fees and no legal fees at all unless you recover a settlement or judgment.

Learn more about Personal Injury Lawyer Earl Taylor »

Why you should incorporate your business

A business lawyer can discuss the benefits of why you should incorporate your business.

My father was a grocer and he was always a sole proprietor. He did very well and it worked for him. He never bothered to consider the benefits of incorporating. Even when he bought a grocery store for my brother and revenues doubled, there was never any discussion around our home on whether we should incorporate. If you want to learn more about why you should incorporate your business – read on.

Times have changed and I now believe that my father should have considered incorporating for a variety of reasons, like:

  • The lifetime capital gains exemption on sale of an active business (up to $800,000 per individual shareholder);
  • Protecting personal assets from creditors and personal injury claims;
  • Getting the benefit of a lower corporate tax rate, income splitting, dividends, and retained earnings;
  • Estate & Succession planning – ie. a trust to own holdco – holdco to own the realty and opco.

Easy to say, however, there are many things to consider on whether or not to incorporate. For example, if you own a rental property that is considered “passive income” and therefore incorporating does not entitle you to a lifetime capital gains exemption. Only “ongoing concerns” are entitled, like retail or sales business, manufacturing – something that involves doing something to earn money rather than sitting back and waiting for it to collect in your bank. Of course, I am using a simplistic analogy. However, if you had at least 5 employees in a rental property business, then all of a sudden, it is no longer considered “passive income” and you would be qualified for a lifetime capital gains exemption in the event of sale of shares of the corporation.

Karmel Sakran, Corporate and Commercial Lawyer »