SKS Law LLP
725 Churchill Avenue North K1Z 5G7 Ottawa, ON, Canada

The third Monday of January marks the most depressing day of the year. We know getting through the cold dark month of January can be hard In order to ward of the Blue Monday blues - here are some jokes to lift your spirits and get you through today. Answers: 1) Because then it would be a foot 2) Tide... 3) Because if they flew over the bay they would be bagels! #bluemonday #brightenyourday #laughterisgoodforthesoul #laugh #skslaw

COVID-19 Update: The Commercial Eviction ban was recently extended to January 31, 2021 https://www.blog.skslaw.ca//covid-19-update-commercial-evi

It has been quite a year. From everyone here at SKS Law, we wish you and your families all the best in 2021! #newyear #2021 #lookingforward #bye2020 #auldlangsyne

From all of us here at SKS Law, we want to wish everyone a happy holiday season and a Happy New Year! After the year we have had, we will be closing our office to allow our staff and lawyers to spend some quality time their families. See you in 2021! #happyholidays #holidayseason #merryeverything #restandrecovery #skslaw

Who’s Who at SKS Law? Nathan is an Associate at SKS Law LLP where his practice focuses primarily on civil litigation, corporate, commercial and employment law. Nathan is the newest member of the firm and was called to the bar in July 2020. When not at the office, Nathan can be found at the gym or finding another show on Netflix to watch. #skslaw #whoswho #gettoknowus #lawyer #netflix #calledtothebar

Who’s Who At SKS Law? Kodi is an Associate at SKS Law LLP where her practice focuses primarily on real estate law. Prior to joining the firm, Kodi completed her articles in civil litigation and was called to the bar in June 2019. If you listen carefully, you may catch her singing the lastest tunes or some golden oldies! #skslaw #whoswho #gettoknowus #lawyer #singing #musically

Who’s Who At SKS Law? Meet one of the founding partners of SKS Law! Jason Shelly specializes in corporate and commercial law, estate and succession planning as well as municipal law. When he finally makes time to escape the office, you can find him out on the water. #skslaw #whoswho #gettoknowus #lawyer

Who’s Who At SKS Law? Shelbi is an Associate at SKS Law LLP where her practice focuses primarily on corporate law, estate and succession planning, and civil litigation. Shelbi completed her articles at SKS Law and was called to the bar in June 2018. When not practicing law, she can be found baking up a storm- and forcing friends and coworkers to taste test her various creations. #skslaw #whoswho #gettoknowus #lawyer #greatcanadianbakingshow

Gone but never forgotten.

Who’s Who At SKS Law? Meet one of the founding partners of SKS Law! Steven Sheppard specializes in real estate, development and corporate and commercial law - and is a fabulous piano player! Who knew? #skslaw #whoswho #gettoknowus #lawyer

Hey there Ghouls and Goblins! You know lawyers love a good ole’ competition. Well- it’s time for the Ultimate SKS Law showdown! Scroll through our pumpkins and comment below with the number of your favourite pumpkin! #pumpkin #pumpkincarving #contest #whoseisbetter #halloween #jackolantern

Starting October 26th, 2020, the federal government announced that small businesses in Canada could start applying for the Canada United Small Business Relief Fund. This fund seeks to provide small businesses with grants of up to $5,000.00 in order to cover the costs of PPE, make modifications to their business to meet local health and safety requirements and to enhance digital and e-commerce capabilities. This grant is above and beyond the pre-existing Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Canada Emergency Business Account, the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistant and the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. Check out this link to find out more!

One day in late 2015, three guys decided to go out on their own and open their own law firm. Within months, they had found an office in Ottawa, Ontario, hired an intrepid office manager and were well on their way to opening the boutique corporate law firm of SKS Law LLP. Although the office wasn’t far off the ground, they had big aspirations. #HumbleBeginnings #ThrowbackThursday #LawFirm #SKSlaw

Almost as soon as SKS Law moved up to the the 12th Floor at 150 Isabella Street, we outgrew the space. So- the partners scouted some real estate and bought a building. It took some time, but within a year, the building had been completely gutted and renovated into a beautiful modern space. Check out our post next Thursday to see the finished product! #law #renovation #lawfirm #movingonup #livingthedream #tbt #skslaw

SKS Law’s Vankleek Hill office, located in the heart of Eastern Ontario, is the continuation of the legacy created by Shelly Law Office, which was first opened by David Shelly in 1980. The Vankleek Hill office itself - a converted Victorian house - was built in the late 1800s and was originally a physician’s office. It has since been renovated back to its original Victoria. Look, based on old photographs that David had found. Now carved wood reliefs and stained-glass interior windows adorn the space. SKS Law has carried on David Shelly’s legacy and continue to offer legal services from our Vankleek Hill office. David even pops in on occasion to provide some of that invaluable legal knowledge and experience. #HumbleBeginnings #VankleekHill #Legacy #ThrowBackThursday #skslaw

In 2018, SKS Law outgrew its original office and moved on up - to the 12th floor to be exact. In moving into a larger space, SKS Law acquired two associates and two new articling students. The team had grown, the office size had grown, but SKS Law still maintained its humble roots. #humblebeginnings #throwbackthursday #movingonup #biggerandbetterthings #skslaw

One year ago this week, we moved into our newly renovated offices at 725 Churchill Avenue North. Not only do we have a beautiful office in Vankleek Hill, but we now also have this beautiful space in Ottawa. When COVID-19 passes, come on by- we would love to show it off! #lawfirm #livingthedream #movingonup #skslaw

In March 2020, several of Canada’s largest banks announced that they would be offering mortgage deferrals to eligible property owners as part of their relief measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mortgage deferrals allowed property owners to postpone their mortgage payments for a period of six months. For many property owners, that six-month period is set to expire and regular mortgage payments will resume early this fall. The terms of your mortgage deferral are governed by your agreement with your financial institution. If you find yourself unable to resume payments on your mortgage once the deferral period ends or in default of your mortgage, contact SKS Law LLP to discuss your rights and obligations. #mortgage #mortgagedeferral #COVID19 #realestate #law #skslaw

Something exciting is happening! The staff here at SKS Law will be participating in the first annual SKS pumpkin carving competition! And we will be asking our followers to decide the winner! Stay tuned for the creative entries next week! #pumpkins #halloween #pumpkincarving #whowillwin #skslaw

Happy Halloween Everyone! We hope everyone had a fun and safe evening - no matter how you are celebrating. Thanks to all of your votes, this lovely little pumpkin was the winner of the first annual SKS Pumpkin Carving Competition! #halloween #jackolantern #pumpkincarving #skslaw

It’s National Literacy Day! Scroll to see what books we are reading here at @skslawyers! What books have you been reading? . . #nationalliteracyday #reading #literacy #readersofinstagram #booklover #skslaw

On September 8, 2020, the federal government announced that the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program is being extended for one month to help eligible small businesses pay their rent for September. The September rent relief is open to both existing and new applicants. This announcement from the federal government follows Premier Ford’s statement during a press briefing on September 4 that the ban on commercial evictions will be extended to the end of the... month. The extended eviction ban is retroactive to September 1. Eligible landlords who have re-entered the leased premises or seized their tenant’s goods after August 31 must restore access to the premises and return any goods that have not been sold. Failure to do so may result in damages being assessed against the landlord if the tenant seeks legal recourse. For more information, click here: https://bit.ly/32dW5a7

Happy Back-To-School Everyone! Whether you are back in the classroom, learning online or a little bit of both, we are wishing our clients and their families and safe and successful 2020-2021 school year! #backtoschool #school #kids #education #school2020 #skslaw

Time to Relax and Unwind. Wishing you all a safe #LabourDay #LongWeekend! #labourdayweekend #labourday2020 #relax #unwind #unofficialendofsummer #longweekendvibes #tgif #skslaw

Ever wonder why some lawyers wear those little white wigs? Originally, wigs were in fashion and deemed to be part of a well-dressed professional’s wardrobe. As time progressed and hair care improved, wigs fell out of fashion for everyone but the courts. Canada has done away with wigs, but wigs are still worn in some higher courts around the world. Wigs were seen to bring formality and solemnity to legal proceedings. They were also a way to make all parties appearing before... the court appear uniform and anonymous. This ensured that no party could appear more affluent than another. Wigs removed all distraction and ensured supremacy of the law and the proceedings above all else. All we can say is we are glad that the world’s fashion sense has moved on. #funfactfriday #funfact #wiglife #wigs #funfactoftheday #fashion #outoffashion #fashiontrends #funfactfriday #funfact #barrister #law #lawyer #lawandorder #lawyers #lawyersofinstagram #lawfirm #ottawa #ottawalife #powderedwig #SKSlaw

With the end of Ontario’s moratorium on residential evictions ending in late July, the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) announced that it would begin issuing pending eviction orders and processing eviction applications starting August 1, 2020. The Ontario government also recently passed Bill 184, the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, 2020, which brings several changes to the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. Among those changes is that in deciding whet...her to issue an eviction order for rental arrears arising between March 17, 2020 and the end of Ontario’s state of emergency, the LTB must consider whether or not the landlord and tenant attempted to negotiate an agreement for the repayment of the arrears. The purpose of this change is said to be to encourage settlements between landlords and tenants by agreeing to a repayment plans for rental arrears without appearing before the LTB. If a tenant fails to comply with the repayment plan, the landlord may apply to the LTB for an eviction order without notice to the tenant. For more information, check out this link: https://bit.ly/30zfVfg #law #lawyers #skslaw #landlord #tenant #newrules

Put your feet up, it’s the long weekend! Wishing everyone a wonderful, safe holiday weekend! #august #longweekend #longweekendvibes #putyourfeetup #relax #summer #cottagelife #skslaw

With some exceptions, the courts in Ontario have been closed to all non-urgent matters since March 16th, 2020. Since that time, these matters have been heard by the courts via telephone and video conference. As it seems that Ontario has flattened the curve and is successfully moving into Phase 3 of re-opening, the courts in Ontario are also beginning their opening processes. Much like the rest of the province, the re-opening of the courts will progress in stages, ensuring th...at all public health measures can be implemented to ensure safety at the court houses. Although the courts are not yet ready for in-person hearing on civil litigation matters, SKS Law LLP is doing all that we can to represent our clients in civil litigation matters by telephone and video conferencing. For more information on the gradual re-opening of the courts in Ontario, click here: https://news.ontario.ca//ontario-courts-gradually-resuming #law #lawyers #litigation #court #reopening #stage3 #covid19 #ottawa #ottawabusiness #SKSlaw

Sunday was National Ice Cream Day! What is SKS Law’s favourite ice cream flavour? With so many flavours, we couldn’t decide. However, I am sure many of us were enjoying a delicious ice cream sundae last weekend! FUN FACT:... Although there are competing stories, it is rumored that ice cream sundaes were invented to circumvent a law in the United States. Ice cream sodas were a popular dessert in the late 1800s, however a law was brought into force which prevented stores from selling soda on the Sabbath. In order to continue serving the cool treats on hot Sunday afternoons, ice cream parlors started serving ice cream sodas- without the soda! Thus, creating the ice cream sunday, the name of which was changed to sundae to avoid any association with Sunday or the Sabbath. The more you know. #icecream #nationalicecreamday #sundae #Sunday #lawschool #themoreyouknow #funfacts #didyouknow #law #lawyers #SKSlaw

The Protecting Small Business Act, 2020 came into effect on June 18, 2020. The Act prohibits future evictions and reverses previous evictions for commercial tenants and it also prohibits landlords from seizing tenants’ goods due to arrears of rent. Judges cannot issue writs of possession during the currency of the Act. However, the Act does not apply to all commercial tenancies. It only applies to commercial tenancies where the landlord is eligible to receive assistance unde...r the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program or would be eligible to receive assistance under the CECRA program if the landlord entered into a rent reduction agreement with its commercial tenant. The Act is retroactive to May 1, 2020. This means that any eligible landlord who has evicted a commercial tenant between May 1, 2020 and June 17, 2020 must restore access to the leased premises unless the tenant declines to accept possession. Likewise, any eligible landlord who seized a tenant’s goods during this period must return any goods that have not been sold. The Act is effective until September 1, 2020 (unless repealed earlier). Also of interest is the fact that commercial tenants with pre-existing arrears (pre May 1) are also protected by the new Act, assuming no enforcement proceedings were commenced before this date. For more information, check out: https://bit.ly/2ZSfT0y