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Every successful business is built upon a solid legal foundation.
These documents will give you what a business leader needs to know in order to build business and to avoid unpleasant legal
surprises. These documents were written by Chris Koressis, B.Sc., B.C.L., LL.B. Having worked at three multinational companies
(Royal Bank, CIBC and Geac Computer Corporation), Chris Koressis has practical, hands-on experience on the legal and business
issues that are vital to the success of any company.
Your business may be subject to specific statutes, regulations
and conventions that are not dealt with in the particular document. But the document will give you significant information
to intelligently discuss the particular topic with your legal counsel. Just email us and request it now.
Doing Business
in Canada
This overview of Canadian law provides a summary of what every business leader needs to know in order to
build business and to avoid unpleasant surprises. It will help both foreign companies entering Canada and existing Canadian
companies. Your particular businesses may be subject to specific statutes, regulations and conventions that are not dealt
with in this document. But this document will give you sufficient information to intelligently discuss your proposed Canadian
business with Canadian legal counsel.
Corporate Policies
Good corporate governance and corporate policies
can improve the marketability of companies to investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders. Properly drafted and
well-communicated corporate policies can also serve as a defense to third party lawsuits and regulatory investigations. This
article is consistent with some of the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley and all managers and business owners would be well-advised
to read it.
Contracts Negotiation
Knowing how to go about negotiating contracts with your employees, suppliers,
customers and alliance partners is one of the most important things you need to know to be a successful business. You need
to be prepared with good contract negotiation strategies.
Securities Law in Canada
Changes to securities law
in Canada coupled with changes to the Criminal Code bring Canada one step closer to comparable laws in the United States such
as Sarbanes Oxley. These laws apply to any company doing business in Canada. All companies doing business in Canada must take
steps to ensure that their policies and procedures do not lead to violation of the Criminal Code. Public companies and "reporting
issuers" doing business in Canada must also comply with the changes in securties law. The new laws are similar to Sarbanes-Oxley,
but compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley is not necessarily enough to comply with the new laws. These laws are relevant not only
to CEOs and CFOs but also to CIOs. You can download an article on "Corporate Governance and the CIO's Role" that appeared
in the May 2004 edition of EDGE magazine.
Privacy Law in Canada
Effective January 2004, privacy legislation
imposed new obligations on all companies doing business in Canada regardless of size. Do you know how this law will affect
your company, or what you must do to comply in relation to employees, customers and business partners? What information technology
changes must a company make? What policies and procedures must be in place? Does the law apply to data that is processed for
a company by third parties? Does a company have to designate a privacy compliance officer? Are there any civil and criminal
sanctions for non-compliance? Can individuals be held personally liable for the default of their employer or their company's
business partners?
Laying Down the Law
Contracts between a company and its employees, suppliers, customers,
and business partners protect a company in many ways. This article will give you some examples of why you need to cover your
legal vulnerabilities so you can keep building your business without the fear of legal liability. If you don't have solid
contracts throughout your company's supply chain, you are exposing your company to unlimited liability and decreasing the
value of your company to prospective investors and merger partners.
Outsourcing
Outsourcing can help both
early stage and well-established companies reduce their costs. For later stage companies, outsourcing is analogous to selling
part of a company (a divestiture) with the option to buy it back in the future. Outsourcing is of interest to corporate executives
and directors and to anyone that manages a corporate budget.
Stock Options
Stock options have generated concern
among regulators worldwide primarily because companies fail to account for them properly. Nevertheless, stock options remain
a very good way to motivate your employees, whether in a private company or public company. Offering stock options helps companies
retain top quality employees even if they can't afford top level salaries. And qualified job seekers are attracted by companies
that offer stock options because stock options can increase rapidly in value after an IPO.
Trade Secrets
From
Colonel Sanders' secret recipe that makes it "Finger Licking Good", to the source code for Microsoft's Word, there is a trade
secret in every successful company. Knowledge of trade secret law is important in drafting appropriate Corporate Policies
on Intellectual Property and Business Ethics. It's also important in the context of Raising Capital, Buying or Selling a Business,
and drafting and negotiating commercial agreements such as Software License and Support Agreements, Software Development Agreements,
Non-Disclosure Agreements, Employment Agreements, Non-Competition Agreements and Consulting Agreements.
Systems Integration
Systems integration is one of the most complex information technology projects from the perspective of both the technology
provider and the customer. Combining hardware, software and services to produce a system that functions in accordance with
the agreed upon specifications is not an easy project to manage.
Software Development Agreements
This article
reviews some of the critical issues involved in negotiating win-win software development agreements.
Raising Capital
This is a power point presentation that reviews some of the issues involved in raising capital from a legal perspective.
Legal
Services - Six things lawyers should tell you
This report is relevant to anyone who manages legal services for a company
as well as to business owners and individuals involved in commercial transactions or civil lawsuits.
Koressis Legal
Professional Corporation
The Exchange Tower, 130 King St. West, Suite 1800
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5X 1E3
Telephone:
416.865.3351 Fax: 416.947.0167
Email: chris.koressis@koressis.com
Mobile:
416.720.1624
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