Press, Awards & Published Articles

Allison Speigel’s Articles: Tips for Preventing Employee Fraud

An economic downturn, an existence based on disconnection, and the prevalence of working remotely have created the perfect storm for employee fraud during COVID-19.

It’s not hard to understand why: your employees may be under intense financial pressure; are more disconnected from you and your business (making it easier to rationalize hurting you); and are likely less supervised than ever before. The convergence of financial pressure, the ability to rationalize fraud, and the opportunity to commit employee fraud, is a recipe for disaster for business owners.

There are endless ways in which employee fraud can be perpetrated: skimming cash, submitting fake expenses, processing payments to non-existent suppliers, stealing inventory, or cooking the books (in some way or another).

The consequences of employee fraud can be devastating, particularly for a small business and its owners. I have seen my clients learn some of the following lessons the hard way.

Dora Konomi Wins Canadian Ethnic Media Association’s Best Radio Show Award for 2020

Dora Konomi, an associate with Speigel Nichols Fox LLP, is the recipient, for a second consecutive year, of the prestigious Canadian Ethnic Media Awards for Journalist Excellence in the radio category for 2020 on her story “Saving Baby Michael.” In addition to being a dedicated commercial litigator, Dora is also a community advocate who supports local causes and highlights stories of interest through her radio show, the Doralicious Show, airing in Toronto and Ottawa. Saving Baby Michael is the story of Michael, an 18-months old boy, who was diagnosed with an ultra-rare disease, SPG50, and his parents’ struggle to raise funds for a cure.

The video is available here (starting at 17:27).

Read the press release here.

The podcast is available here.

Susanne Balpataky’s Article: Keys to Emerging from the COVID-19 “She-Cession”

Susanne Balpataky, partner at Speigel Nichols Fox and MBOT Chair 2020, wrote MBOT Magazine’s opening message for its fall 2020 edition. In this article, Susanne addresses the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on women in the workforce, sometimes referred to as a “she-cession”. Susanne also highlights key elements of a “she-recovery” to ensure women’s success during the pandemic, such as access to childcare and flexible workhours.

If you are interested in the full article, you can access it here.

Allison Speigel’s 2020 RMA Conference Presentation

Susanne Balpataky presents, “The New Infectious Disease Emergency Leave: How it Impacts your Workplace” at MBOT Webinar

On June 25, 2020, Susanne Balpataky, partner with Speigel Nichols Fox LLP, presented at MBOT’s webinar: Getting Back to Work and Understanding the New Normal and discussed the Employment Standards Amendment Act and the new Infectious Disease Emergency Leave Regulation. Susanne highlighted implications, considerations, and exceptions under the new regulation.

The video presentation is available here.

If you or your business have questions regarding employment, please contact Susanne at: susanne@ontlaw.com

The Oklahoma Bar Association recommends Dora Konomi’s article

The Oklahoma Bar reshared and recommended Dora Konomi’s article, “How to Stay Productive While Working from Home:10 Tips That Work for Me”, initially published on Attorney at Work.

Dora, an associate with Speigel Nichols Fox LLP, can be reached at: dora@ontlaw.com

You can also find the original article here.

Allison Speigel quoted in “Justice and the pandemic: How Canada ranks” – the Lawyer’s Daily

Allison Speigel, partner with Speigel Nichols Fox LLP, is extensively quoted in Julius Melnitzer’s article, “Justice and the pandemic: How Canada ranks” for the Lawyer’s Daily. The article examines the courts’ response to the pandemic and the future of the civil justice system.

Allison also wrote an open letter to the legal profession and the Ministry of the Attorney General highlighting similar topics, which you can find here.

Read the full article here.

Susanne Balpataky’s Article: “COVID-19 – The Black Swan” on MBOT Magazine

Susanne Balpataky, as MBOT Chair 2020, wrote MBOT Magazine’s opening message for its spring 2020 edition. In a hopeful tone, Susanne reminds Mississauga’s thriving business community of their resilience and MBOT’s role in supporting them through this difficult time. In her message, Susanne also highlights that COVID-19 might have come unexpectedly, but we must remain positive that we will emerge stronger than ever.

Read Susanne’s article here.

The Legalese Republished Dora Konomi’s Article

On May 14, 2020, the Hellenic Canadian Lawyers’ Association (the “HCLA”) republished Dora Konomi‘s article on “How to Stay Productive While Working from Home: 10 Things that Work for Me” in its spring Legalese. The Legalese is HCLA’s semi-annual newsletter showcasing the organization’s activities and highlighting its members’ work and contribution.

In this edition, you’ll also find Dora’s spotlight as a past scholarship winner of the 2017 Andromache Karakatsanis Award for outstanding academic achievement and involvement in the Greek community at large.

Find the Legalese here.

Dora Konomi’s Article on Attorney at Work, “How to Stay Productive While Working from Home: 10 Tips that Work for Me”

As a young associate who is constantly learning to navigate the law, I am living in a brave new world with no precedent to guide me. The courts are closed. Our physical office is semi-closed. My dedication to work and my desire to continue serving our clients, however, are unchanged and remain wide open. The question becomes: How to stay productive in these unpredictable and tumultuous times?