Professionals Practice Group

Professionals have unique needs.

The professionals practice group at Siskinds offers a full-service approach for professionals, to address all of their legal needs over the course of their professional careers through to retirement. Physicians, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, accountants, veterinarians, and other professions — each share the fact they are governed by a college, society or institute to ensure the highest professionals standards are delivered to patients and clients. Our mission is to not only assist professionals in the business aspects of their professional practice (including incorporation, leasing, contractual arrangements, employee issues) but to also meet the various legal needs they encounter in their personal lives—from buying a house to estate planning through wills and powers of attorney.

Professional Corporations

A substantial percentage of professionals practice their profession through a professional corporation. Assistance with the formation, ongoing maintenance and corporate changes to the professional corporation is the core of the legal services that Siskinds provides to professionals. There are many advantages for professionals to practice through a professional corporation. For a more detailed analysis of the advantages read our blog post, Should I Practice Through a Professional Corporation?

Each profession has its own governing legislation that provides the special provisions applicable to a professional corporation. The overriding corporate law provisions are found in the Ontario Business Corporations Act, which authorizes the unique corporate structure for a professional corporation. While the corporation is a separate legal entity from the individual professional, as between the professional and his or her patient or client there is transparency so the duties and professional responsibilities are directly between the professional and the patient or client.

To ensure the most effective legal structure, it is important to engage a lawyer who is fully familiar with all of the special requirements for each profession and who is able to work with the professionals’ accountant and tax advisor to ensure the structure meets the long term goals of the professional and his/her family. The Siskinds team is able to offer that specialized assistance.

Other Legal Needs

As professionals start and continue their practices, there will be many other legal needs they encounter, such as leasing space, buying an existing practice, bank financing, purchase of a building, hiring employees, entering into agreements such as associate agreements, partnership agreements, shareholder agreements, agreements with hospitals, practice groups and others. In each of these situations, one or more of the members of the Siskinds firm will have the specific expertise to assist. The particular issue or need will be clearly identified to ensure the professional is connected with the appropriate lawyer within the firm.