Case backlogs in the courts are increasingly a concern in the
legal field. Emphasizing settlements is a way of avoiding dragging
matters out, Éric Préfontaine says in an interview
with Lexpert.
Éric admits that getting clients to think about settling
is hard, especially at the beginning when they are less open to the
idea because emotions are running high. However, he points out that
the time it takes for a case to go through the courts tends to
negate the benefits of a possible win.
"It's a process that is going to take time,"
Éric explains to his clients. "It will cost you a
fortune to be told by a judge that you were right̶ and
there's no guarantee of that...and there is nothing in
Québecthat you can reasonably expect to be compensated for
because in Québec [awarded] costs are very, very minimal
compared to Ontario."
