Condo Media - May 2015 - 25

ance with an existing, robust rental
restriction, but not all associations
are so lucky. The session, "Rental and
Occupancy Restrictions Under Fire:
Keeping Those People Out," explored
the challenges of drafting and enforcing rental policies. While carefully
constructed provisions, duly adopted
in the governing documents, can
be effective tools for maintaining
association harmony, overreaching
or unlawful attempts to curb rentals
may expose an association to unintended liability.

disrupted traditional models of legal
practice and forced practitioners into
a new digital-Darwinian arena where
"complacency is the greatest enemy."
Services like RocketLawyer, Shake,
Axiom, and LegalZoom are the "unseen competitors" who threaten the
status quo. Riskin's message: Don't be
afraid to propose imperfect change
and take action. Whether or not you
think that apps will replace attorneys
in the future, his message of adaptation is powerful and one that professionals would do well to heed.

Anticipate the Future. Recognized
as "Canada's professional firm
management and marketing guru,"
keynote speaker Gary Riskin delivered a thought-provoking lecture
on the likely evolution of the legal
industry in the years to come. As
with all commercial enterprises in
the Internet Age, technology has

National Case Law Update. The annual case law update provides a "hit
list" of the year's important jurisprudence from across the nation. Presenters George Nowack and Wil Washington have an erudite, witty delivery that
makes even Fair Debt Collection Act
cases worth listening to. Among this
year's many noteworthy cases:

Warren v. Delvista Towers Condominium Ass'n, Inc. In this Florida case,
a unit owner suffering from depressive
disorder and PTSD requested an accommodation to the "no pets" policy. In
support of his request, he sent a letter
explaining his disorder and attached his
psychiatrist's recommendation. The association denied the request as "unreasonable" on account of the fact that the
dog requested was a pit bull. The owner
sued, claiming the association violated
the Fair Housing Amendments Act.
The court held that a request for an assistance animal cannot be denied on the
basis of breed but may be denied if the
specific dog presents an actual danger
to health and safety of others that cannot be reduced by another reasonable
accommodation.
Wyman v. Ayer Properties, LLC. One
of the local decisions to make the big
stage, this is an important case for all

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HIC#166212
3/4/15 2:33 PM

May 2015

Condo Media - May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - May 2015