I am sharing some interesting information from the Library of Congress. On November 24^th they posted this blogpost about Native American languages on the general blog. “Two important collections of Native American heritage have been digitized and placed on the Library’s website, enabling readers and researchers to dig into histories that are not widely known.

The first, featuring portions of the papers of Indian agent and ethnologist Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, focuses on the culture and literature of famed 19th-century Ojibwe poet Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (Bamewawagezhikaquay) and bicultural collaborations and literary contributions of members of her Johnston family of . . . [more]

A common message we hear today is that AI will soon bring about sweeping changes to the practice of law, making us so much more efficient that we’ll have plenty of time for other things.

I’ve kept my finger on the pulse of AI since ChatGPT appeared in 2022. I’m a heavy user of AI as a law professor and part-time criminal lawyer. I’m constantly experimenting with it and dazzled by its capabilities—you won’t find a bigger fan of AI.

But if there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that AI will not transform the practice of law. Far from it. . . . [more]

It has been a year of paradoxes and extremes. From economics to politics, global phenomena have spread onto our shores. Populism, strongman tactics, fear of the other, class division, and the marching forward of technological progress all put their stamp on our profession.

Bulls and Tent Cities

Economically: the TSX roared to a 20% return and Bay Street salaries continued to grow north of $130,000 for first year associates. But stalwart Minden Gross shut down, proving again the fickle nature of partnerships. Main street lawyers turned away clients as the rural exodus grew, and despite growing costs, resulting in less . . . [more]

One Sunday each month we bring you a summary from Supreme Advocacy LLP of recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers a weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter, to which you may subscribe. It’s a summary of all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted from November 23 – December 27, 2024 inclusive.

Appeals

Aboriginal Law: Police Services; Good Faith; Honour of the Crown
Québec (Attorney General) v. Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan, 2023 FC 267; 2024 SCC 39 (40619)

Although the two main grounds relied upon — good faith and the honour of . . . [more]

In “The Lawyer as Friend,” a famous 1976 law review article, Charles Fried proposed that a lawyer should act as a “special-purpose friend” to each of his or her clients. Within the bounds of the retainer, Fried argued, the lawyer must adopt the interests of the client as their own — just as a friend would.

This analogy helps clarify why conflicts of interest are so toxic to lawyer-client relationships. A conflict of interest usually arises because a lawyer’s loyalty to a client is undermined by the their work for other clients, or by the lawyer’s own personal interests. . . . [more]

The Federal Court of Appeal took the occasion of an appeal of the order of the Patented Medicines Prices Review Board (the “Board”) that required a patentee to share reports on medicines that were no longer under patent, to reaffirm the jurisdiction of the Board.

Courts have consistently held that the Board’s jurisdiction is limited to patented medicines and does not extend to medicines for which the patent has expired.^[1]

The Board ordered Galderma Canada Inc. (“Galderma”) to provide reports on sales for six years after the patent had expired.

Galderma had provided the reports while the medicine was . . . [more]

When was the last time you heard someone talk about NFTs? Was it when Paris Hilton and Jimmy Fallon showed off their Bored Apes on national television back in January of 2022? Or perhaps it was when Donald Trump unveiled his line of NFTs in December 2022. Or maybe, just maybe, you have that one friend who still insists, daily and with unwavering conviction, that NFTs are poised for a triumphant comeback, that the future of art is non-fungible, and that you’re a fool for not mortgaging your home to buy a JPEG of a doge meme. For the rest . . . [more]

Recently, NSRLP participated in the 2024 National Pro Bono Conference, held in Montreal. The two-day event brought lawyers, academics, community workers and judges together to discuss issues of access to justice – and to identify and share initiatives aimed at tackling the multitude of challenges associated with a lack of access to justice.

In reflecting on that experience, what remains evident is that if we are to take these problems seriously, it is necessary to engage a variety of stakeholders in their resolutions. This requires the cooperation and commitment of government, the profession, the judiciary, those working in access to . . . [more]

Every week we present the summary of a decision handed down by a Québec court provided to us by SOQUIJ and considered to be of interest to our readers throughout Canada. SOQUIJ is attached to the Québec Department of Justice and collects, analyzes, enriches, and disseminates legal information in Québec.

PÉNAL (DROIT) : Un ajournement des procédures engagées en vertu de l’article 515 C.Cr. de plus de 3 jours francs sans le consentement du prévenu ne peut, selon l’article 516 (1) C.Cr., être accordé, à moins que le poursuivant n’établisse une «juste cause», au sens de l’article 11 e) de . . . [more]