Contracts are integral to how institutions operate – from government, to banks, to non-profits, to commercial markets, and beyond. However, the past few years have rocked our understanding of how we work with contracts. The effects of pandemic disruptions, rising prices, and the proliferation of artificial intelligence are just some of the system-wide changes that have filtered down into the fundamentals of contracting.

Whether your role involves drafting, negotiating, enforcing, or litigating contracts, you need to be up to date on how contract law is changing today.

Make sure you’re prepared with OsgoodePD’s National Annual Symposium on Canadian Contract Law . . . [more]

Applications and nominations are now being received for the Walter Owen Book Prize offered by the Canadian Foundation for Legal Research. The deadline for submissions is May 26, 2023. Additional information is available at:
https://cflr-fcrj.ca/walter-owen-book-prize/ . . . [more]

Shareholder disputes are a notorious part of business life: What every legal professional needs to know about managing bitter conflicts and disputes that often engulf the shareholders of closely-held corporations in 2023. When the relationship sours among shareholders in a closely-held company, legal professionals need to be prepared to rapidly deploy the latest strategic and tactical advice to their often distraught clients, and with the highest standards of ethics and professionalism, in order take advantage of the full range of available shareholder rights and remedies. Business counsel and litigators must stay current on key legal developments and best practices in . . . [more]

Leading up to ABA TECHSHOW 2023 this March 1st thru 4th, our Slaw friend and occasional writer Colin Lachance has alerted me to these five Canadian legal tech startups who have made the Top-40 for this year’s Startup Alley.

• CiteRight is an essential litigation tool that simplifies legal research and writing by allowing users to save cases, generate automatic citations and produce court documents.
• Jurisage AI accelerates legal research through instant access to case law insights.
• Fidu helps legal teams ditch the billable hour for good in exchange for flat fee and subscription legal services by systematizing and scaling

Pop quiz!

• What year do wizards come of age in the Harry Potter universe?
• How many syllables are there in a haiku?
• What is the “least random number” according to MIT?
• What are you afraid of if you have heptakaidekaphobia?

Did you get it? That’s right – the answer is the number 17, which is how many years of Clawbies we’re celebrating this year. While this year we continue our long-standing December tradition of seeking nominations for the Canadian Law Blog Awards, we’ve got to admit this year feels a little shaky, what with the Elon Ego Fest happening over . . . [more]

Evidentiary considerations remain critical from the earliest stages of the case so one cannot competently undertake a litigation file without a thorough understanding of the rules of evidence, as interpreted by current case law. This knowledge will allow you to shape the strategy of your civil case and maximize the odds of a favourable outcome, whether or not the matter proceeds to trial. The law and best practices concerning evidence are continually evolving. As a litigator, it is critical to not just keep on pace but to stay ahead of emerging issues. Now in its 17^th year, Osgoode’s celebrated . . . [more]

The Canadian Law Library Review/Revue Canadienne des bibliothèques de droit (CLLR) is currently welcoming article submissions from members of the legal community. The CLLR is the official publication of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries. It is an open access, online journal published three times per year. Articles typically range from 2,000-4,000 words. Prior to publication, all submissions are subject to review and editing by members of the Editorial Board or independent subject specialists; the final decision to publish rests with the Editorial Board. Independent peer review is possible if requested by the author. Please view the CLLR style . . . [more]

We live in an information age, and the practice of law is built on the ability to access that information efficiently and accurately. Rapid advances in technology mean that the volume of data being generated is immense, and the task of staying on top of it is increasingly more difficult. If your work involves electronic discovery, legal data and information management, records governance and privacy law, the Osgoode Certificate in E-Discovery, Information Governance and Privacy will provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge to remain at the top of your game. Navigating large amounts of information in the course . . . [more]

Financial institutions – and their legal advisors – need to keep up with new regulations, deal with ongoing issues, emerging trends and technologies and manage the human and technological resources required to get the job done. The speed of change is rapid, and the demands are increasing. The Osgoode Certificate in Regulatory Compliance and Legal Risk Management for Financial Institutions will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of crucial regulatory compliance requirements, the intersection of compliance and enterprise risk management in financial services and the practical strategies you need to meet them. Practical, relevant and engaging. Join the ranks of . . . [more]

To be an effective advocate, you must not only be highly skilled in specific and substantive areas of the law, but you must also ensure that you are able to advocate your case competently and confidently. You must also be adept at making sound, strategic decisions and are able to think on your feet when called upon. These skills are not perfected overnight. Effective oral advocacy is a skill that requires constant refinement and practice and as lawyers gain years in practice, they are often called upon to take on more challenging and complex cases. But at the same time, . . . [more]

From November 17-19, 2021, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ) will hold a national conference which focuses on “Indigenous Peoples and the Law.”

This event will take place in person in Vancouver and online (though in-person registration has sold out). The conference will be welcoming some thirty speakers, among which many representatives of Indigenous Peoples across Canada and key players in the justice system. The conference will explore the current state and future of the self-government of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Vital to the discussion will be the issues of the decolonization of legal institutions, . . . [more]

Update: The documentary video is now available (and embedded below!)

But I Look Like a Lawyer from FACL BC on Vimeo.

The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers of British Columbia (FACL BC) would like to invite all members of the legal community, whether you are a law student, senior member of the bar or a member of the judiciary, to attend the premiere of our documentary, But I Look Like a Lawyer, on November 5^th, 2021 at 12:30pm (PST) on Zoom. FACL BC is a diverse coalition of legal professionals established in 2011. We are an . . . [more]