The Canadian Association of Law Libraries / Association canadienne des bibliotheques de droit (CALL/ACBD) is accepting nominations for the 2020 Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing.

This award honours a publisher (whether for-profit or not-for profit, corporate or non-corporate) that has demonstrated excellence by publishing a work, series, website, or electronic product that makes a significant contribution to legal research and scholarship.

Anyone is welcome to make nominations – you do not have to be a member of CALL/ACBD. Nominations from the author or publisher of a work are welcomed.

Nominations can be submitted to Ann Marie . . . [more]

The Canadian Foundation for Legal Research announced the winner of the 2019 Walter Owen Book Prize this morning. Congratulations to this year’s winner, Jonathan Rudin, for his publication, Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System: A Practitioner’s Handbook (Emond Publishing).

“Founder and current Program Director of Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto, Mr. Rudin was selected from among 35 nominees to receive a $15,000 cash prize for his ground-breaking contribution to Canadian law literature.“

Finalists for this year’s award included:

• Robert J. Sharpe for Good Judgment: Making Judicial Decisions
• Philip Girard, Jim Phillips and R. Blake Brown for 

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

Drug-Impaired Driving in Canada. By Nathan Baker. Toronto: Irwin Law, 2018. 243 p. Includes references. ISBN: 978-1-55221-492-3 (paperback) $60.00; ISBN 978-1-55221-493-0 (eBook) $60.00.

Reviewed by Bobbie A. Walker
Certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Criminal Law
St. Catharines, ON
In CLLR 44:4

Drug-Impaired Driving in Canada tackles a . . . [more]

As it does every year, December 1st has snuck up us. The date arrives just as the holiday busy season is heating up, and folks are packing their days and evenings with holiday shopping, parties, card-writing and travel plans. In the midst of all this, we ask the Canadian legal community to add one more thing to their plate: participating in the Canadian Law Blog Awards, fondly known as the Clawbies, now in its 14th year.

Thankfully, no one ever complains about this “one more thing”. In fact, many folks say they are grateful for the opportunity to reflect on . . . [more]

As the President of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries, I was privileged to spend a few days with my fellow volunteer board members recently. Part of our time was devoted to planning around the strategic direction of our association. Though our board includes a diverse cross-section of legal information professionals when measured by geography, institution type, and role, we all self identify as “law librarians”. Even me and I am semi-retired and work in legal research technology sales.

Our strategy discussion asked what is going well or poorly, who are we today and is that different from how we . . . [more]

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

Non-Conventional Copyright: Do New and Atypical Works Deserve Protection? Edited by Enrico Bonadio & Nicola Lucchi. Cheltenham, UK: Edgar Elgar, 2018. xiii, 500 p. Includes bibliographic references and index. ISBN 978-1-78643-406-7 (hardcover) $200.00 plus eBook.

Reviewed by Laura Lemmens, BA BEd MLIS
Information Literacy Librarian, Library and Open Information
Alberta Government . . . [more]

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

Abortion: History, Politics, and Reproductive Justice after Morgentaler. Edited by Shannon Stettner, Kristin Burnett & Travis Hay. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2017. vi, 372 p. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7748-3574-9 (paper) $34.95.

Reviewed by Megan Siu
Community Development & Educational Specialist
Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA)
In . . . [more]

Can you give one day to your writing? If so, there is a treat coming to Toronto just for you.

Each year, at law schools all across the United States, the Legal Writing Institute sponsors a One-Day Workshop, which establishes 10-12 satellite forums to discuss the study, teaching, and practice of professional legal writing.

This year, for the very first time outside the US, Osgoode Hall Law School and the U of T Faculty of Law will jointly host a One-Day Legal Writing Institute Workshop entitled “Research and Writing in the Experiential Learning Context.”

The Osgoode and U of T

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

The Fundamentals of Statutory Interpretation. By Cameron Hutchison (with Contributors Eric M. Adams & Matthew Lewans). Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2018. xxii, 152 p. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-433-49492-8 (softcover) $95.00.

Reviewed by Erica Anderson
Manager, Digital and Web Content
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
In CLLR 44:3

Law librarians are experts at . . . [more]

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

Social Media and Morality: Losing Our Self Control. By Lisa S. Nelson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. 225 p. Includes bibliographic references and index. ISBN 9781107164932 (hardcover) $114.95. ISBN 9781316616574 (softcover) $39.95.

Reviewed by Sally Sax
Collections Librarian (Business, Public Affairs, Legal Studies)
Carleton University
In CLLR 44:2

Social Media . . . [more]

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

Wigmore on Cannabis: The Forensic Toxicology of Marijuana for Lawyers and Other Medicolegal Professionals. By James G. Wigmore. Toronto: Irwin Law, 2018. xxxviii, 554 p. With a foreword by Robert M. Langville. 9781552214848 (paperback) $110.00.

Reviewed by Margo Jeske
University of Ottawa Library
In CLLR 44:1

Author James G. Wigmore . . . [more]

Some of the law librarian Slaw readership will be deep in budget planning for next year. I am thinking of colleagues in private law firms and particularly those new to budget creation or those who have been caught by surprise when there are substantial and unexpected increases for print or electronic material.
The Canadian Association of Law Libraries webinar team is coming to the rescue with a one hour webinar on Effective Budgeting for Libraries on Wednesday, September 25 from noon to 1 Eastern.

Creating a budget document that helps decision-makers understand the true cost of information is important. It . . . [more]