How do we assess the social and cultural significance the words we choose? And what is the impact of using gender-neutral language in our communications?

These questions were the subject of a spirited panel discussion at last week’s Manitoba Bar Association Midwinter Conference in Winnipeg. Dr. Jila Ghomeshi, syntactician and author of Grammar Matters and Sandra Petersson, Research Manager of the Alberta Law Reform Institute participated in the discussion moderated by Patricia Lane on how lawyers can reflect gender neutrality in their use of language.

Ms Lane referred to the business and practical reasons for using gender neutral . . . [more]

We remember Robert Wilkins who died in Lexington, South Carolina last week.
Bob was a pioneer in the application of technology to the practice of law. In 1979 (that is not a typo), he published “Word Processing for a Law Office”. He was the editor of the Lawyer’s Micro-Computer, The Lawyers PC, The Perfect Lawyer and Shepard’s Elder Care Law newsletter. When I started going to ABA Tech Show almost 30 years ago, Bob Wilkins was a legend, since he had designed his entire Trusts and Estate practice around his technology.

Without pioneers like Bob, today’s practice is almost unimaginable. . . . [more]

Statistics Canada launched a blog today called—what else?—StatCan Blog (Blogue de StatCan, en français). As the first post explains,

Like most endeavours at the agency, the blog’s topics will have a certain statistical gravitas: the Framework for Environment Statistics, the System of National Accounts, the Consumer Price Index Enhancement Initiative, the Survey of Financial Security, as well as some broader topics, such as the use of microdata or the new model for publishing data online.

The Chief Statistician believes in the importance of linking these sometimes arcane-sounding initiatives to people’s own backyards.

This is tangential to law, . . . [more]

I spent yesterday attempting to snorkel in Hanauma Bay, a coral reef nature sanctuary attached to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. A beautiful part of the world which is protected by laws to help keep it beautiful for future generations as well as the current one.

Because this area is a nature preserve, there is a limit to how many people can be in the beach area and in the water. There was a mandatory 9 minute video presentation facilitated by a volunteer that instructed all the people who would be allowed into the beach area about how they . . . [more]

New Zealander Kim Dotcom, that large gadfly who is still facing extradition to the US for alleged "piracy" of American entertainment (see the WSJ story) has launched his new—and improved—cloud file storage service, MEGA.

I’ve been teaching at University of Ottawa Law School’s compressed January term, which means a 3 hour class every day. It’s given me a sneak peek at the future lawyers of this country – and I like what I see.

If my class is indicative of the rest of the second and third year law students in Canada, they are bright, eager – and anxious.

Bright and eager is to be expected given that they’re beginning a new challenging career – the anxiety however is troubling.

There is concern over articling positions for those staying in Ontario – no surprise . . . [more]

Seemingly in honour of the return of hockey, Google has chosen to celebrate Frank Zamboni with today’s interactive doodle. It lets you play a game in which you drive the zamboni to clean the ice up after skaters. Here’s a video of someone playing the game:

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A morning radio program recently was discussing lost arts. A few things were mentioned including calligraphy, chivalry, and blacksmithing. I was worried that book binding would be on the list of lost arts, but that does not seem to be the case at all.

This fiscal year my team has a budget line for book binding. We intend to send some of our cancelled looeleaf services to the bindery to both preserve their integrity as a point in time research tool as well as make it clear that the content does not change. There are a couple of very good . . . [more]

From time to time we bring you news of technological developments that, though they have no current or even imminent application to law, are interesting in and of themselves. It’s also the case that today’s novelty can easily become tomorrow’s staple, and we like to do what we can to ensure that our readers are as quick off the blocks as everyone else when it comes to the adoption of nifty new apps and gear. (I understand that the reality where lawyers are concerned looks something like the reverse of the power law graph, and that the long tail of . . . [more]

As we do occasionally, I’m bringing today’s Google Doodle to your attention. It’s a graphic storyboard of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood in honour of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Grimms’ Fairy Tales.

The Grimm version (Little Red Cap), is a copy of a story by Charles Perrault, itself a turn on an oral tale, has a somewhat different ending than that portrayed by Google (or, indeed, by most recountings aimed at children). The Grimms have her fill the wolf with stones, which kill him. There are myriad interpretations and exegeses of . . . [more]

Canadians are not only in the middle of the holiday season, attending social gatherings and exchanging greetings and gifts, but also in the middle of the fundraising season supporting our local food banks and children’s charities. Today is the last day for the 2012 Toronto Law Firm Daily Bread Food Bank Challenge. This friendly competition between law firms is in its 10th year organized by Blake, Cassels & Graydon, LLP.

Last year, 35 law firms participated and raised more than $245,000 in cash and food donations. In total, the Law Firm Challenge has raised more than $1.5 million for . . . [more]

and admissible evidence that some members of the bench read Slaw.

Livent. Inc. (Special Receiver) v. Deloitte & Touche, 2012 ONSC 7007 at para. 149.

I had almost nothing to do with this. . . . [more]