Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

‘Those Pesky Millennials!’
Neil Guthrie

Grumpy Baby-boomers will oft have cause to make exclamations like this (but they may phrase it in less polite language). Or they may have no cause at all, but exclaim anyway. One thing that is sure to raise the ire of older professionals is casual language in e-mails. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

We continue to have an apostrophe problem
Neil Guthrie

Tweets, like text messages, are often composed on the fly (as we know from painful experience emanating from the country to the south). … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Finding Annual BC Statutes
Susannah Tredwell

A holiday treat for those of us who carry out British Columbia legal research: BC Laws has just added historical BC annual statutes dating back to 1858. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Endangered Species Alert: Correct Use of the Apostrophe
Neil Guthrie

You may have seen the news that John Richards, the founder of the Apostrophe Protection Society, has decided to call it quits after 18 years of fighting for the correct use of the troublesome punctuation mark. Part of the reason is that Richards, a retired journalist, is 96 and needs to scale back his activities. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Technology

Bookmarking Web Pages in Lexbox
Lexum

Do you know you can save links pointing to any site of interest with Lexbox? The bookmarking feature of Lexbox is available for this purpose. The “New Bookmark” button is located at the bottom of the page of your Lexbox account. …

Research & Writing

Terms for Associates Who Won’t Make Partner but Who Are Allowed to Stick Around
Neil Guthrie

The . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Practice

Celebrate Success
Sandra Bekhor

The holidays are just around the corner. Everyone looks forward to the cards, lunches, gifts, parties and general good cheer this time of the year. Maybe in some small way, it makes up for the cold! …

Research & Writing

‘This Matter Is Very Confidential’
Neil Guthrie

This cautionary note was included (in red, boldface type!) in one of the e-mail notices that go . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Finding Federal Orders in Council
Susannah Tredwell

Thanks to Jason Wong of McCarthy Tétrault LLP for the inspiration for this tip. The Privy Council Office has created an online database that allows users to search for federal Orders in Council (OICs) made between 1990 and the present. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Practice

#Detox: Putting the Smartphone Away
Shawn Erker

Smartphones provide lawyers with constant availability and the convenience of responding to queries and communications from any location at any time. But our devices can also be a source of distraction and addiction that discourage productivity and negatively impact our mental health. …

Research & Writing

Plain Language for Lawyers
Neil Guthrie

My discovery of Richard Wydick’s Plain Language for Lawyers . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Thanks!
Neil Guthrie

I used to work with someone who might fairly be described as curmudgeonly. This person detests people who reply to an e-mail with a one-word Thanks. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Fancy for the Sake of Being Fancy
Neil Guthrie

‘Keep it simple’ is good advice – but advice that many lawyers fail to heed. As soon as I am able: Seen in automatic out-of-office e-mail replies or heard on voicemail. There is nothing wrong with as soon as I can, and it certainly sounds less pretentious. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Finding Information About Private Acts
Susannah Tredwell

“Private acts” are acts that are passed to deal specifically with the private interests of a person, company, or organization; for example the Acme Assurance Company Incorporation Act, S.C. 1931, c. 71 is a private act. Private acts can be found both federally and provincially. …

Practice

How Do You Get Other Lawyers – or Yourself – to Write . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Gendered Job Descriptions
Neil Guthrie

Does it still strike you as odd to see Cate Blanchett or Meryl Streep described as an actor? Actress is in fact a relatively new word in English, because no females performed on stage in England before the seventeenth century (although the OED does say that actor was applied to both sexes in the early days of the mixed stage). … . . . [more]