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

Do Lawyers Read Anymore?
Neil Guthrie

I fear they do not, as these recent examples of lawyerly prose will suggest: bare with me, you have free rain, he is a real jem. … . . . [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

Unnatural Compounds
Neil Guthrie

No, not enclosures where odd things happen. Rather, combinations of words that look strange. The New York Times – generally a newspaper one admires – has taken to writing things like monthslong: see, for example, Mary Hui, ‘After a Dip, Hong Kong Real Estate Again Eyes the Stratosphere’ (22 March 2019). … . . . [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

Use Search Filters on CanLII
Alex Tsang

Applying filters to your search results is a great way of narrowing them down and can help save time you might otherwise spend scrolling through hundreds or even thousands of results! … . . . [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

A Singular Problem
Neil Guthrie

I received an e-mail informing me of the death of an alumni of the firm where I articled. I was saddened by that news – he was a very nice guy – but also (albeit in a less significant way) by the writer’s choice of words. … . . . [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

Co-
Neil Guthrie

This prefix is overused. Certainly in co-conspirator, where it is unnecessary, as co- and con- both import the notion of joint action. That doesn’t stop US legislators from perpetuating the redundancy, however: … . . . [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

More Bad Verbs From Nouns
Neil Guthrie

We’ve already covered the awful reference when refer to is meant (but I seem to be losing the battle in getting people to use the latter). Two new horrors crossed the radar recently. One is reference again, but used to mean checking a candidate’s references for employment purposes. Ugh. … . . . [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

Searching Older Issues of the Canada Gazette
Susannah Tredwell

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) recently updated its historical Canada Gazette database to improve the search experience. This database contains the issues of the Canada Gazette published between 1841 (when it replaced the Upper Canada Gazette and the Lower Canada Gazette) and 1997. … . . . [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

Use CanLII Search Operators Like a Pro
Alex Tsang

While researching using CanLII, are you looking for documents containing one word or phrase but not another? Or maybe you are looking for documents containing an exact phrase? Never fear, operators are here to help! … . . . [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

Proofread fail
Neil Guthrie

I think’s how the kids would express what happened to a California judge. A better way to describe it might be ‘an embarrassing example of assuming the junior person who’s working for you will have done the proofreading in the first place, and that you don’t need to check things yourself.’ … . . . [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

What Is a Supplement?
Susannah Tredwell

You will notice that some citations for acts contain the abbreviation “Supp.” (short for “supplement”). An example of this would be “Competition Tribunal Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 19 (2nd Supp.)”. But what does this mean? … . . . [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

Of Apostrophe Catastrophes There Is No End
Neil Guthrie

The work of a language nerd is never done. Possessive problems: In a recent LinkedIn posting, a fundraising person at an educational institution I attended referred to its’ proud history. … . . . [more]