Do yourself a favour and spend a minute or two on CNET’s Reporters’ Roundtable page. The topic was those complex, prolix, and tricky software license agreements, a.k.a. End User License Agreements. To spice things up a little, they asked actor Richard Dreyfuss to read portions of Apple’s iTunes EULA. The result is a license in four parts, each in a different voice. Lovely.

It makes you think that these things on the web should all have an audio version — done by someone with talent, of course.

[via @privacylawyer] . . . [more]

I had the pleasure of attending an internal presentation at my firm today by two of our partners, Eugene Meehan, QC, and Scott Maidment, on the topic of “Civility as a Strategy in Litigation: Using It as a Tactical Tool.”

The topic of civility in the legal profession has in fact been raised on SLAW in the past, including a great post by Connie Crosby called Civility in the Law, a post that prompted a lot of Comments.

However, it appears that no mention has been made on SLAW of Eugene’s writing on this topic, including an . . . [more]

Legal Project Management Quick Reference Guide, 2d ed
by Jim Hassett
contributing authors Steve Barrett and Mike Egnatchik
published by LegalBizDev, 2011
price: US $49.95

“A practical reference guide on legal project management that includes both commentary and useful sample tools and templates.“

The second edition of Jim Hassett’s Legal Project Management – Quick Reference Guide that my firm purchased arrived last week to compliment our growing collection of materials on this topic.

Hassett’s first sentence in the book – “Please do not read this book” – is consistent with his pragmatic approach (he assumes instead that lawyers . . . [more]

This is World IPv6 day – a day that Wired calls the Nerdiest Holiday ever. 

Many organizations – including Google and Facebook – are trying out the new IPv6 protocol today. The current addressing scheme for the internet uses IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4). But we are running out of addresses. An IP address is the numerical address for devices on the internet (such as computers or smartphones) that allow them to communicate. The concept is similar to the telephone number for your landline phone using POTS (plain old telephone service). IPv4 uses a 32 bit address, which allows . . . [more]

Whenever I think about the effort that is required to go into implementing your firm’s strategic plan, I’m reminded of a particular business book title that grabbed my attention when I first saw it . . . Hope Is Not A Strategy! To effectively transform your best intentions into best practices, there are several common hurdles that you need to overcome. Thinking through the following will help you make the leap.

1. Move seamlessly from strategizing to implementing.

This is, from my experience, the most significant hurdle. Planning is not doing. Unfortunately, some partners believe that implementing the strategy and . . . [more]

My dad made beautiful lawns. I cultivate no grass. This sort of careful sidestepping is part of the way that one generation succeeds another, I believe. And in my case it’s also how I avoid the plague that’s even now striking Calgary. I’m talking of Taraxacum officinale, better known as pissenlit and dandelion. Apparently they’re spreading like crazy in Calgary, and the city can’t do anything about it.

The reason is that provincial legislation no longer lists the humble (and edible) dandelion as a noxious weed. Alberta, like most provinces, has a Weed Control Act that lets you — . . . [more]

There is a strong likelihood that a significant metric of Slaw readers are law firm associates. If this describes you (or if it doesn’t) you may want to consider a strategy that I have learned will help advance or secure your career: Read what your boss reads. First define who your boss is, or who you would like your boss to be. Next identify what the issues are that keep your boss awake at night. Monitor those topics and concepts. Be prepared to share what you find useful or interesting.

I am extremely lucky to have colleagues who send me . . . [more]

The Alberta Law Reform Institute (ALRI) has launched a new website. It has a new look, new address and best of all new features. 

The new website offers three easy methods of communication:

A Mailing List – Receive notices of new publications or any other significant activities. Be assured that this will not create a flood of messages in your inbox, but simply an occasional update from ALRI.

A Feedback Form – A quick method to comment on their work or provide your suggestions. You can find this option under the Your Views tab on the new website.

An . . . [more]

On Friday June 3, 2011, the Ontario government enacted the Integrated Accessibility Regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The Regulation gave force of law to three new standards to address barriers facing persons with disabilities in the areas of transportation, employment and information and communications.

It isn’t uncommon to read in local, national and international newspapers stories of domestic workers being ill-treated, underpaid and overworked. While Canadian employment standards offer some protection to domestic workers, this certainly isn’t the case across the globe.

With the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) International Labour Conference currently taking place in Geneva from June 1 to June 17, with the agenda including an item entitled “Decent work for domestic workers”, there are hopes that a Convention supplemented by a Recommendation will be adopted to afford what is seen as urgently-needed protection to domestic workers (see the ILO website for more . . . [more]

There’s been a good couple of years since the credit crunch kicked in that Law Librarians News and House of Butter have really quite enjoyed reporting the business of legal publishing.

Revenues & profits down at the duopoly, talk of Google Law and more; as well as a host of new ideas and concepts for the future of legal publishing. OK some of those ideas were either over ambitious or a little bit crackpot, but fun to investigate and report.

At least though, it felt for a glorious 18 months or so that change was in the air.

And change . . . [more]

From Dr. M Veerappa Moily, the Centre’s Minister of Law & Justice comes a Press Release:

The scope of this program is creation and management of the ‘National Legal e-library’ for 933 schools in India, Bar Associations, Government Legal departments etc. and meet the needs of academic librarians, students, faculty and young practitioners. It aims to provide a practitioners view and a comprehensive understanding of core subject areas of law.

Various technology tools that make the concept of E-Library indispensable are Easy Access to provide a campus wide access using IP Authentication, Results clustering to familiarize new users

. . . [more]