This week the Quebec government opened public hearings on euthanasia and assisted suicide. The National Assembly selected the Select Committee on Dying with Dignity to travel to 11 towns and cities in Quebec to canvass public opinion on the various issues surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide.

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A rogue and disgruntled associate in a large Canadian law firm had a bone to pick with a few of its partners. Rather than pull in one of those discrete committees that operates just under the surface of every large firm and deals with sensitive internal matters, this associate opted for an office-wide diatribe sent via e-mail from his home. 

The scandalous statements created shockwaves and went through the local legal community like a missile. Inside 24 hours the first media outlet called the firm and the associate for interviews, with many more to follow, including national print media. Then, . . . [more]

An article in last Monday’s edition of The New York Times called “A Sign of the Court’s Polarization: Choice of Clerks” described the increasing tendency for U.S. Supreme Court judges to hire clerks of like-minded political ideology. For example, each and every clerk hired by Clarence Thomas over the past 20 years – all 84 of them – first trained with an appeals court judge appointed by a Republican president. The article then quotes Professor Garrow of Cambridge University who says that “we have created an institutional situation where 26-year-olds are being given humongous legal authority in the . . . [more]

♫ Doin’ it right, doin’ it right, doin’ it right, doin’ it right..♫

Lyrics and Music by: Tom Lavin, recorded by The Powder Blues Band.

Donna Seale (Human Rights in the Workplace) human rights lawyer and educator, has launched her newly redone blog: http://donnaseale.ca/

Doug Jasinski of Skunkworks Creative Group Inc. shares the credit with Donna for the creative input and design.

Donna is a great example of how the power of web 2.0 combined with the Interjurisdictional Practice Protocol can lever a lawyer into a prominent and successful national practice – even from small town Manitoba!

Great . . . [more]

One letter away from the good life in America. Attaboy, Google.

The flip side of copyright is the public domain, of course. It’s by far the larger field, though you wouldn’t know it from the attention we lawyers pay to the rights side of the coin. But because copyright is time-limited, that smaller field of rights is the one that trails most closely behind us, is nearest to us; and so the works under copyright are those we are more aware of and those more closely pertaining to the issues of the day: if copyright originated on our yesterday, the public domain is what we find when we look back to . . . [more]

Does censoring sex ads help or hurt the victims?

There is a lot written about what people post about themselves on social media, and whether or not that is a good thing. New location based services such as foursquare ramp up that controversy. Letting others know where you are might have social advantages, and has the potential for interesting and useful services based on where you are at the moment.

But looming in the background are the dangers of that personal transparency. Letting apps or friends know where you are is one thing – but how much of that detail do you really want the world to know?  . . . [more]

The highest of distinctions is service to others.

— King George VI

I’ve been fortunate to have been presented with a number of opportunities to volunteer and provide support to many worthwhile organizations and causes since I started practicing as a lawyer while I’ve actually never stopped to consider why I volunteer until now. When I did pause to contemplate my motivation I realized a number of things. My volunteer activities have ranged from volunteering at a music festival, and acting as a moot court judge for a law school, to being on the board of various volunteer organizations such . . . [more]

I’ve just returned from a couple of weeks in Halifax. But for Earl – which was downright scary – the sunshine and surf were A+. If I didn’t know that Nova Scotia has a six week window of post-fog/pre-cold pleasant weather in a year I’d suggest we start calling the place “Halifornia.” I love it there, but not for the weather.

As usual for us, Seanna and the kids flew and I drove back solo with Buffalo the cat. With tear-inducing traffic in Montreal it took 19 hours, which left lots of time for podcasts. Here’s a list of some . . . [more]

Many Ontarians cannot afford a lawyer. Chief Justice Winkler said that “an expanding group of Ontarians are finding that the system is often too expensive, too complicated and too slow in assisting them with their legal problems.” Chief Justice McLachlin has said the options for “average middle-class Canadians,” ineligible for legal aid, are “grim.”

In response to this, one initiative has involved the appointment of amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) in mental health appeals and family law disputes. In a decision called Bhajan v. Ontario (Children’s Lawyer), the Ontario Court of Appeal recently described . . . [more]