We note the passing of David Anthony Ward, one of the founders of Davies Ward, Phillips & Vineberg, and one of the leading authors on Canada’s Tax Treaties. . . . [more]

For those whose New Year resolutions include the idea of weight redistribution or reallocation.

Seen elsewhere: “Indianapolis’ front four rely on their quickness because of a lack of size (their average weight is 283 pounds).”

By comparison, in 1953 the the average weight of a sumo wrestler was 317 pounds. It is now 412 1bs. . . . [more]

D. Kevin Carroll, the President of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), has formally requested that Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism,to expedite immigration applications for those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

The CBA is gratified for our government’s commitment for urgent humanitarian assistance for Haiti. News reports state that the urban areas of Haiti have been hardest hit, and the death toll could reach 500,000. We are acutely aware of the significant devastation to the infrastructure of the country. Another significant way that Canada can extend assistance is by bringing those with ties to Canada

I’ve noticed that lawyers tend to be second wave adopters of technology. Not quite on the cutting edge, but once that edge blurs into the maintstream most (young? progressive? keen? geeky?) lawyers are there. There are dozens of examples, from e-mail to social media. Lawyers, law firms and legal education are all there. But one thing I’ve noticed is that the massive movement to video seems to have left lawyers behind (or, more likely, lawyers have left it behind).

My eldest kids have videos on YouTube. I’ve picked up an HD camcorder for less than $150. The barriers to entry . . . [more]

There’s a post over at Marketing Strategy and the Law, “How to Cover a Conference Using Twitter,” that give some good advice. Use the “official” conference hash tag, don’t bother with quote marks . . . that sort of practical stuff.

I’d like to add my 2¢ worth. (Time to move that expression up-market, don’t you think? I mean 2¢ won’t even buy penny candy nowadays.) And I should preface it by saying that by and large I’m not a fan of having conferences tweeted at me: I find that the sudden deluge of individually incomprehensible tweets is . . . [more]

Personally, I’m on a campaign to bring the fedora back in style but if you are an NFL fan you might choose to wear a baseball style hat with your favourite team’s logo prominently displayed (hey, it’s January 15 it’s about time for me to make a post relative to sports). If you have purchased this hat recently it’s likely to be made by Reebok, which is the genesis of a U.S. court case between the (deep voiced commentator) National Football League and Amercan Needle a hat manufacturer, with potentially far reaching implications which have been commented on widely in . . . [more]

I’m the guy who, as a kid, used to make a list of unfamiliar words just to contemplate them in their strangeness, reluctant some times for months to puncture the mystery with a dictionary. There’s something profoundly interesting to me about written language in and of itself — as an object, rather than as a means to meaning. I enjoy the sight of it, bulked on a page, the shape of certain words, the way it can be made to come to a perfect halt at some right margins…

And then there’s this:

कृपया साल के हर एक दिन Slaw . . . [more]

Here’s a nice little comeditorial from Search Engine. It is the first entry in their new YouTube channel.

It does not mention the law, but it has implications: if the internet makes us dumber, does that mean online legal services will be poorer, since the lawyers providing them will not be so sharp? Or does it mean, instead, that we’ll all be getting more done, though none of us might be able to claim the credit exclusively? . . . [more]

The editors and webmasters who work on the various internet presences of the European Community have written an open letter to the re-elected President, José Manuel Barroso, and the incoming Commissioners on “Harnessing the power of the internet for better communication.” As you might expect there’s some good advice here from people who know first hand what’s happening to communication systems currently. After all, the EU website has some six million pages — which makes it larger than Slaw.

The letter, available in both French [HTML] and English [PDF] begins by reminding (one hopes) the President that:

The audience for

♫ I’ve got a wealth of new ideas
I’ve got so many new ideas
I’ve got so many new ideas
I’ve got so many new ideas
(Show me, show me, show me all your new ideas)…♫

Lyrics, music and recorded by The Dykeenies.

In Nicole Garton-Jones’ post on “A Different Way to Look at Law Firm Strategy” we delved into the issue of trying to promote innovation within a law firm.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive the Ohio State University Leadership Center’s latest Leadership Newsletter by Beth Flynn, M.S. on this very issue. I sought and . . . [more]

The need for instant information is well illustrated by family and friends desperate to know the condition of their loved ones in Haiti. Anyone who works in libraries can share a story about someone whose need for information was vital. Often what is considered vital information is coloured by personal perspective. Yesterday, one perspective on what is considered vital information might have been Alberta’s cabinet shuffle.

If that was a vital piece of information, the information need would have been fulfilled.

First came elevator rumours about a cabinet shuffle. Then media reports of cabinet shuffle rumours. On the morning . . . [more]

So many of us are shocked and saddened by the devastation from the earthquake in Haiti. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) advises against non-essential travel to Haiti, asking that only those with the skill sets needed go as they don’t have enough infrastructure in the country to support more people.

They advise the best way for Canadians to help is to donate money, not food or clothing. The Government of Canada today announced they would match giving of Canadians dollar-for-dollar up to $50 million in response to this tragedy. Because scam artists are already at work online . . . [more]