When can it be said that a new print publication is in fact “recognized as an authority” by the Canadian legal research community?

This question came to mind when I asked a law librarian attending the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries if she had added Halsburys Laws of Canada to her law library collection. Her answer was that she would do so as soon as Halsburys was “recognized” by the legal research community and not before.

The ultimate form of recognition

Identifying the ultimate form of recognition as an authority is an easy task. It is . . . [more]

Merry Christmas, seasons greetings, happy holidays. These can be empty words for those struggling to cope with challenging financial times. Even in economiclly stable Alberta, recession planning has become the topic of the day. My gift on this day of celebration are some tips for financial stability from those who know far more than me.

From Slaw:

• Omar’s well put together recent post on Mitch Kowalski
• Gavins recent post on outsourcing

From the ABA Law Practice Managment Section:

• November 2008 article where Dennis Kennedy moderated a panel discussing practical tips for practicing law during times of economic turmoil.
• Will

♫ Looking forward,
All that I can see,
Is good things happening
to you and to me…♫

Words and Music by Neil Young, recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

In these trying and troubling times, perhaps the hardest thing to imagine in looking forward is things getting better. Yet, the coaches out there continually emphasize that, in order for something to come true, you have to imagine it in your mind – first – before executing the necessary action. This holds true whether you are practicing a golf swing, a ski turn or a business plan. In . . . [more]

I tried posting this as a comment to David’s last post, but it wouldn’t go through because of its length and number of links. Due to the pressing and important nature of the issue I decided to re-post it here.

Mr. Santa Claus is wanted for questioning for tax evasion, and nobody is quite sure why there are no export tariffs on his goods. Canada, the U.S., Russia, Denmark and Norway are all laying jurisdictional claim to Santa’s home, and sorting out the conflicting legal systems have proven to be a mess.

Human rights groups have protested that . . . [more]

1. Border crossings would delay his delivery. Imagine Santa explaining himself to a border guard/customs agent.

2. Reduces product liability risk for any defective toys.

3. Avoids scrutiny of privacy issues of the naughty/nice list.

4. Avoids pressure by toy lobbyists and sympathetic legislators.

5. Makes it easier to protect his trade-secrets for sleigh innovations, home entry techniques, and apparent mastery of space and time. . . . [more]

The elves at the Law Commission of Ontario have been furiously pecking away at their keyboards to produce our next crop of consultation papers. John Hill has been putting the finishing touches to the Executive Summary for the pension division on marital breakdown final report (the text is in translation now), making it all shiny and bright.

Lauren Bates completed the next consultation paper for our older adults project and once translated, it will be distributed and appear on our website in the new year. We are experimenting with on-line comments for this consultation, along with the traditional submission format. . . . [more]

Last week I met with Mitch Kowalski of the Legal Post. He mentioned our conversation earlier today on the site, which is the kick in the butt I needed to do my own write-up on it during our break from school.

Mitch is an alumn from my school, Western Law, but has chosen a career path unique from most. After practicing for many years on Bay St. he decided to open a writing center, first at Yorkville, and then moving to a more central location on Bloor West.

And just like those television infomercials, Mitch . . . [more]

I was just on the website of Cornell’s Legal Information Institute (that’s the organization that kicked off the “open law” movement of which our own CanLII is a part). They are asking for financial donations. The notice explains:

Your support helps us help others.

There are over one million links to the LII, from hundreds of thousands of websites.

Today, many of those are sites that help people who are struggling with debt, and the people and organizations who help them: debt counselors, bankruptcy lawyers, consumer self-help sites, and countless others.

The LII stands out because we make law both

According to their recent blog post, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is expected to soon release guidelines to help employers draft policies for use of social networking sites in the workplace. The Office cites a recent study by Ryerson University that identified a digital divide between young Canadians who use social networks and their employers. The blog post explains:

…researchers found that, by and large, employers currently don’t have policies, guidelines or practices in place that govern the use of social networking sites in the workplace.

However, a small number of employers are starting to. So

Bypassing any and all Parliamentary process, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has appointed Thomas Cromwell to the Supreme Court of Canada to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Mr. Justice Bastarache. (See the CBC story.)

Those interested in Mr. Justice Cromwell’s professional details may consult The Thomas Cromwell Pages on Slaw.

Although there is serious criticism of the manner of the appointment — see, for example, Professor Peter Russell’s comments as reported in the Globe and Mail — there is unanimous agreement that Justice Cromwell is a very good choice for the top court position. . . . [more]

According to the CBC, these 18 have been named to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper:

• Former broadcaster Pamela Wallin
• Olympian Nancy Greene Raine
• CTV personality Mike Duffy
• Former N.L. MP Fabian Manning.
• N.S. lawyer Fred Dickson.
• Stephen Greene, former deputy chief of staff to N.S. Premier Rodney MacDonald.
• N.S. businessman Michael L. MacDonald.
• Long-time New Brunswick MLA and cabinet minister Percy Mockler.
• N.B. lawyer John D. Wallace.
• National chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples Patrick Brazeau.
• Former Quebec MP and teacher Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis.
• Director of Via Rail Canada Leo Housakos.
• Former Quebec MNA Michel Rivard.
• Nicole

I have to give it to you exactly as I saw it:

Dennis “who does this guy think he is?” Kennedy has chosen Slaw as the top blawg in his annual parade of awards known as the Blawggies, and all of us here are busting with pride.

Here’s our excellent company in this honour:

2. The Marty Schwimmer Best Practice-Specific Legal Blog – Evan Brown’s Internet Cases

3. Best Law Practice Management Blog – Bruce MacEwen’s Adam Smith, Esq.

4. Best Legal Blog Category – Canadian Law-related Blogs

5. Best Legal Blog Digest – Stark County Law Library Weblog