An item I blogged about yesterday over at Stem, I am about to start a new role in 2009 as a column editor for the ABA LPM’s Law Practice magazine. The column will be called LegalWEB2.0, and is set to begin in the Jan/Feb issue. Here’s a small screen capture from the inaugural column:

Connected to this new role, I am hoping you’ll help one of our first columnists Doug Cornelius by taking a new survey on law firms that block social media websites via their proxy servers or firewall. If your firm blocks these sites, or even . . . [more]

There’s a new addition to the roster of domain name suffixes coming: .tel And it’s unique among extensions in at least a couple of ways. First, its distribution is in wholly private and commercial hands — you’ll pay to play — and second, it won’t locate a place on the web. Evidently, dot tel will lead to a collection of your resources located right on the domain name server, and what it serves up will depend on how you come to it and where you come from. The idea is to make the DNS emit information that is responsive to . . . [more]

The Access to Justice Network, a public legal information network funded by the Alberta Law Foundation, recently posted material about the federal political crisis relating to prorogation that shook Parliament, the pundits and the people earlier this month.

Other recent material on the topic includes:

• David Cameron – “Constitutional Crisis or Democracy in Action” (University of Toronto Law School Faculty Blog, December 9, 2008)
• Lorne Sossin – “Was the Governor General’s Decision to Prorogue Parliament Constitutional?” (University of Toronto Law School Faculty Blog, December 9, 2008)
• Peter Russell – Lessons From Our Most Recent “Constitutional Crisis” (University of Toronto

I thought I’d take this opportunity to tap into Slaw’s coast-to-coast reach for a quick poll: how many courts across the country have created a rule/practice direction/notice to the profession that lists common cases and says they don’t have to be included in the case books filed by the parties? I was aware of such a list in Prince Edward Island, and I recently learned that such a practice has existed for some time in British Columbia and, more recently, before the Federal Court (though the current list appears to be limited to immigration matters). Where else? 

I . . . [more]

Wealth of comparative and historical material in Hein Online’s Classics.

I just stumbled over a book I never knew existed:

1884 W. T. S. Daniel, The History and Origin of the Law Reports,
Together with a Compilation of Various Documents Shewing the Progress and Result of Proceedings Taken for Their Establishment and the Condition of the Reports on the 31st December, 1883

We have been debating law reporting for longer than we suspected. . . . [more]

Yesterday the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador created history when it introduced and passed Bill 75 (now S.N.L. 2008, c. A-1.01), Abitibi-Consolidated Rights and Assets Act. The legislation takes away land and water rights, including ownership of all hydroelectricity rights from the generating station at Star Lake, and timber rights to forests on Crown land, from the U.S.-based company AbitibiBowater as of the end of March 2009 given to the company’s predecessor in 1909. Media are characterizing this both as “expropriation” and “repatriation” of the lands. . . . [more]

So says Nick Abrahams in his similarly titled post of last week:

Today in what appears to be a first in Australia and perhaps the world, Master Harper of the ACT Supreme Court ordered that a default judgement could be served on defendants by notification on Facebook.

I wonder how long before this happens in Canada? After all, Canada is the country in the world with the highest Facebook penetration, as a percentage of its population… 29% in July 2008! Too bad Facebook doesn’t send back read receipts to lawyers serving documents on Facebook. . . . [more]

HeinOnline seems to be gaining market share in Canada, so I thought I’d point out that they have just released a recap of all of their search tips, which is really well-organised for long-term keeping.

Question: how many of you are subscribed? Is HeinOnline becoming a “must-have” for firms, or is it a tool better suited to academe? . . . [more]

This is a midweek meander, taking us away from law, and that’s okay, I hope. What’s around this particular bend are the 1,500 photographs that the New York Public Library has selected from the 640,000 photos of its Digital Gallery for tagging and inclusion in the Flickr Commons. These represent, we’re told, a sort of “appetizer course” for the larger transfers to come. Images in Flickr Commons are by and large available for use free of encumbering copyright restrictions.

I’ve quickly run through all of the NYPL additions and can tell you that there’s a wide range of interesting . . . [more]

That’s the title of my Free Press column for this week. I thought perhaps the tech savy Slaw audience might appreciate this, and we can all use something a little lighter to read.

It starts off by saying: Struggling with ideas for Christmas gifts for those into gadgets or technology? Here are some suggestions.

My agreement with the newspaper prohibits me from reproducing it here this soon after it was published, but you can read it on my blog, on the Free Press site, or on the Canoe tech site. . . . [more]

Aujourd’hui encore, trop nombreux sont les profanes aux yeux desquels l’Internet reste une terre inconnue, aux rituels propres et au langage incompréhensible. Pour se convaincre des réticences que continue à susciter le réseau parmi les professionnels du droit en particulier, il suffit d’ailleurs de faire état de tous les domaines de la pratique au sein desquels son utilisation est encore exclue. Par exemple, le courriel n’est toujours pas un mode de signification accepté par le législateur, et nombre d’avocats lui préfèrent la télécopie pour de simples communications. Les tribunaux de la Belle Province ne permettent pas encore la production de . . . [more]

The latest issue of LAWPRO Magazine just hit the streets, and we focused on helping lawyers get through difficult economic times.

Our cover story, Surviving the slide: What Firms Should (And Shouldn’t) Do To Ride Out The Economic Storm, is a roundtable discussion with four of the world’s top experts on law firm management and operations (Gerry Riskin, Merrilyn Tarlton, Ed Flitton, and Karen MacKay). In this discussion they share their insights and tips on leadership, marketing, client relationships, law firm finances and technology in tough times. It is an amazing discussion (we actually . . . [more]