This new blog is an example of how narrow the topics can be, and yet how much can be contained in the discussion. Apparently Ken Adams (US) is somewhat of an expert on drafting contracts, and he’s just started up a blog on the topic. Here’s what he says about the blog:

[The blog] has a specific function. Even after a couple of books and a dozen articles, I still have lots to write about. I’ll continue to use articles to lay out my thoughts on bigger topics, but that leaves plenty of tricky smaller issues of contract language. The . . . [more]

The recent posts about managing email reminded me that the summer seems to be a good time to tackle “non-legal” reading. For those interested in some eclectic choices, read on (all choices are available at Chapters.ca):

– Getting Things Done (David Allen). Many may already know of this book – for me it was an easy to read guide to productivity. The author tackles all kinds of common behaviours and situations (including email management) and offers simple, logical and practical solutions.

– The Microsoft Crabby Office Lady Tells It Like It Is: Secrets to Surviving Office Life (Annik Stahl). I . . . [more]

How does a Federal Budget “slip” through Parliament?
Story . . . [more]

I suppose it should be obvious, given that Google does it so prolifically, that linking from one site to another is a non-issue legally. Still, occasionally a less-than-geeky supervisor may idly question the legality of linking. If this happens to you, direct them to:

Michael Geist, Internet Law in Canada, 3rd ed. (Concord Ont: Captus, 2002) pp. 473-492, and
Teresa Scassa and Michael Deturbide, Electronic Commerce and Internet Law in Canada , (Toronto: CCH, 2004) pp.355-374.

These Canadian authorities agree that the main area of action has been copyright infringment. Links that do not automatically activate, and which do . . . [more]

Cindy Chick has an interesting post on email management and the art of getting things done. She’s included some great tips like this one:

“If you keep all your archives in your inbox, note that you can push the current actions folders to the top by simply putting an asterisk in front of the name. I use this same technique in my pending projects folder to push the projects I’m actively working on to the top.”

Another tip Cindy mentions, the use of current projects folders, is one I try to adhere to. However, when things get really crazy, my . . . [more]

Statistics Canada released a report today via The Daily: Aboriginal people as victims and offenders. This might be useful to people working on behalf of First Nations, and anyway contains data we all should be aware of. . . . [more]

Google is releasing Spreadsheets in beta. After consuming Writely, the giant is turning its attention to a browser-based spreadsheet app to offer a free alternative to Microsoft’s Excel. One neat aspect of Google Spreadsheets is that they are easily shareable.

To apply for your invitation go without delay to: http://www.google.com/googlespreadsheets/try_out.html . . . [more]

Lawyers like to argue, to write, to publish; that’s a known fact. When it comes to blogging, there is something special, something uniquely appealing that ought to be pursued; something that makes the connection between the legal community and society better. And that has been nicely stated by Dahlia Lithwick in The American Lawyer, June 1st 2006 edition:

If you combine a journalist’s fear of offering a personal opinion with her even greater fear of boring the reader, the result can be legal writing that is too constrained, while at the same time fixates on the details of the

Deadline for Seventh Annual Justicia Awards Extended

OTTAWA, June 2, 2006 – The deadline for entries for the seventh annual Justicia Awards for Excellence in Journalism has been extended until June 15, 2006.

The Justicia Awards recognize outstanding broadcast and print stories that foster public awareness and understanding of any aspect of the Canadian justice system and the roles played by institutions and participants in the legal system.

The awards are sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Commission of Canada and the Department of Justice Canada. Two prize winners are selected by an independent panel of judges.

To

There’s an interesting paper by the University of Pennsylvania’s Eric Feldman called “The Tuna Court: Law and Norms in the World’s Premier Fish Market.” It talks about the Tokyo fish market where dealing in tuna is highly fractious. Most theorists would say that disputes in a tight industry of repeat players are best handled by informal, private means; however, Feldman shows that the state-made laws that govern the fish market are used very often with great punctilio, all of which works well:

In short, by presenting a detailed case study of a highly specialized court that operates under

I have a questions for Slawers – what are the Canadian laws regarding links (the hypertext, not the edibile, sort)? Is there any legal ground for prohibiting one site from linking to another? . . . [more]

Here are two recent articles about the ongoing debate about net neutrality.

First, from CIO Magazine, Ben Worthen warns “The democracy of the Web may soon be a relic of the past, a change that may have costly implications for doing business on the Net.”

Then, from CNN Technology, “Coming soon: The Web toll – New laws may transform cyberspace and the way you surf it .”

Why is everyone so relatively silent on this issue? . . . [more]