When a senior associate left the firm, the busy practice group leader moved swiftly. Files had to be reassigned, and quickly. The next morning, John, an associate in the group, opened his inbox to find seven new matters had been dropped onto his desk without warning.

At first, he froze. Then came a wave of anxiety: the tightening in his stomach, and the mental calculation of how to stretch his already packed schedule.

What unsettled him most wasn’t the extra work; it was how it was handled. The partner didn’t reach out to give him a heads-up or to ask . . . [more]

Over the last few columns, I have focused primarily on the regulation side of my work in artificial intelligence (AI) risk and regulation. That focus has reflected, in part, my concern about the current regulatory patchwork surrounding generative AI in Canada and the very real dangers of unregulated implementation of AI into our daily lives. That discussion will continue at a later date, but for the next few articles I plan to shift the focus to the research and perspectives on the risk management side of the equation.

The risks associated with AI implementation are not hypothetical. Many readers will . . . [more]

Every week we present the summary of a decision handed down by a Québec court provided to us by SOQUIJ and considered to be of interest to our readers throughout Canada. SOQUIJ is attached to the Québec Department of Justice and collects, analyzes, enriches, and disseminates legal information in Québec.

PÉNAL (DROIT) : La juge de première instance n’a pas erré en concluant que les 3 facteurs énoncés dans R. c. Grant (C.S. Can., 2009-07-17), 2009 CSC 32, SOQUIJ AZ-50566222, J.E. 2009-1379, [2009] 2 R.C.S. 353, militaient en faveur de la recevabilité de la preuve des stupéfiants; notamment, elle n’a . . . [more]

I recently challenged myself to explore various Gen AI tools to improve my plain language skills and efficiency. As noted in my previous post, Exploring Gen AI Opportunities for Plain-Language Writing, the impetus for this challenge was in part from the encouragement in the Law Society of Saskatchewan, my home jurisdiction, for lawyers to engage in continuous learning about AI and its implications for legal practice.

My usual process for creating public legal content is as follows:

1. Research: Research is conducted on the topic to create a draft framework. If a legal process is being described, the steps

The way governments appoint judges and tribunal members is mostly mysterious – we know the general framework but not the inner workings of the process. It is only when the appointment process fails that we learn of some of the weaknesses in the system. In this column, I want to focus on recent examples of a particularly serious gap in appointment processes – the lack of a robust screening mechanism.

My purpose in highlighting these recent examples is not to suggest that the people appointed did not deserve to be appointed but rather that the government was surprised by information . . . [more]

It has happened again; once more, v-Lex has changed hands, this time from Oakley Capital to the Canadian software company, Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.), for around US$1bn. Clio/Themis sits within the portfolio of New Enterprise Associates (NEA) venture capital firm, which previously shared in the funding of Ravel Law. Ravel, in 2017, was sold to RELX, which might indicate the future directional path of Clio/v-Lex. Harvey AI had been linked to rumours that it considered acquiring the much more established competitor, v-Lex, the alleged purpose being for the former to exploit the latter, to assist growth. That notion . . . [more]

Every week we present the summary of a decision handed down by a Québec court provided to us by SOQUIJ and considered to be of interest to our readers throughout Canada. SOQUIJ is attached to the Québec Department of Justice and collects, analyzes, enriches, and disseminates legal information in Québec.

PÉNAL (DROIT) : La preuve de l’attirance physique que l’appelant éprouvait pour la plaignante n’était pas une preuve de propension; en exprimant à la plaignante le désir d’avoir des relations sexuelles avec elle, l’appelant n’a commis aucun crime, n’a violé aucune loi et n’a pas eu une conduite indigne ou . . . [more]

It’s tempting, isn’t it? To imagine AI as a panacea.

Lawyers type their questions into an AI tool and confidently finalize a factum before getting home in time for dinner.

Self-represented litigants, overwhelmed by process and precedents, find solid answers from an AI app and breathe a sigh of relief.

Access to justice, served up on a platter of bits and bytes.

But we’re not there yet. And it’s risky to assume we are. (Ko v. Li, 2025 ONSC 2766 anyone?)

AI tools are powerful allies in advancing access to justice when used wisely. They streamline research and save . . . [more]

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

Criminal Psychology. By David Rowlands & David Canter. 3rd ed. London, U.K.: Routledge, 2025. x, 365 p. Includes illustrations, bibliographic references, and index. ISBN 9780367773755 (hardcover) $170.00; ISBN 9780367773731 (softcover) $56.99; ISBN 9781003171065 (eBook) $51.29.

Reviewed by Leslie Taylor
Research and Instruction Librarian
Lederman Law Library
Queen’s University

Criminal Psychology . . . [more]

Artificial intelligence is impacting how lawyers market themselves and grow their practice. However, it’s wise to first consider if and how AI tactics can fulfill business development strategies that convert to achieving a measurable growth objective.

The hype around artificial intelligence is stimulating a fear factor bordering almost on hysteria for many lawyers and their law firms who are fixating on it more than any other concern in the modern global legal services market. While fear can be understandable, mostly because for many the benefits of AI remain somewhat murky, we need to grasp the reality that AI is a . . . [more]