Firms are navigating a tough financial climate, suppressed growth rates, and declining demand. Previous downturns have been transitory, as the industry has been able to recover within a few years. However this time the landscape has changed and the legal sector is not expected to return to previous levels of growth for a long time. Whatever kind of economist-speak you prefer, there’s no getting around the fact that now is a scary time to be a firm leader. Whether you choose to call it the digital age, the knowledge economy, or even “the New Normal,” it seems clear that we . . . [more]

♫ Change
Now it’s time for change
Nothing stays the same
No it’s time for change… ♫

Lyrics and Music by Nikki Sixx, Donna McDaniel, recorded by Mötley Crüe.

On Oct 24-25, the second Canadian Forum on Court Technology will be held in Montreal. The challenge that this forum will be facing is how to bring about meaningful change to a dispute resolution process that has been resistant to change. Of course, the voices demanding increased access to justice and responsiveness to the needs of society are only getting louder. The factors for the courts to consider are . . . [more]

Recently, I ran across an excellent article in the Spring 2009 issue of Corporate Governance Quarterly called “Climate Change Disclosure Heats Up”. The authors, Patricia Koval, Tyson Dyck and Michael Pickersgill of Torys LLP, discuss public companies’ disclosures pertaining to the companies’ exposure to “climate risks”. This broad risk category includes matters such as: how climate change affects the company’s profitability, what opportunities / challenges climate change presents to the company, and what actions the company is taking in anticipation of the various climate change related regulations coming down the pipe (e.g. the anticipated mandatory cap-and-trade system on greenhouse . . . [more]

♫ 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]

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.

Beach Politics: Social, Racial, and Environmental Injustice on the Shoreline. Edited by Setha Low. New York: NYU Press, 2025. 336 p. Includes bibliographic references and index. ISBN 9781479821952 (softcover) US$35.00; ISBN 9781479821945 (hardcover) US$99.00; ISBN 9781479821969 (eBook) US$25.00.

Reviewed by Emma Cornelius
Reference Librarian
Lawson Lundell LLP

Beach Politics answers two . . . [more]

Part of being a law librarian and professor on Foreign, Comparative and International Legal Research involves assuaging people’s interest in current events around the world. Personally, I call it the curse of current events. Instead of running away from it, I now take it as an opportunity to leverage that, at times, sudden interest in other parts of the world and further educate into the intricacies of this highly complex and ever changing research puzzle.

These days, Venezuela, Russia, Ukraine, Iran and Greenland are perfect examples of this sudden interest. However, Greenland differs from the others on this list . . . [more]

Territories have the unique characteristic of being both in and out at the same time. Despite their massive differences in all areas, you can easily spot the “territory” due to this in and out feature. Whether they are called a special administrative unit, dependency, self-governing, autonomous nation, outermost/overseas department, etc., once you have identified this in and out cycle, it’s fair to assume that you’re working with a territory, despite the elaborate names these places tend to have.

Let me explain what I mean by an in and out cycle. Usually, recent events, either in the territory itself or external . . . [more]

Donald J. Trump’s second term as President of the United States has stunned the world. Commentators increasingly say the US has now crossed the Rubicon into authoritarian territory.

While some say Trump’s actions are erratic, a closer look reveals a methodical attempt by his administration to dismantle a broad range of US institutions and agencies and to suffocate international institutions, universal human rights, and the rule of law. The breakneck speed, scope, and impact of the Trump administration’s actions through Executive Orders and directives has created a chaotic atmosphere of uncertainty and fear around the world.

Checks and balances . . . [more]

If you glance at the news, it feels as if the world is on fire—both literally and figuratively. Climate change wreaks havoc across continents, pandemics challenge our healthcare systems, wars and conflicts displace millions, and the erosion of democratic principles shakes trust in institutions worldwide. At the same time, misinformation spreads faster than facts, nationalism competes with global cooperation, and the international community often seems paralyzed by political gridlock.

In this whirlwind of challenges, one thing is clear: we need legal minds who can think globally and act locally. That’s why I believe we should all be teaching Comparative Law, . . . [more]

I am still recovering from our U.S. election which seemed to last forever and is not completely finished yet. As a retired federal employee, I worry about the safety and security of my colleagues back in DC. We were required to be nonpartisan and were unable to contribute to candidates or do any electioneering. The incoming administration seems to be ready to target and fire federal employees.

The law librarians at the Law Library of Congress continue to issue reports including this new report on legislation regarding climate change and the preservation of historic and cultural heritage in Brazil,  . . . [more]

At the LSBC’s AGM tomorrow, several member resolutions will be up for a vote. Among them is a controversial resolution (Resolution 3) submitted by two BC lawyers that calls for changes to certain language in the LSBC’s Indigenous Intercultural Course. The language at issue references an unmarked burial site at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Various legal organizations have condemned Resolution 3 as being, among other things, “alarming Residential School denialism”, “an attack on the principles of Truth and Reconciliation”, an “insidious attempt to distort history” and as “undermin[ing] engagement with Indigenous communities”.

Resolution 3 follows . . . [more]