On Disrupting the Legal Industry …
I don’t think I will surprise anyone here when I say that I’ve heard quite a bit about how people want to disrupt legal practice. I have been thinking about this possibility and reading more about the theory of economic disruption, so now I thought I would elaborate on this here. Before starting I would like to assure those who roll their eyes at the mention of the word that I am also tired of hearing about it, but that there are some things that I think are worth saying.
Disruption isn’t simply making a more competitive business, which makes . . . [more]
Wednesday: What’s Hot on CanLII
Each Wednesday we tell you which three English-language cases and which French-language case have been the most viewed* on CanLII and we give you a small sense of what the cases are about.
For this last week:
1. City of Toronto et al v. Ontario (Attorney General), 2018 ONSC 5151
[70] Here, there is no evidence that any other options or approaches were considered or that any consultation ever took place. It appears that Bill 5 was hurriedly enacted to take effect in the middle of the City’s election without much thought at all, more out of pique than . . . [more]
Tips Tuesday
Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.
Practice
Check Your Email – at Scheduled Times Only
Ian Hu
I would hazard a guess that one of the very first things you do when you sit down at the office is check emails. Of the 5, 10, 50, or 100 emails you are reviewing, are any of them urgent? I suspect you already know what absolutely must be done on any given day. …
Research & Writing . . . [more]
Monday’s Mix
Each Monday we present brief excerpts of recent posts from five of Canada’s award-winning legal blogs chosen at random* from more than 80 recent Clawbie winners. In this way we hope to promote their work, with their permission, to as wide an audience as possible.
This week the randomly selected blogs are 1. Family Health Law Blog 2. Meurrens on Immigration 3. Family LLB 4. Attorney with a Life 5. Canadian Trade Law Blog
Family Health Law Blog
OHIP Coverage Outside Ontario
Ontario Health Insurance Plan (“OHIP”) cases receive little media attention, yet arise in Ontario all the time. They
On Writing, or “Beer + Edits”
Some of us write because publishing is a requirement for career advancement as legal information professionals. Some of us write because we want to document an event in law librarianship, report on a conference or workshop attended. Some of us write to share information on a legal research topic that fascinates us. Some of us write to fill a gap in the literature. Some of us are neophyte writers and some of us have been at it for quite some time. I fit the latter description, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on the process.[1]
Honing Your Writing . . . [more]
Here Be Unchartered Waters
Introduction
This week has been an unprecedented one in Canadian history, and one that will invariably result in development of novel Charter jurisprudence.
On Sept. 12, 2018, the Ontario legislature introduced Bill 31 – Efficient Local Government Act, 2018 in response to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision on Sept. 10, 2018 that ruled Bill 5 – Better Local Government Act, 2018 was unconstitutional, as it violated the s. 2(b) Charter rights of the candidates in the upcoming municipal election due to the timing of the Bill, and the impact on the voters due to its content.[1] This . . . [more]
More Devices Gone Wild
A continuing series of interesting ways that things can go wrong with information technology. Previous installments are here and here.
Devices Gone Wild IV: Hacking Critical Infrastructure through the IoT.
Critical infrastructure is of course infrastructure – communications, power, transportation – that we depend on to support how we live: not just our ‘lifestyle’ but often our life itself.
One may ask why infrastructure of any kind is connected to the notoriously vulnerable Internet at all, but it is (in some places) – for reasons of remote monitoring and control, coordination, effectiveness. A good deal of . . . [more]
Summaries Sunday: SOQUIJ
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.
PROFESSIONS : Le Barreau du Québec et la Chambre des notaires du Québec échouent en appel du jugement de la Cour supérieure ayant rejeté leur requête en jugement déclaratoire et en injonction permanente dans laquelle ils prétendaient que les centres de traitement de prêts hypothécaires des sociétés d’assurances titres intimées . . . [more]
RegTech: A Quite Quiet Revolution
Last year, I took unexpected sabbatical leave. If one of my doctor’s specialties had been spin, they would have said I’ve pivoted. Now I focus on medical research and services including being an oncologist’s ontologist. I’m trying to disrupt the evolution of cancer, and the massive industry it supports.
My dot-joining skills allowed me to find a probable cure for cancer that others had discovered yet remain unnoticed. I’m one of a growing band of empowered patients facilitating change. The same is happening in the legal world according to Greg San Miguel, Founder of the award winning Law Of . . . [more]
Length of Long-Term Disability Benefits Can Frustrate Employment Contract
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently held that the continued receipt of long-term disability benefits can legally frustrate an employment contract. . . . [more]
Western Journal of Legal Studies: Call for Submissions
The Western Journal of Legal Studies, a “student-run, online, open access law review focusing on contributions to Canadian law and international law” has put out a call for submissions:
. . . [more]Do you have an “A” level law paper? The Western Journal of Legal Studies is seeking academic research papers, white papers, opinion-editorials, and book reviews. All submissions received by Friday, September 28th will be considered for publication in our Fall issue. We assess submissions using a two-part blind peer review, and as such, all submissions will remain entirely anonymous throughout the process. Submissions received after this date will be considered


