The Google re-org announced Monday has the tech press in a huge buzz. Lots of virtual ink has been spent explaining and analyzing the change. Essentially, Google created a parent company called Alphabet, left the core business in Google, and created sister companies to Google that will operate some of its other projects, such as the self driving car and smart medical sensing contact lenses.

This change has some sound logic behind it from a business perspective. There are also interesting side stories, such as how their choice of abc.xyz as a domain for the new company has dramatically . . . [more]

Earlier this month, the new president of the Law Society of England and Wales, Jonathan Smithers, used the occasion of his inaugural speech to emphasize the importance of a diverse and inclusive legal profession, stating:

Equality, diversity and inclusion are absolutely at the forefront of this Society’s work, interwoven in all that we do. Our profession must reflect the country as it is and draw talent from each and every part. Social inclusion and mobility are currently in the spotlight. I am proud of the progress we have made over the last decades but do not in any way shy

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. Borthwick v Lombard Insurance, 2015 ONSC 4845

[88] At this stage, I do not know what form of business organization was involved in cutting down trees on the Fox Hollow Farm. While Messrs. Douglas and Borthwick may have been involved in a joint venture or have formed a partnership, it is equally possible no new business organization was created by Mr. . . . [more]

The Canadian Bar Association Legal Conference, officially August 14-16, 2015, is under way in Calgary. According to the conference program, CBA Leaders are meeting and working together in anticipation of the conference’s continuing education ad wider networking elements that kick off on Thursday evening.

Before the opening reception on Thursday evening, important work of the association takes place. On August 13, there is a council meeting with a very full agenda. The day includes Resolutions, an update on the Futures initiative (which has also been so ably debated and disseminated at Slaw and through other social media), . . . [more]

On June 22, 2015, I attended the launch of what is described as an “industry cluster,” LegalX. The launch took place at, and was sponsored by, the MaRS Discovery District. Based in Toronto, MaRS “is one of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs… It provides expert advice and market research, and makes connections to talent, customers, and capital.”

The official announcement of the launch states that LegalX is “dedicated to moving the legal sector forward through enterprises — whether startup or established corporates and law firms — LegalX at MaRS will connect the technologists, designers, coders, engineers and lawyers . . . [more]

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 technology, research and practice.

Research

Currency*
Shaunna Mireau

I usually talk about currency from the “the quality or state of being current” perspective. Today, I used the Bank of Canada Currency Converter to look at the exchange rate which leads me to today’s tip that deals with another definition of currency…

Practice

Commit to Change*
David Bilinsky

In talking to hundreds of law firms, I am struck by a common theme. Many of these . . . [more]

CanLII has announced Xavier Beauchamp-Tremblay as its new President.

Announcement copy below:

The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) and the Federation of Law Societies of Canada are pleased to announce that Xavier Beauchamp-Tremblay of Montreal is CanLII’s new President, effective August 10, 2015. The announcement was made jointly by Martin Felsky, PhD, JD, the Chair of the CanLII Board of Directors, and Tom Conway, President of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.

Mr. Beauchamp-Tremblay obtained his law degree from the University of Montreal and was admitted to the Barreau du Quebec in 2007.

Prior to joining CanLII, Mr. Beauchamp-Tremblay

It can be very rewarding, both personally and financially, to be asked to serve on a client’s board of directors. It’s also easy to understand why a client might make the request: the lawyer may have worked closely with the corporation’s founders to establish the company, and will likely have a solid understanding of the corporation’s objectives, the marketplace challenges it faces, and its relationships with industry partners, suppliers, customers and others. . . . [more]

Being mindful means to pay attention – not just to stop and smell the roses but to be aware of the roses, their intricacies of their form and scent and the effect their presence has on their environment. How would you extend that analogy to the practice of law?

Last year around this time, the CBA Legal Futures Initiative issued its report (Futures: Transforming the Delivery of Legal Services in Canada) calling for a new legal order. The report suggests that we find new models for legal education, that we reflect on our practice in order to innovate, . . . [more]

Alison Macrina is the founder of the Library Freedom Project (LFP) an initiative she founded shortly after news that the U.S. National Security Agency was systematically combing through American’s online activities and phone records. She shares her concerns about the effect of this NSA scrutiny in the announcement of her nomination as a 2015 Library Journal Mover and Shaker: “… surveillance is not only counter to the ideals of a democratic society, it’s detrimental to the future of libraries.”

Earlier this year Macrina secured a grant from the Knight Foundation which will help fund the LFP for the next . . . [more]

Last year the CBA Legal Futures Initiative released its report, Transforming the Delivery of Legal Services in Canada, in St. John’s.

The Futures Initiative has been gratified by the largely positive and enthusiastic reaction to our report, which has had a much broader reach and impact than we could have hoped. We outlined a bold vision for the future of the legal profession, encouraging a crucial conversation that’s taking place not just within Canada, but around the world.

Here’s a taste of what we’ve done since the report was published:

We’ve been talking

In the past year CBA President . . . [more]

Each Monday we present brief excerpts of recent posts from five of Canada’s award­-winning legal blogs chosen at random* from sixty 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. Michael Spratt  2. Susan on the Soapbox 3. Global Workplace Insider  4. Lee Akazaki  5. Canadian Appeals Monitor

Michael Spratt
The man who went into Rideau Hall the PM and left with his pants on fire

Welcome to the 42nd general election. On Sunday Stephen Harper went to the . . . [more]