We were recently asked to contribute a chapter on ODR and the Courts to an International treatise on ODR edited by Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab, Ethan Katsh and Daniel Rainey. In researching how Courts could and should use ODR, we were pleasantly surprised to see how many court-run ODR projects are currently being implemented or tested around the World. From the United Kingdom’s Money Claim Online and Possession Claim Online, to Australia’s eCourt to the seemingly defunct Subordinate Courts of Singapore’s eAlternative Dispute Resolution (e@dr) project (the website is no longer online), ODR practices and processes are seeping into the . . . [more]

As a lawyer setting up a sole practice after many years with a Firm, I have had to read about technology recently. A lot. One topic on which so much has been written is Cloud computing and concerns for Canadian lawyers raised by the PATRIOT Act. A simple search of SLAW alone lists 53 articles touching on this topic.

This is the situation as far as I have been able to cobble it together.

The PATRIOT Act is intended to simplify the US government’s access to business records for intelligence gathering permitting quicker, easier access to otherwise confidential records and . . . [more]

The investigation into the G20 continues, and approximately 15 police officers have been identified to date for discipline hearings. The Toronto Star recently obtained non-publicized documents from the The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) revealing the nature of discipline against Insp. Gary Meissner of 51 Division.

Police attempted to track down some of the violent protesters following some of the vandalism during the G20, including the “black bloc.” Early morning on June 27, 2010, Toronto police entered the Graduate Students Union’s (GSU) pub and gymnasium in the Koffler Student Centre at the University of Toronto in . . . [more]

This is an update to my recent post: Could Cellphone Use Constitute Electronic Presence at Crime?

A frequent topic of posts here at Slaw and elsewhere in recent times has been the nature of print v. electronic publishing and what the future holds. It is a worthy topic that affects us all and fuels much discussion. In the midst of that I simply want to point out a publication that I find interesting in this information world, I’m not attaching special significance to it beyond the fact that it is interesting to point out. Grantland has been mentioned here at Slaw previously in the context of the Slaw feature You Might Like. Named for Grantland Rice . . . [more]

Here are the three most-consulted English-language cases on CanLII for the week of November 14 – 21.

♨ 1. R. v. Pelech 2012 ABCA 134

[1] This appeal addresses the proposal that a trial judge needs to have in contemplation the rule in Hodge’s case, when considering evidence of impaired driving.

♨ 2. Bruni v. Bruni 2010 ONSC 6568

♨ 3. R. v. Maybin 2012 SCC 24

[2] This appeal raises the question of when an intervening act by another person severs the causal connection between the accused’s act and the victim’s death, thereby absolving the accused of legal responsibility

. . . [more]

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when it comes to things, they “go.” They may go well or go badly, of course. And occasionally they go very badly indeed. In which case English has a pile of idioms ready to apply to the disaster, a great many of them, unsurprisingly, involving the verb “go.”

At times, then, things go south. I’m not sure why that should be — that south should be the direction of disaster, I mean. As a Canadian, I’m pleased, I guess, that nothing going south can geographically land in my country, but it still . . . [more]

The Supreme Court of Canada has refused leave to appeal the decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal in Tucows.com v Lojas Renner 2011 ONCA 548

That decision had held that Tucows.com could bring an action for a declaration of its rights to a domain name in an Ontario court, on the ground that the dispute involved “real or personal property located in Ontario”. In this case, Tucows.com was the registrar and the owner of the domain name Renner. com. The other party was a Brazilian company that owned the trade mark ‘Renner’ (though not apparently in Canada.)

The Court . . . [more]

Upcoming events: Tragically Hip concert in Victoria, a summer of civic engagement in Quebec, and on May 29 at the Fairmont Hotel in Edmonton, the 2012 Western Premiers’ Conference. Have a look at the extensive program they provide:

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

08:15 – 08:30 Media Photo Opportunity
Jasper Room

08:30 Session begins
Jasper Room, closed to the media

15:00 Closing Press Conference
Fairmont Hotel Macdonald

. . . [more]

Along with being an excellent lawyer, if you want to build a great practice you need to do a few things. One is ensuring that your clients receive the ultimate experience and in turn creating the Super Fan.

What is a Super Fan?

• Not simply a client that is simply satisfied with your work but truly loyal to you
• Active referral vs. Passive referral for new work
• Business development advocate
• A client that values you both as a person and professional
• Cheerleader

These are clients that will promote you at any opportunity possible. They understand the value that you bring . . . [more]

This is a post in a series appearing each Friday, setting out some articles, videos, podcasts and the like that contributors at Slaw are enjoying and that you might find interesting. The articles tend to be longer than blog posts and shorter than books, just right for that stolen half hour on the weekend. It’s also likely that most of them won’t be about law — just right for etc.

Please let us have your recommendations for what we and our readers might like.

. . . [more]

The Claude Robinson plagiarism case is not yet over! The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear the case on appeal.