ChatGTP has been making headlines as one of the “smartest” chatbots on the market. It is easy to use and free to use. Simply come up with a topic or have it come up with one for you based on what is trending then sit back and let ChatGTP draft your next article. If it is that easy should lawyers be using it when developing marketing content?

In reality, no, lawyers or anyone that is creating legal content should not be using AI exclusively. ChatGTP has not passed a bar exam after all so it cannot provide legal advice or . . . [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) : Étant donné que le nouvel article 33.1 C.Cr. ne s’applique que prospectivement, les cas précédant son adoption sont régis par la règle de common law issue de l’arrêt R. c. Daviault (C.S. Can., 1994-09-30), SOQUIJ AZ-94111095, J.E. 94-1531, [1994] 3 R.C.S. 63, ce qui laisse plus de . . . [more]

Written by Lewis Waring, Paralegal, Editor, First Reference Inc.

In a recent Ontario ruling, an employer was found to have wrongfully dismissed an employee whose role had evolved beyond its characterization in his original employment contract. By attempting to rely upon a contract that no longer applied, the employer deprived the employee of his presumed right to reasonable notice of termination. . . . [more]

Is 2023 the year you start to think more clearly about the culture you are creating at your firm?

When I started my career in legal services in the late 1990’s law firm culture was something amorphous that no one quite had a handle on.

Sometimes a prospective hire would ask – what is your law firm culture? And the answers would include such things as we get together every Friday afternoon for drinks in the boardroom. We work hard and play hard.

In truth, most firms had no real sense of what their culture was all about nor why . . . [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.

Defining Sexual Misconduct: Power, Media, and #MeToo. By Stacey Hannem & Christopher J. Schneider. Regina: University of Regina Press, 2022. xvi, 368 p. Includes table of contents, appendix, notes, bibliography, and index. ISBN 978-0-88977-870-2 (hardcover) $89.00; ISBN 978-0-88977-809-2 (softcover) $34.95.

Reviewed by Danielle Noonan
Law Library Co-op
Lederman Law Library, . . . [more]

The Federal Court has noted that the Patented Medicines (NOC) Regulations^[1] “seek to balance the patent enforcement rights of innovative drug manufacturers with the timely market entry of lower-priced generic drugs by “enabling summary legal proceedings that would address patent concerns without unduly delaying access to generic medicines”.^[2]

Before marketing a drug in Canada, manufacturers must obtain a Notice of Compliance (NOC) from Health Canada. A “first person” who obtains a NOC for an innovative drug may list any associated patent on the Patent Register. If a “second person” subsequently requests a NOC for a competing drug by . . . [more]

 Zero Trust Architecture simplified

Lawyers have a “deer in the headlights” look whenever we talk about Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) – and we do understand that look. ZTA is complicated and often causes your eyes to glaze over about two minutes after we bring ZTA into the conversation.

Let’s keep it as simple as a complicated subject can be.

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) is not a product you can buy in a store or online. It is a security model presented in 2003 by the Jericho Forum, although the term “zero trust” dates back to 1994. The zero trust model . . . [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) : Le fait que la plaignante a écouté et enregistré une conversation privilégiée entre l’accusé et son avocat a enfreint l’article 7 de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés; toutefois, des réparations moins sévères que l’arrêt des procédures peuvent corriger l’abus de procédure, notamment l’interdiction que . . . [more]

Written by Daniel Standing LL.B., Editor, First Reference Inc.

Not too long ago, it was the stuff of science fiction and action films-the locked door that opened by a retinal scan. The keypad required a fingerprint as additional security. Well, what was at issue in 2023 CanLII 5478 (BC LA) isn’t too far removed from those one-time fantasies. Here, an employer implemented a biometric finger scan system for employees to use, and it had a good reason that had nothing to do with security. Would vastly improved recordkeeping and human resources services suffice as justification? Some employees got fired for . . . [more]

Over the years I’ve spoken with many people who believe they “have a book in them” or an idea for a book. But to take liberties paraphrasing Stephen Fry’s protagonist in The Hippopotamus: books aren’t made up of ideas, they’re made up of words.

So how do you string those words together at scale?

Firstly, I’d like to encourage you to reconsider. Writing a book is difficult, and it means spending pretty much all your spare time for a year or so working, and the remuneration is almost never good. Almost everyone I’ve spoken with gets more return doing . . . [more]