An article in the New York Times discusses the persistent question of “where were the lawyers?” in the context of the Panama Papers leak.
Author Archives: amysalyzyn
Judge slashes Toronto lawyer’s ‘excessive’ fee to give more money to injured child in malpractice suit
Questions about what is appropriate with respect to lawyers’ fees in contingency fee cases are raised in this recent National Post article.
Ending Bullying in the Legal Profession
Now at Slaw.ca, Adam Dodek urges law societies and law firms to tackle bullying in the legal profession.
CALE 2016 Annual Conference – Call for Presentations (Research)
The CALE 2016 Annual Conference will be held October 27-29, 2016 at the University of Alberta.
Anyone interested in presenting on a topic related to research and scholarship about legal ethics and professionalism should contact Alice Woolley (awoolley@ucalgary.ca) and Stephen Pitel (spitel@uwo.ca) before April 30, 2016. Proposals from junior scholars and from those working on legal ethics outside the academy are particularly welcomed. The eventual format of the presentations will depend on, among other things, the number of proposals accepted, but it is expected that each presenter would have about 15-20 minutes plus time for questions. There is no need to have a formal paper accompanying your presentation: slides or oral remarks alone are fine. You need not have a finished product: work in progress is welcome.
GM lawyers won’t face Michigan ethics probe
Debra Cassens Weiss discusses this issue for the ABA Journal.
What Ought Crown Counsel to do in Prosecuting Sexual Assault Charges? Some Post-Ghomeshi Reflections
Now up at ABLawg.ca, Alice Woolley explores the ethical duties of prosecutors.
Federation of Law Societies commits to effective response to TRC report
As announced on the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s website:
In its 2015 final report, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission included Call to Action 27, which called on the Federation of Law Societies of Canada “to ensure that lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training, which includes the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations.”
“This is the next step in the Federation’s response to the Calls to Action in the report” says Federation President Jeff Hirsch. “The first step was the program at the Federation’s annual conference last October. The conference brought together representatives of law societies, Indigenous leaders, academics and other key stakeholders to begin the national dialogue on how the Federation and Canada’s law societies could respond appropriately to promote reconciliation.” There was consensus among the conference participants that responding to the Calls to Action must be meaningful and prompt, and include direct collaboration with Indigenous peoples from the outset.
On March 11, 2016, the Council of the Federation voted to establish a working group to develop recommendations on how best to effectively respond to the Calls to Action. The Council resolution included a commitment to a process that engages representatives of Indigenous peoples.
“In providing a national response, we will ensure it complements the ongoing work of law societies across the country ” Jeff Hirsch added.”
Boiling Frogs, Privilege and Professional Conduct
Up at Slaw.ca, a new post from Malcolm Mercer advocating for reforms to the ethical rules governing client confidentiality.
Whistleblower Lawyers Counterattack Against DC Disciplinary Counsel
Interesting story out of the United States on the regulation of whistleblower lawyers.
Law Society of Saskatchewan v. Guist, 2016 SKLSS 4
Recently reported: A decision from the Law Society of Saskatchewan’s Hearing Committee whether a lawyer should be admitted to practice.