CALE Board member Noel Semple has written a column published on Slaw.ca which discusses a case involving judicial review of a lawyer’s fee.
Author Archives: amysalyzyn
New Scholarship: Full Disclosure: Family Violence and Legal Ethics
CALE member Deanne Sowter has a new article up on SSRN. Abstract is below:
Abstract
Family violence creates ethical challenges for all family law lawyers, but it creates unique challenges for collaborative lawyers. Two of the tenets of collaborative practice are good faith and transparency. Two of the fundamental professional duties for lawyers are the duty of loyalty and the near-absolute obligation to keep client confidences. These ideas are at odds with each other, and the impact is problematic where there is family violence. This paper looks at the duties of loyalty and confidentiality, the contractual obligation in collaborative practice of full disclosure, and the presence of family violence. It looks specifically at the ethical challenges that arise when disclosing information pursuant to the collaborative practice participation agreement that create risk of harm for a spouse when there is family violence. Collaborative practice is still in its infancy in Canada, and without regulation, the options lawyers have when there are ethical challenges due to family violence are not conducive to meeting client interests, including promoting safety. Ultimately, this paper presents a solution in the form of collaborative practice legislation, amendments to the Model Code, and practice guidelines. The focus of the paper is collaborative practice, but some of this discussion is relevant to non-CP family lawyers as well, so where possible the recommendations are broad enough to include all family law lawyers.
CALE 2019 AGM
The agenda for the 2019 CALE Annual General Meeting, which will be held on October 26, 2019 in Windsor, can be found here: 2019 AGM Agenda
SCC alumni’s role in legal controversies sparks new debate over ex-judges’ return to practice
An article now up on the Lawyer’s Daily website discusses the issue of retired Supreme Court of Canada judges returning to legal practice and contains commentary from CALE President Amy Salyzyn, CALE Vice-President Stephen Pitel and CALE member Gavin MacKenzie.
Agenda for CALE Annual Conference
Adding Courts to the Lawyer Wellness Discussion
CALE President Amy Salyzyn has written in Slaw.ca about the role that courts might play in facilitating lawyer wellness.
OBA Foundation Chief Justice of Ontario Fellowships
2019-20 WINNERS
The winners for the 2019-20 year are Kelly Gallagher-Mackay of Wilfred Laurier University in the Fellowship in Research category and Deanne Sowter, a Research Fellow at Osgoode Hall Law School, in the Studies category. Prof. Gallagher-Mackay will by studying the experiences of international law graduates in Ontario after receiving Certificates of Qualification from the National Council on Accreditation, to practice law in Ontario. She will be studying the effect of these lawyers and candidates on the internationalization of legal and professional education. Ms. Sowter will be studying the question whether psychological or coercive harm should be included in the professional rules exempting physical violence or harm from duties of confidentiality and solicitor-client privilege. Both projects promise to advance the law’s understanding of emergent and important topics that affect the practice of law in Canada.
The Absent Ethics of Legal Fees : Putting Profit-Seeking in Its Place
CALE Board Member Noel Semple has written in Slaw.ca about the need for clearer ethical rules in relation to legal fees.
The Costs of Regulation
The Law Society of Ontario Treasurer and CALE Member, Malcolm Mercer has a new post up at Slaw.ca that breaks down the licensing fee and insurance costs paid by an Ontario lawyer in private practice in order to practice law.
Registration Open for 2019 CALE Annual Conference
Registration is now open for the 2019 CALE Annual Conference, which will be hosted by Windsor Law, in Windsor Ontario, October 24-26, 2019.
The conference will have a similar format to previous conferences. There will be three Research panels, a Teaching panel, a Regulatory panel, as well as a keynote speaker, Professor Rebecca Roiphe (New York Law School), who will discuss “Prosecutorial Independence During the Trump Administration”. A detailed agenda will be posted early in the fall.
For more details and to register, please go to this website.