Canada

Some California law firms turn down work amid associate shortage; six-figure signing bonuses reported

A shortage of associates in California’s Bay Area is leading some law firms to turn down work and others to strain available lawyers with the workload, according to a report by the Recorder.

Nov 4, 2021 9:26 AM CDT

Human rights abuses at boarding schools for Native American children must be examined, ABA House says

Resolution 801 urges organizations and governments to cooperate with the Department of the Interior’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and hand over school records to help uncover the truth of what happened at the boarding schools.

Oct 1, 2021 1:10 AM CDT

Human rights violations at American Indian boarding schools must be investigated, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates voted Monday in favor of a resolution calling for an investigation into human rights abuses at American Indian boarding schools after the president of the Canadian Bar Association appeared in person to support the resolution.

Aug 10, 2021 9:30 AM CDT

Law Society of British Columbia launches ‘innovation sandbox’ to address access-to-justice gap

The law society’s initiative comes several months after the Utah Supreme Court launched its own regulatory sandbox amid a growing movement in North America to open up the legal marketplace to nonlawyer financial interests and practitioners.

Nov 24, 2020 9:37 AM CST

Does firm size matter? Retired lawyer muses on pros and cons of BigLaw and SmallLaw

The concept of BigLaw only recently crossed my radar. Though I had an idea of what it means, I wan’t sure and so I Googled it and went straight to one of my most trusted word reference texts, the Urban Dictionary.

Sep 14, 2020 10:07 AM CDT

Law firm teams up with Canadian legal tech company on AI-powered case prediction tool

Labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips has partnered with Blue J Legal Inc. to bring the Toronto legal tech company’s AI-powered technology, which predicts court outcomes in the employment law arena, to the United States.

Aug 25, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw’s big bankruptcy bucks; polyamorous ties recognized

Some BigLaw firms will earn big bucks in retail bankruptcies Several large law firms will likely earn millions of dollars representing retailers such as Neiman Marcus, J. Crew and J.C. Penney in Chapter 11 bankruptcies. Kirkland & Ellis partners are billing up to $1,845 per hour. (Law.com) Town recognizes polyamorous…

Jul 7, 2020 4:27 PM CDT

7th Circuit says brewer’s antitrust claims can move forward

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially revived a small Wisconsin brewer’s lawsuit against the two largest American breweries for conspiring to monopolize the sale of beer in Ontario, Canada.

Sep 6, 2019 2:57 PM CDT

More than 260 people targeted in elder fraud sweeps, including alleged $30M attorney scammer

More than 260 people have been targeted across the globe in the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday. The scammers victimized more than 2 million Americans, many of them elderly, causing millions of dollars in losses, according to a press…

Mar 7, 2019 2:33 PM CST

Judging the judges: With all due respect, of course

Can judges get nasty and difficult? I have been retired from my litigation practice in Greater Toronto for about two years now. I am therefore in a good position to answer that question with all confidence and security, and above all without fear of repercussions.

Jan 31, 2019 6:30 AM CST

BigLaw associate was duped into transferring over $2.5M to fraudster’s account, decision reveals

An associate at Dentons Canada was duped into transferring more than $2.5 million into a fraudster’s account, according to an opinion by an Ontario judge in an insurance coverage dispute. The Dec. 11 decision by Judge Carole J. Brown said the Vancouver-based associate sent the money from a property sale…

Jan 23, 2019 7:30 AM CST

The ‘think like a lawyer’ approach to law school is outdated

I have been writing about change within the legal industry for a few years, but have held off commenting directly on the law school and bar experience for a couple of reasons.

Jun 14, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

DOJ to give financial boost to FBI’s violent crime database

The Justice Department is seeking to bolster the FBI’s efforts at apprehending violent criminals — issuing grants for local police departments to test rape kits and requiring that those agencies submit information to an underutilized FBI database designed to catch serial killers and rapists.

May 4, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Legal technicians belong in courtrooms

One of the constant criticisms of the Washington limited license legal technician is that there only around 30 licensed technicians so far—even though the program is still in its infancy. A second challenge is that, currently, the LLLT cannot represent a client in court.

Apr 13, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

US is an outlier on death penalty attitudes in North America, ACLU attorney says

When it comes to imposing the death penalty, the United States has long outpaced North American neighbors Canada and Mexico, according to the director of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project.

Feb 3, 2018 2:00 PM CST