North America

3 Arrested re ‘Maple Syrup Gang’ Accused of Stealing 6M Gallons From OPEC-Like Canadian Cartel

In an $18 million international theft case that a representative of the victims compares to stealing oil reserves from OPEC, authorities say they have brought at least some members of the “maple syrup gang” to justice. Three men were arrested Tuesday and five others are being sought in what is…

Dec 20, 2012 11:12 PM CST

Wal-Mart Says Retailer Is Investigating Possible Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Issues in Mexico

Responding to a New York Times report earlier this week about a claimed pattern of bribe-paying by a Mexican subsidiary, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it has been looking into the alleged incidents discussed by the newspaper as part of an internal investigation of potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues that…

Dec 19, 2012 4:52 PM CST

NY Times Says It Pursued Internal Probe Dropped by Wal-Mart, Describes Claimed Bribes in Mexico

When a lawyer for the Mexican subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. allegedly told executives at the retail giant’s Arkansas headquarters that managers across the border routinely resorted to bribery to avoid zoning, environmental and permitting regulations when building new stores, an internal investigation ensued. But it was also shut down…

Dec 18, 2012 10:18 PM CST

41 Law Firms Vie for Top Honors in Annual Contest to Give the Most to Local Food Bank

A battle between Toronto law firms to come out on top in an annual competition to see who can donate the most to a local food bank is expected to raise nearly $250,000 in cash and food donations this year. A winner among the 41 competing law firms will be…

Dec 12, 2012 5:09 PM CST

United Sues Over Customer Complaint Website Design; Operator Calls Blog an Obvious Parody

A major airline has sued a Canadian engineering professor in his home country, contending that the 15-year-old website on which he compiles customer and employee complaints violates its intellectual property rights and worker privacy. United Continental Holdings only sued after owner Jeremy Cooperstock reworked his untied.com blog in April to…

Nov 29, 2012 5:20 PM CST

Partners OK Latest Mega-Merger; Dentons Will Have Nearly 2,500 Attorneys, Be Set Up as Swiss Verein

A three-way merger of major law firms was approved Wednesday by the partners involved, setting the stage for SNR Denton, Salans and Fraser Milner Casgrain to combine early next year. The new megafirm, which will be known as Dentons, will have more than 2,500 attorneys and professionals, making it the…

Nov 28, 2012 8:25 PM CST

Appeals Court Calls Opinions Copied From Lawyers’ Briefs Mystery Rulings, Tells Judge to Try Again

Saying that a Canadian judge’s wholesale copying from lawyers’ briefs made it impossible to determine the jurist’s rulings and reasoning process, an appellate court has told him to try again. Although Justice Donald Lee of Court of Queen’s Bench called the retyped paragraphs his Reasons for Judgment in the two…

Nov 19, 2012 8:59 PM CST

Some Staff Protest Bay Street Firm’s New Finger Scan ID Plan, Ask Why It Doesn’t Apply to Lawyers

As part of a new security campaign, a Canadian insurance law firm on Toronto’s prime Bay Street is installing a fingerprint-identification program that is expected to be up and running this month. But scanning workers’ prints also admittedly will help McCague Borlack keep track of its employees’ whereabouts. And that…

Nov 1, 2012 7:04 PM CDT

Woman Sues Apple Over Smart Devices, Says She Never Agreed to Have Location Data Tracked and Stored

In a legal case that could become a class action, a Canadian woman has sued Apple Inc., contending that she and her son did not consent, when they purchased or were given an iPhone and iPod, to have their location data tracked and stored. Anyone with “moderate computer knowledge” could…

Oct 31, 2012 7:11 PM CDT

Michoacan Judge Accused of Releasing Drug Cartel Suspects Fired

Efrain Cazares, a federal judge for the Mexico state of Michoacan accused of improperly releasing drug cartel suspects, was fired Wednesday, the Associated Press reports. Mexico’s Federal Judiciary Council did not give specifics, according to the AP, but stated that Cazares was removed from the bench for “serious offenses in…

Oct 25, 2012 5:33 PM CDT

New Fireworks in Ethics Trial of Prominent Canadian Judge, as Quasi-Prosecutor Steps Down

After previously questioning the impartiality of a panel overseeing a controversial legal ethics case against a Canadian judge, a lawyer serving in something of a prosecutorial role has stepped down in the middle of the trial. Guy Pratte’s resignation followed his recent filing of a Federal Court motion contending that…

Aug 27, 2012 10:38 PM CDT

Legal Ethics Trial of Canadian Judge Could Be Doomed By ‘Incontestable’ Bias of Tribunal Counsel

A controversial legal ethics trial concerning a prominent Manitoba judge has taken an unusual turn. A call Thursday by the judge’s lawyer for the inquiry to be terminated, due to claimed bias on the part of an attorney who is supposed to serve as an impartial advisor to the Canadian…

Jul 26, 2012 9:55 PM CDT

Canadian Appeals Court Dismisses Law Partner’s Age Discrimination Case, Says He’s Not an Employee

Calling a lower court’s decision that a longtime partner of a prominent law firm was its employee, for the purpose of applying age-discrimination rules, “legally insupportable,” a Canadian appeals court has dismissed John Michael McCormick’s case against Fasken Martineau DuMoulin for lack of jurisdiction. “There can be no doubt that…

Jul 19, 2012 9:06 PM CDT

Mistrial Declared in First-Degree Murder Case Over Juror’s Facebook Comments a Year Ago

Corrected: An unusual mistrial declared in a high-profile murder case this week, over comments made by a juror on a Facebook page roughly a year ago, offer a cautionary example about how far-reaching potential pitfalls concerning social media use can be. The comments were found on Tuesday by family members…

Jul 19, 2012 7:44 PM CDT

Rejected Twice After Condo Board Battle, Stellar Law Grad Tries Again for Bar Admission

Despite graduating in the top 10 percent of his class and working for top legal firms as a summer associate, a 30-year-old graduate of prestigious Osgoode Hall Law School has twice been rejected for bar membership over a 2008 battle with fellow members of his condo board. But Ryan Manilla…

Jul 16, 2012 10:55 PM CDT