Feds look to bolster government lawyers’ billable hour targets
The Department of Justice is taking a further step towards mirroring private practice by including billable-hour targets in federal lawyers’ performance reviews and increasing the numbers it expects...
View ArticleDisregard of Charter in anti-terror bill 'untenable': CBA
The Canadian Bar Association is recommending nearly two-dozen changes to the federal government’s proposed anti-terrorism legislation, to strike more of a balance between security and individual...
View ArticleFormer Crown/NDP candidate asking for judicial review of rules on running for...
A week after winning the NDP nomination for Ottawa-Vanier, former federal prosecutor Emilie Taman was in Federal Court Tuesday, asking for a judicial review of the Public Service Commission of Canada’s...
View ArticleMcKenna, LeBlanc touted as likely cabinet picks from lawyer-heavy caucus
The swearing in ceremony of prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau and his cabinet on Wednesday will mark the beginning of a lawyer-heavy Liberal majority government reign for the next four years. “I...
View ArticleWilson-Raybould ‘an inspirational choice’ for justice post
Former B.C Crown Jody Wilson-Raybould will serve as Canada’s first aboriginal justice minister and attorney general in the new Liberal government. Wilson-Raybould, a former regional chief of the...
View ArticleLawyer warns about ‘unpleasant surprises’ as TPP text released
Crafted largely in secrecy, the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement text was released publicly yesterday. Trade lawyer Mark Sills of Sills Egsgard LLP says “the devil is in the details” and...
View ArticleFeds ask for 6 more months to craft assisted suicide law
The new Liberal government asked the Supreme Court of Canada today for a six-month delay in applying its decision on physician-assisted suicide because of the recent federal election. In Carter v....
View ArticleGuergis’ lawsuit against law firm one step closer to trial
Former Conservative cabinet minister and MP Helena Guergis’ lawsuit against Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a step closer to trial after a judge dismissed an appeal to strike two of Guergis’...
View ArticleSupreme Court’s IT challenge unlikely to proceed: former deputy minister
There’s little chance an escalating dispute between Ottawa and the federal courts of this country — about IT procurement, of all things — will ever find its way into a courtroom, despite the Supreme...
View ArticleMacKay lands at Baker & McKenzie
Peter MacKay, the former federal attorney general and minister of Defence, will be joining global law firm Baker & McKenzie LLP's Toronto office, ending media speculation around potential...
View Article‘Expert’ witnesses and the groundbreaking pot ruling
The ongoing haze around shifting pot legislation in Canada got a little less cloudy last week with a ruling by Federal Court Justice Michael Phelan. Coverage of Allard v. Canada — predictably — focused...
View Article‘Crucially important’ changes to arbitrations under CETA
New provisions under the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will bring “crucially important” changes to arbitration involving states and foreign investors, a lawyer says. The changes...
View ArticleFormer DOJ lawyer calls for amendments after losing Charter challenge
A former senior Justice Department lawyer who is challenging Ottawa’s constitutional review process says the rise of the Trudeau Liberals will not influence his decision on whether or not to seek an...
View ArticleOntario looking for lawyers for sex assault advice program
The province of Ontario has formally opened up the call for lawyers to apply to provide paid, free advice to sexual assault survivors. The Independent Legal Advice for Survivors of Sexual Assault pilot...
View ArticleCotler calls for changes to Supreme Court selection process
Following news of the impending retirement of Supreme Court of Canada Justice Thomas Cromwell, former Liberal minister of justice and attorney general Irwin Cotler is calling for change in the way SCC...
View ArticleFormer judge, law prof to provide oversight to city of Calgary
University of Calgary law professor Alice Woolley has been appointed Calgary’s first ethics adviser. Woolley takes the role alongside Allen Sulatycky, a former associate chief justice of the Court of...
View ArticleLawyers call for national cybersecurity standards
Technology lawyers say they’re hopeful the federal government’s public consultation on cybersecurity will result in a set of national standards for digital safety in Canada. Technology lawyer Lisa...
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