PAIR HONOURED FOR LEGAL WRITING
The Ontario government has named Brenda Cossman and William Kaplan as the winners of 2009 David W. Mundell Medal.
The honour pays tribute to those who have made a significant contribution in legal writing.
Cossman, a professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, has garnered international acclaim for her work on a variety of subjects ranging from law and sexuality to international human rights.
Kaplan is a lawyer, mediator, and arbitrator who has published articles and books on civil liberties, immigration and citizenship, labour law, and legal history.
N.Y. FIRM BUYS TORONTO’S COLE & PARTNERS
Duff & Phelps Corp., a financial advisory and investment-banking firm based in New York, has established a presence in Canada with the purchase of Cole & Partners, the Toronto financial advisory practice.
Since 1975, Cole & Partners has provided financial litigation support and investigative accounting services to clients that include law firms and publicly traded companies. Its 20 client-service professionals will begin operating under the Duff & Phleps banner after a transition period.
“Through Cole & Partners, we have established a platform to enter the Canadian market, where we see meaningful expansion opportunities,” said Noah Gottdiener, chairman and CEO of Duff & Phelps.
LEGAL CHALLENGE OVER G20 CANNONS
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Canadian Labour Congress have initiated legal proceedings against the planned use of controversial sonic cannons at the upcoming G8 and G20 meetings.
The cannons, also known as long-range acoustic devices, can emit painfully loud sounds that can cause permanent hearing damage. The two organizations are seeking an injunction that would prevent the Toronto Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police from using the devices.
“Our laws require that new weapons be tested and approved by the solicitor general before they are used on the public - the [sonic cannon] has not gone through this process,” said Nathalie des Rosiers, CCLA’s general counsel.
“These laws and procedures exist for our protection; they cannot be put aside simply because foreign dignitaries are coming to town.”
LSUC PRESENTS HONORARY DEGREES
The Law Society of Upper Canada presented a doctor of laws degree last week to Ontario Chief Justice Warren Winkler at a ceremony at Roy Thomson Hall.
Winkler received the honorary degree during the call to the bar ceremony. Law society Treasurer Derry Millar, who presented the award, paid tribute to Winkler’s career as a labour lawyer.
“As a nationally recognized mediator, he was instrumental in the settlement of some of the seemingly most intractable major lawsuits in Ontario and other parts of Canada. As chief justice, he continues to distinguish himself, particularly in the areas of access to justice and professionalism.”
The law society called 329 of the province’s 1,262 new lawyers to the bar at the ceremony.
As well, Abdulrahim Ali Chahbar will receive an honorary doctorate at the LSUC ceremony in London, Ont., today.
The award honours Chahbar’s service to the legal profession as a lay bencher with the law society. Chahbar will also give the keynote address to 91 new lawyers at the ceremony.
