CIVILITY EVENT NEXT MONTHA slew of legal heavyweights will present their views on the civility debate at an upcoming event that will raise funds for Toronto lawyer Joe Groia’s costs in his proceedings with the Law Society of Upper Canada.
The event takes place on Dec. 6 at Heenan Blaikie LLP at 333 Bay St. in Toronto.
The debate on the future of advocacy in Canada will feature panellists Ian Binnie, a former judge of the Supreme Court of Canada; criminal lawyer Edward Greenspan; Thomas Heintzman, counsel at McCarthy Tétrault LLP; and University of Calgary law professor Alice Woolley. Heenan Blaikie partner George Karayannides will moderate.
Please
click here for more information about the event.
IP LAWYER JOINS NORTON ROSEIntellectual property lawyer Anthony de Fazekas has joined Norton Rose Canada LLP’s Toronto office.
De Fazekas leaves Miller Thomson LLP to take a position as partner at Norton Rose. His work focuses on all areas of information technology law and includes the formation of intellectual property strategies, development of patent applications, prosecution of patents, and licensing.
“Anthony brings an outstanding combination of IT and corporate expertise to the firm,” said Allyson Whyte Nowak, regional chairwoman of Norton Rose’s Ontario intellectual property practice.
“He knows what it takes to help mid-sized and startup clients succeed. His proven track record in the innovation sector will be a tremendous benefit to our clients in the area.”
POLL RESULTSThe results of the latest
Law Times online poll are in.
According to the poll, 83 per cent of respondents think it’s time for the province to introduce a special law to deal with strategic litigation against public participation.
The results come as an Ontario Superior Court master took former Aurora, Ont., mayor Phyllis Morris to task for her actions in a defamation matter during the 2010 municipal election.
The court ordered Morris to pay costs after she withdrew litigation against a number of people she alleged had defamed her shortly before the election.
A panel appointed by the province has already called for legislation to deal with SLAPPs, but the government has yet to take action.
LAO GOES WIRELESSLegal Aid Ontario is going wireless.
This fall, LAO will launch a year-long pilot project at the courthouses in Brampton, Ont., and Durham Region to look at how wireless devices can help staff improve their work.
Working on a secure network, LAO staff will use laptops and tablets with the goal of improving communication and achieving efficiencies.
LAO says it has confirmed the devices won’t interfere with existing courtroom technology. Currently, resources such as research materials, precedents, certificate status, and client history are only available on wired computers.
NEW LAW TAKES EFFECTA new law affecting drug crimes took effect last week.
The targeting serious drug crime component of Bill C-10 has come into force, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced last Tuesday. The law targets gangs and other organized crime groups that participate in the drug trade.
It makes jail time mandatory, for example, for offences carried out for the purposes of organized crime. The law also tackles cases of drugs sold to youth or in areas near a school.
Besides the drug law, the House of Commons also passed Criminal Code amendments toughening protections for seniors.
The protecting Canada’s seniors act would make evidence that an offence had an impact on victims due to their age an aggravating factor in sentencing. The bill now moves to the Senate.
