LSUC OPENS DOORS TO KIDSThe Law Society of Upper Canada is hosting Take Our Kids to Work Day to give wannabe lawyers and paralegals in Grade 9 an overview of the steps required to join the legal profession.
The interactive program will take place on Nov. 3 at Osgoode Hall and will also be recorded and broadcast online.
A range of speakers will give the students insights into a day in the life of a judge, a criminal lawyer, a Crown attorney, and a family law practitioner, among others in the justice system.
Students who attend must come with an adult. Interested parents can reserve a spot online at
ecom.lsuc.on.ca/kidstowork before Oct. 28.
NEW ADDITIONS AT GOWLINGS’ U.K. OFFICEGowling Lafleur Henderson LLP has boosted its London, England, office with the addition of Michael Taylor, a former partner at the London-based international firm Norton Rose LLP.
Taylor joins the firm’s energy, infrastructure, and mining group a week after Gowlings unveiled another boost to its expertise in the energy area by hiring Robert Armour, a former in-house counsel for British Energy Group.
Taylor had been a partner at Norton Rose since 1979. “We’re thrilled to have Michael join our growing London office,” Andrew Oppenheim, Gowlings’ London managing partner, told The Lawyer.
“Gowlings has a breadth and depth of energy knowledge that makes us trusted advisers to senior executives across the energy sector.
Michael brings with him deep experience and knowledge of energy and project finance, both of which will certainly be an asset to our clients.”
QUEEN’S LAUNCHES LABOUR LAW CENTREQueen’s University has launched Canada’s first research centre for workplace law.
The
Law Foundation of Ontario kicked in $185,000 to get the Centre for Law
in the Contemporary Workplace up and running. The university hopes it
will train the next generation of labour and employment lawyers and
scholars.
“Several areas of law intersect in today’s workplace,” said Queen’s Faculty of Law dean Bill Flanagan.
“That intersection will be at the heart of the new centre. It will serve as a catalyst for research and curriculum development, for reflection and dialogue.
Drawing on existing faculty strengths and attracting visiting experts, we are creating a gathering place and resource centre for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers.”
Professor Kevin Banks, academic director of the centre, sees it as a timely innovation in a rapidly changing area of law.
“An unprecedented number of Canadians participate in the workforce, and the quality of workplace relations matters more than ever to them and to the success of their employers,” he said.
“This centre aims to help define how labour and employment law can continue to advance workplace justice in ways attuned to today’s economy and society.”
FEDS PONY UP FOR CHILD VICTIMSThe federal government has announced funding to create and enhance child advocacy centres across Canada in an effort to better serve young victims of and witnesses to crime.
“The government is committed to supporting victims of crime, particularly the most vulnerable among us - our children,” Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said in announcing the $5.2 million in funding over five years.
Child advocacy centres involve a collaborative team of professionals who work in a child-friendly setting to help victims and witnesses navigate the criminal justice system.
The goal is to reduce the emotional and mental harm to the child while potentially improving the quality of evidence brought forward in trials.
