Ottawa law students file complaint over Facebook

Josh Visser, CTV.ca News Staff

A group of University of Ottawa law students have filed a complaint with the privacy commissioner of Canada against the social networking website Facebook.

The 35-page complaint alleges 22 separate violations of Canadian privacy laws by the California-based company under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

"To boil it down simply, it's an issue of honesty and an issue of consent," Lisa Feinberg, a University of Ottawa law student who has just completed her first year, told CTV.ca. "Facebook isn't being completely honest with its users. It presents itself as a social utility site . . . but they are actually involved in a lot of commercial activities."

Feinberg is part of a team of University of Ottawa law students who filed the complaint as part of a project developed while they were interns with the university's Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, led by Philippa Lawson.

Read the whole article here.

Good on these guys. I happen to hate Facebook. I'm on it, due to some distinct family pressure, and an innate desire to track down some specific friends, but I always worry about people knowing a bit too much about me and my family.

Billions of dollars hang on Canada court's BCE hearing

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's top court has the potential on Tuesday to create several billion dollars in shareholder value for investors of BCE Inc. (BCE.TO: Quote, Profile, Research)(BCE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) when it considers whether to let the world's largest leveraged buyout proceed.

I would just love to be a junior lawyer in this case. It would be fascinating, I'm sure.

Queen's law grads to receive new designation

Bachelor of Laws degree will no longer be issued by the university

Posted By BY JANE SWITZER, FOR THE WHIG-STANDARD

What's in a name? that's what students and alumni of the Queen's Faculty of Law are asking themselves.

This April marked the last graduating class of students from the Queen's Faculty of Law who had a choice between choosing a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B) or a Juris Doctor (JD) designation on their diploma.

Controversy surrounding the change in designation has been building since William Flanagan, dean of the Queen's Faculty of Law, made the announcement that all future graduating classes in the Faculty of Law will have their LL. B designations replaced with JD designations in 2007.

Read this informative article here, and post your comments on this blog.

LLB VS. JD - As it Happens - CBC

LLB VS. JD

Duration: 00:05:23

MA. B.Sc.. MD. Ph.D. Those are just some of the letters graduates get to put after their name once they've completed a certain level of education. Well a certain set of letters are causing quite a controversy at the Queen's University Law School in Kingston, Ontario. Currently, law school graduates complete their LL.B. But Bill Flanagan, the dean of the law department, is urging that law graduates should actually receive a JD, or Juris Doctor, designation. Is it all just a bunch of BS? We reached Bill Flanagan at his office at Queen's University. My wife heard this little story on the radio this morning. Might be worth listening to. I understand Calgary recently voted to adopt the JD rather than the LLB. I am still waiting for Alberta to follow suit so that I can exchange my degree...

Law grad goes the distance

Read this nice story about the Gold Medalist at UVic Law School (Meagan Lang). Nice! Way to go Meagan! I especially like the part about running a marathon!

Doctoral student bestowed with award from Trudeau Foundation

Irvin Studin’s gamble to leave a lucrative career as a foreign policy specialist with the Privy Council office to become a doctoral student at Osgoode Hall Law School has paid off in dividends. Read more here.

This guy sounds like he's priming up for the office of PM!

I couldn't understand whether he was a lawyer or not. Perhaps just an academic? Why would you get a PhD in law if you hadn't received a law degree or Master of Laws?

Laurentian studies law school

Laurentian University is examining the potential of a Northern Ontario law school in an attempt to attract students and professionals north. Read more here.

Career shift offers fresh start for federal prosecuter

This is a nice little story about New Peterborough federal prosecutor Mauro DiCarlo, whose legal career does not fit the usual mold.

Isaac Lidsky to Become First Blind Supreme Court Law Clerk

I tried to get to this article, but no such luck. Isaac Lidsky to Become First Blind Supreme Court Law Clerk. It sounds really inspirational, so if you know where I can find the article, please let me know.

Aboriginal Law Student Scholarship Trust Launches in Vancouver

Read more about this trust here.

UBC and HKU forge law school alliance

From Financial Post - Legal Post:

May 28, 2008

Earlier this month the University of British Columbia and the University of Hong Kong established a new joint legal education program. The Faculties of Law at UBC and HKU will each accept up to five students per year, starting in 2009. All students enrolled in the program will be able to earn the law degrees required -- subject to admission and completion of the professional course requirements -- for law practice in both jurisdictions.

Read the whole article here.

This sounds like a really cool program. Wow!

I really liked reading the last few posts on the Canadian law school blog, Lawyer Like

It's interesting to hear the emotion the poster has about finally getting through law school. Good for you!!!

A little heavier reading for while you are in class

Whether you are in your undergraduate classes or law school classes (although y'all are on summer break now), you might be interested in The Court. An initiative of Osgoode Hall Law School, The Court is a site where scholars, practitioners and other interested citizens can discuss the recent work of the Supreme Court of Canada.

From their About Us section:

"Student editors under the direction of a faculty supervisor solicit and write brief comments or informative notes about cases that the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear or has decided within the last two years or so. As well, we publish commentary on other aspects of the work of the Supreme Court. Readers are invited to submit responses to the commentary, engendering a lively exchange about current issues facing the SCC. We also encourage interested readers to apply to become “Friends of The Court” and submit commentary for publication.

In addition to the central blogging aspect, The Court offers resources about the Supreme Court and aims to become the premier online location for information about Canada’s highest court. We are constantly improving our collection and welcome suggestions and offers of relevant material."

I have read it for a while, and find it very interesting and enlightening, even though I am not that big on case law (i.e. it's not a personal hobby of mine to read it). Summaries are a lawyer's friend, although the really good lawyers seem to be the ones who can stand to read case law all night long, and quote it the next day in court :).

Oh, and I just noticed that the Editor-in-Chief is James Stribopoulos, Assistant Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, one of my favourite law professors (he taught me Criminal in first year law school at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law).

New law school a step closer to reality

Law society gives Lakehead preliminary approval.

Law Times - May 5, 2008

Northern Ontario has inched closer to having its own law school after the Law Society of Upper Canada gave preliminary approval last week to a bid from Lakehead University.
But, while the law society benchers voted overwhelmingly in support of the initiative by the Thunder Bay school, some voiced concerns and voted against it.

Read the whole article here.

Some of you have commented that you think that Canada doesn't need a new law school. Others have indicated that this new law school could fill a gap in the area that it is proposed for. What are your thoughts on it now?

I am of the opinion that there are plenty of law schools already, and that they should put their money into a new medical school, or rather into creating new spots at current medical schools. We are somewhat over-lawyered, and very under-doctored.

“How many lawyers does the province of Ontario need?” “Do you think we should be studying that?” Some very good and obvious questions were asked by Ontario Bencher Bob Aaron. Why would you even consider a new law school without finding out this key information?

Interestingly, the law society’s licensing and accreditation task force in January reported that the current demand for about 1,300 articling placements in Ontario is expected to grow to 1,730 — a 30 per cent jump — by next year. This is different than the information provided in a recent post here at Law Eh? (I can't remember the date).

The school would accept 55 students each year, with preference given to those from rural, northern, or aboriginal communities. Lakehead hopes to have the new faculty up and running by next year.

Wow, that's quick!

Native judge named to lead healing forum

See the news story at the National Post.

Justice Harry LaForme, a Mississauga Indian from Ontario, was appointed yesterday to head a federal truth and reconciliation commission exploring the legacy of abuse in Indian residential schools. A former commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario, he is a member of the Ontario Court of Appeal and was the first aboriginal to be appointed to an appellate court in the history of Canada.

I am so pleased to see this appointment and this commission. It is wonderful to have an aboriginal heading this, and one so well respected and well educated. I hope that it will give some of the survivors a sense of comfort and safety.

I am currently working on some residential school files, specifically with the Independent Assessment Process. It is proving to be extremely interesting. My grandmother went to a residential school, so I have a real empathy for these people.

Law firms do the math - outsourcing

I just read an interesting article at Financial Post published today. It was the 2nd part of a series, and is about the concept of outsourcing legal work to offshore companies (i.e. India). My eyes are opened so often in this career. Who would have thought that an Indian lawyer just outside of Mumbai could take on a legal task that me or my colleague here in Canada might be in charge of. If there is any truth to this article, I think that the lawyers in North America, the U.K. and Australia ought to make sure that they are doing their homework and that they are prepared to provide some added-value legal services, if they want to retain the kind of work that they so readily enjoy.

An interesting read.

Running low on lawyers?; Attracting attorneys to Peterborough a tough sell

Here's an interesting article on a subject dear to me: staying away from Big Law:

Posted By GALEN EAGLE

Peterborough Examiner - April 19, 2008

Coming out of law school, local lawyer David O'Neill could have done what most law grads do - move to Toronto.

The big money, the big firms, the big city is attracting a mass exodus of young lawyers from across the province at increasing rates.

Instead, the Peterborough native came home and joined a small firm. "Most of my classmates moved to Toronto," O'Neill said. "There are a lot more opportunities there and higher pays."

At 32, O'Neill is bucking the trend. He represents a minority of young lawyers who have chosen a smaller locale.

With the average age of Ontario's lawyers reaching 50 and most law school graduates heading to the Greater Toronto Area, communities such as Peterborough could be heading toward a lawyer crunch.

It's a tough sell telling people they need more lawyers.

Read the whole article here.

Law society should still teach ethics, say critics

By Nora Rock
The Lawyers Weekly
Toronto
April 18 2008

A Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) Bencher has said she is appalled by a proposed retreat by the LSUC from ethics teaching in the Bar Admissions program. “I think it is a retrograde step... We are doing the wrong thing. We are betraying the profession,” said Bencher Heather Ross at a recent conference on legal ethics.

An interesting article...read it here.

Revised proposal for LU law school being reviewed

From Thunder Bay's The Source:

Lakehead University's latest proposal for a new law school is now in the hands of officials in southern Ontario and they may have their final answer by the end of April.

Read the whole article here.

Results of the Yellow Pages Ads

Sorry for not posting lately. It's been over a month. But, here's some good news:

Last year, I had a small sized ad in the yellow pages. I only remember getting one telephone call from that ad. This year, we did the ads in my last posting. The Estates one was a 1/2 page and the divorce one was a small business card sized ad. We have received numerous telephone calls from both. We have been keeping track, and everybody we talk to seems to like the simplicity of the messages in the ads. We have gotten about 5 new clients from the estates ad, and about 4 new clients from the divorce ad. So far, the increased ad costs have been paid for and then some! I am very pleased about this. And, it has only been a month since the pages were released, so I hope for more in the future. I have also had a number of people call about separate legal issues (i.e. not estates or divorces), which I find really interesting.