INTRODUCTION A group of lawyers have entered the fray against Covid-19 restrictions, issuing a document with the ringing title, “Free North Declaration” (“Declaration”) (see here for the version dated November 23, 2021). A strident endorsement of individual freedom, the document picks up on the canards that have permeated the debate over these many months. By...Read More

The “two Michaels,” Kovrig and Spavor, are not the only Canadians who have been unjustly imprisoned in China. Another Canadian, Huseyin Celil, has been jailed in China since 2006 on specious “terrorism” charges for peacefully advocating the rights of Uyghur people. These cases provide windows into the morass of everyday violations against Chinese human rights...Read More

From November 17-19, 2021, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ) will hold a national conference which focuses on “Indigenous Peoples and the Law.” This event will take place in person in Vancouver and online (though in-person registration has sold out). The conference will be welcoming some thirty speakers, among which many representatives...Read More

Written by Daniel Standing LL.B., Editor, First Reference Inc. Generally, a contract in restraint of trade is where one party agrees to restrict their liberty in the future to freely carry on trade with others who are not parties to the contract. Restrictive covenants can take different forms, depending on their purpose. For example, non-competition...Read More

We know that change is hard, especially when (as it usually does) it involves changing the behaviour of human beings. Can we argue or persuade our way through this kind of change? According to transformation expert Greg Satell, the answer is a resounding NO! First, some background. Legal professionals are taught that success depends on...Read More

The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyer’s of British Columbia (FACL BC) would like to invite all members of the legal community, whether you are a law student, senior member of the bar or a member of the judiciary, to attend the premiere of our documentary, But I Look Like a Lawyer, on November 5th, 2021...Read More

Written by Daniel Standing LL.B., Editor, First Reference Inc. You’re fired! These are two words no employee wants to hear. If job security goes together with seniority, then probationary employees walk a fine line every day they go to work. Most employers with collective agreements that allow for probationary periods rightly view them as a...Read More

Owners of copyright in movies struggle with large numbers of infringements in which unauthorized copies of their works are uploaded to peer to peer file sharing services such as BitTorrent.[1] The Federal Court of Appeal has noted that a solution to mass-copyright infringement is for a single creator to pursue a large number of infringers.[2]...Read More

In over 30 years of working with law firms on improving productivity and profitability, I’ve seen countless marketplace surveys on the incredible value of client feedback mechanisms. In many instances it’s been labelled as one of the fastest and most effective ways to boost firm revenue. So, you’d think that law firms would be all...Read More

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology. Research & Writing Keep Your Legal Research Up to Date With Alerts on Lexbox Alex Tsang For legal professionals working with a high volume of...Read More