By: Farrah Rajan Justice Minister Peter Mackay claims that women are not applying to be judges because it may take them away from time with their children. Although his comments were made in reference to the lack of diversity on federally appointed courts, the mindset can be applied to all
Continue readingTag: Legal Reform
Law is Cool: “Harper’s way out should serve as a Supreme precedent”
Summarized by Paralegal student Michael Yen “Harper’s way out should serve as a Supreme precedent “ by André Pratte, Special to The Globe and Mail, May 29 2014. The aftermath of the conflict between the PMO and the Supreme Court of Canada has come to what appears to be a
Continue readingLaw is Cool: Jonathan MacKenzie is this week’s top Social Media Student at Law (@JMacKenzieLaw)
Last week’s #CBafuturesChat was a discussion of the articling in Canada. The focus of the talk shifted from Law School to recent grads, and with that, the conversation shifted to students at law instead of law students. @OmarHaRedeye because law students think there is a crisis, and we're all desperately
Continue readingLaw is Cool: LSUC Publishes Articling Task Force Report
This article was originally published on www.LFTI.ca The Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC)’s articling task force has released its final report on its proposed solution for what has been dubbed the “Articling Crisis” facing recent law grads in Ontario. The report directly concerns current law students, new graduates of law programs,
Continue readingLaw is Cool: The Innovative Advocate: Canada’s Legal Future
The way legal services are delivered in Canada is changing. Increased competition and a demand for lower prices has pressured law firms to slow hiring and deliver their services more efficiently. After finishing my first year at Queen’s Law I started thinking about how law students can help firms meet the demand. It starts
Continue readingLaw is Cool: Islamophobia in Canada: A Primer
by Fathima Cader and Sumayya Kassamali Ten years after September 11, 2001, the term “Islamophobia,” once largely obscure, has become all but inevitable when discussing contemporary politics. As Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden became household names, Western fear of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims has also grown. Canada has been
Continue readingLaw is Cool: Trigger-Happy Plaintiff Feels the Blowback for Initiating SLAPP Action
A recent decision by the Supreme Court of British Columbia in relation to a costs application provides a cautionary tale for eager plaintiffs that hope to use the courtroom to wage their own private war on citizens exercising their right to free speech. In Scory v. Krannitz, 2011 BCSC 1344 (“Scory”), Bruce J. awarded special […]
Continue readingLaw is Cool: On democratic legitimacy of the courts
My last post talked about how judges work with each other’s decisions. Today, I’d like to take a bird’s eye look at the relationship between the judiciary and Parliament. Unelected judges handle laws passed by elected legislatures such as Parliament of Canada or provincial parliaments. How they do it helps understand why it’s ok for […]
Continue readingLaw is Cool: What can judges really do?
Judges are powerful people. Sometimes, misconceptions about their power lead to calls for an elected judiciary or some other form of outside intervention in our courts. These are all bad ideas. Our judiciary must be independent from all potential litigants (including the state). It is also sufficiently self-regulated yet flexible. The most important principle of […]
Continue readingLaw is Cool: The purpose of blawgs
More than a year ago I wrote a post entitled “How lawyers think.” Its basic idea is that a lawyer’s job is to maximize legal protection of his client’s rights. Protecting rights means either of two things: one, letting the world know what your rights and their legal basis are, and, two, getting a court […]
Continue readingLaw is Cool: The monarchy in Canada
The recent royal visit offers a good chance to talk about monarchy in Canada. Besides just being nice Canadians, the people who greeted the newly married royal couple were often ecstatic, filled with genuine love for the two people, one of which has done nothing of significance while the other has never been heard of […]
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