: I recently watched a movie, and one of the characters, who was bullied, made a very poignant statement. She said: “If the person who bullied me decided not to be mean, his life would not have changed... however, my life would have been profoundly different.” It struck me, that those who are unkind, would not lose anything by being kind. In fact, many benefits are derived from showing kindness to others. However, as we all know, the person who is on the receiving end of the bullying or unkindness, is affected in ways that reverberate for years, and at times, . . . [more] The post The Wellness Lawyer: “Kindness” appeared first on Slaw
: In almost every context, first impressions are key. I would argue that, for lawyers, communicating clear expectations during that first meeting is an essential skill. It is not a skill that comes easily. I have spoken about this topic with many lawyers over the years. There seems to be a clear divide between newly-called lawyers who have a tendency to make grand promises and seasoned lawyers who temper expectations. There is no “right” or “wrong” approach here. Everyone has to figure out their own style. My own style has been to keep expectations low…. very low. I conduct on average . . . [more] The post Managing Client Expectations appeared first on Slaw
: Earlier this year, a motion at the Ontario Superior Court paused while everyone in the room went looking for a quotation. The factum on one side quoted a decision of the Court of Appeal, and opposing counsel could not find the quoted words anywhere in that decision. He suspected the factum had been drafted with AI. The judge called a short recess, so the party who filed it could go and find the passage. [1] The citation was correct, and anyone who looked it up would have found exactly the case named. In this instance, AI produced a fake quotation . . . [more] The post Beyond Fake Cases: The Other Ways AI Is Going Wrong in Canadian Courts appeared first on Slaw
: I watch a lot of hockey – but mostly on television. This year I attended a playoff game of the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. It was an exciting game, but for me there was one concerning moment, when I heard thousands of people chanting, “Refs, you suck!”, after a call on the ice against the home team. As a hockey fan, I too did not like some of their calls, or non-calls, but there is a critical difference between attacking a decision and attacking the person who made the decision. Before the game started, . . . [more] The post “Refs, You Suck!”: Personal Attacks on Decision Makers appeared first on Slaw
: A longstanding sore spot in the world of dispute resolution is the gap between education and experience. For decades now, I have encountered mediation students eager to put their learning to work only to struggle to find the opportunity to do so. For those pursuing the ADR Institute of Canada’s Qualified Mediator (Q.Med) designation in Ontario, this real-life experience criterion is often the most elusive. After all, who would select a mediator with no experience? I touched upon this question slightly in this column years ago when I questioned the value of mediators promoting their mediation counts . For aspiring . . . [more] The post You Get Out What You Put In: All Is Fair in Love and Mediation appeared first on Slaw
: Le texte français suit. Dear CALLeagues, I hope this finds you well and enjoying the first stretch of summer. Our formal post-conference survey has now been released, and I encourage every member to take a few minutes to complete it. If you joined us in Moncton, please tell us what worked, what did not, and what you would like to see from future CALL/ACBD conferences. If you were not able to attend, we want to hear from you as well. This survey is about more than feedback on one event. It will help us understand who is coming to our conferences, why they attend, what they value, and what barriers may be keeping others away. We also want to know what might make attendance easier or more compelling in future years. Your answers will help us improve next year’s conference in Saskatoon and plan more thoughtfully for the years ahead. On that note, I am very excited to share some big news: CALL/ACBD will be heading to Toronto in 2028 to celebrate the Association’s 65th anniversary! Sixty-five years is a remarkable[...]
: dc.contributor.author: Larochelle, Vincent dc.date.issued: 2026-10 dc.description.abstract: Ce mémoire analyse la politique linguistique canadienne à travers l’un de ses aspects fondamentaux, celui des langues officielles dans la fonction publique fédérale canadienne. En partant d’une mise en contexte historique couvrant la période allant de la Conquête anglaise à la Révolution tranquille, il rappelle d’abord le contexte social dans lequel évoluaient les Canadiens français et les Canadiens anglais, et auquel la politique linguistique canadienne était censée répondre. Pour évaluer l’efficacité de la politique linguistique canadienne, ce mémoire procède à une analyse inédite de la composition linguistique de la fonction publique canadienne au fil du temps. Cette analyse de données s’étalant sur plus de 50 ans révèle un double constat : si les fonctionnaires francophones sont désormais représentés à la hauteur du poids démographique qu’ils occupent dans la société canadienne, les postes français ont subi un eff[...]
: First Consumer Review Fairness case takes on promoter’s “big bucks on Amazon” claim lfair August 6, 2018 | 11:11AM First Consumer Review Fairness case takes on promoter’s “big bucks on Amazon” claim By Lesley Fair T he marketers behind a purported money-making promotion called Sellers Playbook appear to have skipped the chapter about complying with federal and state consumer protection laws. That’s the allegation in a complaint filed by the FTC and the Minnesota Attorney General . In addition, it’s the FTC’s first case charg ing violations of the Consumer Review Fairness Act. The roots of the allegations go back to another venture sued by the FTC earlier this year: FBA Stores, also known as Amazing Wealth System and Amazon Wealth Systems. The defendants in that case ran online ads and in-person workshops that claimed to reveal the secret s of making major money on Amazon. But few, if any, of the consumers who forked over thousands of dollars and implemented their “plug-and-play systems” earn ed the kind of c[...]
: Speaking of Spokeo: Part 2 — The company’s allegedly bogus endorsements wfg-adm109 June 13, 2012 | 12:25PM Speaking of Spokeo: Part 2 — The company’s allegedly bogus endorsements By Lesley Fair The lawsuit against data broker Spokeo is the FTC’s first Fair Credit Reporting Act case addressing the collection of online info — including data from social networking sites — when used in the context of employment screening. But that’s not the only way the Spokeo settlement touches on social media. The FTC also charged that Spokeo violated Section 5 by having employees post glowing recommendations of the company’s services on news and technology websites without disclosing their true identity. Perhaps just the work of a rogue cubicle occupant? No, said the FTC. According to the complaint , Spokeo directed its employees to write the comments. Spokeo managers then edited what they wrote and had the staffers post the endorsements using account names provided by Spokeo. The purpose, says the FTC, was to give read[...]
: UT ref: UA-2026-000083-PIP In the Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber 28 October 2026 Before: Stewart Wright Judge of the Upper Tribunal Between: LC -v- Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Anonymity Order Appellant: LC Respondents: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Tribunal: First tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) Tribunal venue: Scarborough Tribunal Case Nos: SC231/24/00181 Tribunal decision date: 29 August 2025 NOTICE: Any breach of this order is liable to be treated as a contempt of court and may be punishable by imprisonment, fine or other sanctions under section 25 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. The maximum punishment that may be imposed is a sentence of two years’ imprisonment or an unlimited fine. It is ordered , under rule 14(1)(b) of the Tribunal Procedure (Upper Tribunal Rules) 2008, that, without the permission of this Tribunal, no one shall disclose or publish the name, or any part of the address, of the appellant in these proceedings or publish [...]