Information Technology
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April 24, 2023
Alberta law society website, lawyer portal hit by cyberattacks
The Law Society of Alberta (LSA) is saying it has noticed a surge of cyberattacks over the past three weeks targeting its website and lawyer portal. According to the law society, none of its information systems or networks have been compromised, and similar attacks have been reported across a wide range of business sectors in Canada.
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April 24, 2023
No rules govern LSO bencher election fundraising; ‘reform’ needed, lawyers, candidates say
No rules govern fundraising or spending for the Law Society of Ontario’s (LSO) bencher election, an issue which lawyers and candidates alike have raised as an area “ripe for reform” as it leads to glaring “inequity” and “unfairness” in campaigning. LSO spokesperson, Jennifer Wing, confirmed to Law360 Canada that “there are no rules regarding election spending/fundraising,” noting that there is an “understanding that licensees are to conduct themselves professionally and ethically.”
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April 19, 2023
An LSO first: Two benchers continue litigation with regulator while seeking re-election
For the first time in a Law Society of Ontario (LSO) bencher election, two candidates are simultaneously suing the regulator while running campaigns for positions on the board. Murray Klippenstein and Sam Goldstein are both seeking re-election while pursuing claims they made against the regulator in 2022.
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April 14, 2023
Federal Court dismisses privacy watchdog’s claims Facebook failed to safeguard user information
A Federal Court judge has ruled that the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has not established that Facebook breached the federal privacy law, rejecting the privacy watchdog’s claims that the social media giant failed to get meaningful consent from users before disclosing their personal information to a third-party app and failed to adequately safeguard user information.
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April 14, 2023
TLA bencher candidate forum highlights election issues from slates, independents
Access to justice, mental health, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and bencher conduct were some of the common themes in a bencher candidate forum hosted by the Toronto Lawyers Association (TLA) on April 4.
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April 11, 2023
Former LSO treasurers raise alarm over FullStop Team ideology, urge profession to vote for coalition
Eight former Law Society of Ontario (LSO) treasurers are “gravely concerned” about the FullStop Team’s “libertarian ideology” fracturing the public’s confidence in the bar and putting self-regulation at risk. In an open letter obtained by Law360 Canada, the former treasurers call on the profession to vote for the Good Governance Coalition (GGC) in the 2023 bencher election.
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April 05, 2023
Bussey joins Ainsworth in new partnership
Barry W. Bussey and Gary E. Ainsworth have joined forces as partners in Bussey Ainsworth, based in Peterborough, Ont.
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April 04, 2023
ChatGPT cannot be a ‘panacea’ to access to justice, LCO webinar speaker notes
The benefits and pitfalls of ChatGPT were highlighted in a Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) webinar, where speakers discussed the technology’s potential uses, ethical obligations and the impact on access to justice. However, as speaker Amy Salyzyn noted, ChatGPT cannot be a “panacea” to access to justice as “lawyering is more than just generating language.”
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April 03, 2023
Steps need to be taken to help Quebec women lawyers be on more equal footing: experts and report
An overhaul of the legal business paradigm coupled with more women attaining positions of power and greater transparency over remuneration are key towards helping women achieve more parity and to stem their exodus from the legal profession, urges a report and legal pundits.
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March 30, 2023
Conduct complaint against SCC Justice Brown referred to judicial council's review panel
The Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) is referring a conduct complaint against Supreme Court of Canada Justice Russell Brown last January — of a nature the council continues to refuse to disclose — to a five-person CJC “review panel.” The review panel will determine whether the conduct alleged in the complaint — which the judge has denied — is serious enough to potentially lead to the 57-year-old judge’s removal from the bench and therefore should be referred to a public CJC Inquiry Committee to ascertain whether or not the judge engaged in misconduct and, if so, whether the misconduct was serious enough that the CJC should recommend the judge’s removal to the federal justice minister.