Pulse
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January 14, 2026
Scrapping the bar exam won’t fix Ontario’s licensing problem
The Law Society of Ontario is considering removing the written barrister and solicitor examinations as part of the lawyer licensing process. They published a report on the subject and asked members of the legal community to comment. While I agree that the licensing process and especially the examinations require modernization (and I’ve written about this at length before), I disagree that completely replacing standard written examinations will accomplish this goal but rather will be costly and will lower the standards for entry into the profession.
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January 14, 2026
Charter rights trump requirement to take oath of allegiance
The concept of taking an oath of allegiance can be traced back to medieval times when people took oaths of fealty to pledge loyalty or faithful service to a monarch or a lord. Today, it is not uncommon for immigrants seeking citizenship in a new country to be required to take an oath of allegiance or oath of citizenship. Professional regulatory bodies, such as law societies, may also obligate members to take an oath of allegiance in order to be admitted.
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January 14, 2026
Alberta Court of Appeal delivers lesson in legal history, upholds conviction in 1981 cold case
Cold cases dredge up years of history. In a review of a finding of guilt in a cold case, the Alberta Court of Appeal delivered a lesson in legal history through its own dredging up of legal precedents.
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January 13, 2026
Supreme Court of Canada Justice Sheilah Martin to retire in May after eight years at top court
Supreme Court of Canada Justice Sheilah Martin, a former University of Calgary law dean and one of the apex court’s criminal and constitutional law experts, will retire May 30, 2026, after working at the high court for more than eight years.
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January 13, 2026
Blakes welcomes 14 lawyers to its partnership
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes) has expanded its partnership with the addition of 14 lawyers, according to the firm.
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January 13, 2026
Bennett Jones adds 3 partners to energy, mining and M&A practices
Bennett Jones has welcomed Ben Rogers, Leanne Krawchuk and Dean Koumanakos as equity partners, strengthening the firm’s energy, mining and mergers and acquisitions practices.
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January 13, 2026
How mentoring works both ways
I am an associate lawyer at Epstein & Associates Professional Corporation. The following article outlines my experiences working full-time while studying to become a lawyer, how I have benefited from this experience, and how lawyers who employ articling students can gain from providing proper mentorship during this invaluable period to those students.
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January 12, 2026
Dickinson Wright adds two partners
Dickinson Wright has announced that Ryan Cooper and David Seifer have been elected to the role of partner. Both partners are located in the firm’s Toronto office.
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January 12, 2026
Nova Scotia’s public service sees changes to senior leadership
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced January 12 that Alex Ikejiani is now the province’s deputy minister of justice.
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January 12, 2026
Predatory compensation arrangements for junior lawyers
Say what you will about Big Law (and I say plenty of unflattering things about them), at least when they hire a junior lawyer, they give them a generous salary and benefits, and more often than not, appropriate training and mentoring.