140Law - Legal Headlines for Friday, March 15, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Friday, March 15, 2013:

• Judge upholds Arizona law banning ethnic studies classes 
• Google Reader Is Shutting Down; Here Are the Best Alternatives
• Former Mississauga man guilty in defrauding lawyers - Toronto Star
• Title insurance is not an autopilot licence
• FLQ October Crisis figure Paul Rose dies
• Nominations for Canadian Bar Association Awards for Excellence in Journalism
• Law Society Awards Recognize the Best of the Profession
• Bloggers Mourn and Bemoan the Imminent Death of Google Reader 
• NS to allow unbundling of legal services - Canadian Lawyer Magazine
• Legal aid groups sue over Los Angeles plan to have 5 courts hear eviction cases instead of 26 
• Judge: Don’t Fear Facebook
• Google Reader shut-down shocks and enrages the web - Your Community 
• Reuters editor charged in Anonymous hack of L.A. Times
• Doug Christie: Some Last Words 

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Thursday, March 14, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Thursday, March 14, 2013:

• 10 Things Moms do That Could Get Them in Trouble with the Law
• Counterfeit stamps cost Canada Post millions a year, expert says
• A lawyer’s regret: ‘My boundaries slipped away until work was all that was left’ 
• Ditch the bar exam? Bar report on ‘crushing burden’ of student debt says idea should be considered 
• Olbermann and Current TV reportedly reach settlement
• Ontario to strengthen job security for family caregivers - Canadian Employment Law Today (subscription)
• FTC can serve foreign defendants via Facebook, federal judge rules
• Divisive rape trial opens in football-mad Ohio town
• BlackBerry says customer has ordered 1 million smartphones
• Federal Court prohibits abusive CRA audit 
• Recent developments in random drug and alcohol testing in Canada
• Aaron Swartz Lawyers Seek Misconduct Review Against Prosecutor 
• For the Métis, justice had no expiry date - Globe and Mail
• The right way to shut down a service like Google Reader

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

Google Reader, Farewell

OMG, Google is retiring Google Reader as of July 1.

Now what?  

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Wednesday, March 13, 2013:

•  Employees Dismissed During A Probationary Period May Still Be Entitled To Notice Of Termination
• 67 leading law profs: time to reform legal education
• The Smaller Law Library
• Magnotta's prelim will be open to public, media, as Montreal judge rejects request for publication ban 
• 250 lawyers and staffers told to clear desks and go home, as UK regulators close law firm, Blakemores
• Cloud computing provider Megaupload faces potential Ontario seizure order upon US prosecutors' request
• LAWPRO Magazine archives: Social media pitfalls to avoid
• Lawyers call for end to ‘humanitarian crisis’ at Guantanamo prison
• LA archdiocese settles 4 sex abuse cases for $10M 
• Google Admits Street View Project Violated Privacy
• Judges: US spending cuts ‘strike at the heart’ of justice system 
• Merit-Based Reappointments - LSUC Leads the Way - Administrative Justice Reform - Canada
• British boxer TKOs Twitter troll

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Tuesday, March 12, 2013:

• US Military Justice System on Trial: Federal Court of Canada allows US war deserter's refugee appeal
• Douglas Christie, controversial B.C. lawyer, dies at 66 
• Kim Dotcom is the anti-Zuckerberg: Share nothing, encrypt everything, be happy
• March 2013 Paralegal update now available online | The Law Society of Upper Canada
• 'Hate' test is tweaked by top court
• Courthouse’s new security measures add estimated 30 minutes to entrance time
• Tax Court rejects deduction for CLE where lawyer did not have business income from practice Law Times
• Social Media Policy Template for Lawyers  
• Richard Chartier named chief justice of Manitoba
• Texas Judge Sharon Keller Fights Reprimand Over Death Row Appeal
• ‘Landmark’ NY appeals court ruling voids prenup due to millionaire’s oral promises to wife-to-be
• Colo. massacre suspect can be drugged for exam: Judge
• That Awkward Moment When Your DUI Mug Shot Appears Right Next to Your Law Firm’s DUI Defense Ad
• Judge blocks ‘arbitrary’ ban on giant sodas in New York City 
• Lawyer is criminally charged, accused of offering legal services in exchange for sexual favors
• Lawyers for Luka Rocco Magnotta seeking to ban media and public from hearing - Global Toronto
• Canada Revenue Agency and Conrad Black battle over $5 million
• A Legal Guide to the Soda Ban Ruling

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for

Here are the leading legal headlines for Wise Law on Twitter for Monday, March 11, 2013:

•  Luka Magnotta set for preliminary inquiry - Global Toronto
• Toronto police investigating whether bomb threat at Nadal Jewish Community Centre was hate crime
• Collingwood town officials face OPP corruption probe - CBC.ca
• Long Island Town Board Bans Booing at Public Meetings
• CEO of Toronto synthetic marijuana company arrested, released on bail
• Head of Quebec language office resigns in wake of Pastagate 
• Are NHL Teams Breaking Law By Not Requiring Players to Wear Safety Masks? (Doorey) 
• Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $8.3 Million in Hip Implant Case
• Can an iPhone App Improve Your Legal Writing?
• Did US chief justice Roberts misuse statistics to make a point on the Voting Rights Act?
• The Right to Counsel in America: Badly Battered at 50
• Atheist cop in Puerto Rico sues after being demoted to car washer for refusing to pray
• Duty to mitigate in wrongful dismissal may include accepting relocation to new job offered by employer
• Billable Hours May Get Former Congresswoman Disbarred
• Ontario tops legal aid spending as revenue lags
• US Senator Elizabeth Warren Slams Federal Regulators Over Bank Money Laundering | Mother Jones
• Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says groping allegations 'absolutely, completely false' - Globe and Mail
• Bin Laden son-in-law pleads not guilty
• Thomson v. Ford: Could this thing land in court? 
• Supreme Court sides with Metis in historic Manitoba land claim dispute - Winnipeg Free Press
• Simultaneous joint trial in Toronto, Delaware via videolink: Courts' novel approach to Nortel cash fight
• Colo. shooting judge won't overturn insanity law
• 2013 CJPAC Action and “Buttgate” (@OmarHaRedeye, one again, is everywhere...) 
• Renowned European sports psychologist takes Canucks, owner to court over dismissal during lockout
• Justice Department urges Maryland court to uphold citizens’ right to film police
• How 20 years has changed the debate over assisted suicide - Politics - CBC News
• Toronto senior one of 90 allegedly targeted by home renovation scheme

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Friday, March 8, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Friday, March 8, 2013:

• Bill Clinton Urges US Supreme Court to Overturn Marriage Law He Signed
• To Place Graduates, Law Schools Are Opening Firms
• LAWPRO Magazine archive: What to do when partners, associates or staff commit fraud
• Bill would have judges draw straws to shrink Washington Supreme Court 
• Arkansas 12-week abortion ban likely to be struck down, says pro-life lawyer
• UK court rules for Apple in Samsung patent infringement case 
• SCC backs award to truck-stop forced to move for highway - CBC.ca
• Federal judge overturns Idaho abortion law
• Why We Need Women to Stay in 'Big Law'
• Escaping Gender Bias in ADR
• Aboriginal Inmates Now Almost One Quarter of Canadian Prison Population
• Judge orders mediation for Macy's, Martha Stewart
• 'Forgotten' inmate gets $15.5 million
• Academy’s Heavyweights Opine on Law Schools’ Problems
• Reasonable Prospect of Success and Removing Personal Respondents from Human Rights Applications
• Berlusconi Sentenced to 1 Year in Jail in Wiretap Trial
• Quebec morgue worker fired for alleged corpse photos
• Catholic school board investigating Rob Ford’s ‘inaccurate’ Sun News interview
• CIA seizes bin Laden son-in-law: report
• Al Gore Sued Over Current TV Sale to Al Jazeera (Exclusive)
• Legal fight brewing over strict Arkansas abortion law (Kathryn Smith/Reuters)
• The Dean’s Office: Why The ABA Is Resistant To Change
• Top 10 employment law cases - International Women's Day edition - Lexology (registration)
• Will “Tea Party Tim” Hudak’s Hard Right Turn Fly in Ontario?
• Slain Colorado family law lawyer’s body found by office cleaning crew 

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

Collaboration, Law Firm Style: Part 3

The third part of my series with Dave Bilinsky, Collaboration, Law Firm Style, is now up at SlawTips.  Here's a snippet:

By centering our collaborative discussions around specific, individual tasks and focusing on how the processes utilized to perform them can be streamlined, regularized and optimized,  we can avoid many of the pitfalls David discusses.  And remember, a true law firm collaboration won’t just involve J.D.’s and LL.B’s – don’t underestimate how much value and insight our assistants, law clerks, paralegals, articling students and other collaborators will add in these discussions.

David and I will continue to post each Thursday at "the Tips."

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Thursday, March 7, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Thursday, March 7, 2013:

•  Ashley Smith one of about 40 similar inmates in system, says psychologist
• Basic office tech skills for new lawyers
• Judge strikes down Idaho's fetal pain abortion law - Albany Times Union
• Georgia town ordinance would require a gun in every home
• Federal judge: Missouri public library cannot censor Wiccan, pagan websites
• New Zealand court: Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom can sue spy agency
• Arkansas vs. Roe v. Wade
• Three Cheers for the Talking Filibuster!  
• Clawing back job training money could expand EI backlash 
• Pink slips go out to hundreds of Toronto teachers
• Oakwood Collegiate teacher fired over jokes

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Wednesday, March 6, 2013:

• Unpaid internships: the most precarious work of all
• Star investigation: Toronto driving schools bending the rules to make a buck 
• SlawTips Tuesday
• Arthur Porter was a federal Tory donor while chair of Canada spy watchdog
• New Mexico Judge resigns after admitting improper IMs with wife during court, but denies steamy content 
• Elliot Lake mall inquiry told engineers often costly
• United Nations says U.S. state marijuana decriminalizations violate international drug conventions
• Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor: US Supreme Court ‘not a popularity contest’ 
• Martha Stewart takes the stand in trial over Macy's brand exclusivity agreement
• Iowa considering bill to forbid parents from getting no-fault divorce 
• Mandatory retirement for lawyers: SCC to decide leave application Thursday
• Russian ballet scandal: Star Bolshoi dancer arrested in acid attack on artistic director
• Arkansas governor vetoes 12-week abortion ban
• Women Making Partner, Gaining Ground 
• London Tim Hortons tells sick customer to use payphone to call 911
• EU slaps Microsoft with $733 million antitrust fine
• Ontario worker with 37 years of service fired for safety violations - Canadian Employment Law Today 
• NY Contract Attorney Demands Overtime for ‘Menial’ Work
• Wednesday: What's Hot on CanLII
• Toronto dentist apologizes over $40-million Ponzi fraud scheme - Globe and Mail 
• Zumba prostitution case: Closing arguments made
• Pittsburgh prosecutor, US judge spar re 6-year mortgage fraud sentence; spouse who pled got 15 months 
• Gitmo prisoners' lawyers decry 'alarming' conditions
• Alberta: Plaintiff has right to video independent medical examinations and/or to have a nominee present
• Gov. Rick Perry backs 20-week abortion ban in Texas
• Zimmerman won't seek 'Stand Your Ground' hearing in April
• Toronto’s population overtakes Chicago
• Vastly unpaid tickets point to TTC’s enforcement struggles

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Tuesday, March 5, 2013:

•  Ikea files suit against meatball supplier over horsemeat
• The White House Agrees: It's Time to Legalize Cell Phone Unlocking (Andrea Peterson/ThinkProgress) 
• Facebook hit with fresh IPO-related lawsuit - Reuters Canada 
• Man receives conditional discharge over B.C. rave rape photos posted on Facebook
• Luka Magnotta's lawyer requests closed court at pre-trial hearing - Global Toronto 
• Ontario summary judgment test faces SCC microscope | Canadian Lawyer Magazine
• Reasonable notice: The sky's the limit? - Canadian HR Reporter (blog)
• BC assisted suicide case adjourned over lawyer's illness - Toronto Star
• 'Man of Sorrows': The Minister Who Helped a Woman Kidnap a Child - Andrew Harmon - The Atlantic
• Med-Arb: From the Mediator Perspective
• Incivility: Practical Consequences for You and Your Client
• A New Civility Standard
• Intersection of Deemed Termination and ESA Emergency Leave
• Lawsuits Over Google 'Auto-Complete' Suggestions 
• Supreme Court of Canada Statistics 2002-2012
• In the practicePRO Lending Libary: The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Success
• This week at the SCC
• New British Columbia Limitation Act
• Top 10 ways to tank a workplace investigation - Lexology
• What Lawyers Lack: Leadership
• Elliot Lake mall roof collapse inquiry starts Monday
• Toronto Justice of the Peace Alfred Johnston dismissed 60 charges because prosecutor was 2 minutes late
• Justice Perkins Sets a 10-Year Limitation Period for Constructive Trust Claims
• Supreme Court hate-speech ruling reaffirms limits of free speech: Editorial - Toronto Star
• Ontario real estate lawyers must now sign annual LSUC anti-fraud awareness declaration
• Senator Mike Duffy's P.E.I. seat not safe yet
• Analysis: Why we should worry about who we're jailing - Toronto Star 
• Unequal Justice: Mother, sons sucked into criminal justice system - Toronto Star
• Police: Drug buyer butt-dials 911, leading to arrest
• Lawyers for theatre mass-shooting accused, James Holmes, rip Colorado insanity laws 
• Unequal justice: Aboriginal and black inmates disproportionately fill Ontario jails
• No parole for Manson family member, says California governor Jerry Brown 
• U.S. Judges Offer Addicts a Way to Avoid Prison
• High-stakes gamblers lose court case against Niagara Falls casino - Welland Tribune
• Hate speech was a legal issue. This Supreme Court decision has made it political - The Globe and Mail 
• Federal judge reduces damages awarded to Apple on Samsung patent infringment
• Retrial of Egypt's Mubarak on charges over protester killings set for April 13
• Even Google won't be around for ever, let alone Facebook 
• Racial Turnout Figures Cited by US Chief Justice Roberts Are Disputed
• Unequal Justice: Aboriginals caught in the justice system trap - Toronto Star
• Dear Justice Scalia
• Evernote hacked, asks password reset 
• uK Father fails in legal bid to ban 'vulnerable' daughter, 13, from Facebook - The Independent
• Delays in Toronto raccoon-beating case: 18 appearances. 651 days since charges - and that’s not unusual 

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Friday, March 1, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Friday, March 1, 2013:

• Violence and Threats Against Lawyers Is a Growing Concern in Canada
• February 2013 | The Law Society of Upper Canada - Convocation decisions
• Canada Supreme Court upholds hate speech laws
• Can lawyer name clients on blog without permission? Virginia court says yes 
• Hands-free isn't brain-free, distracted driving researchers say | CTV News
• Wikileaks defendant Manning pleads guilty lesser charges
• Spain Supreme Court strikes down city burqa ban
• Manson v John Doe - Damages for Anonymous Online Defamation
• Modern family: Federal Court of Canada recognizes employer's duty to accommodate childcare obligations 
• Arkansas Law Restricts When Abortion May Occur
• L.A. hotel sued over body in water tank
• Toronto 18 terror plot: Supreme Court of Canada turns down appeal request
• Has the American Bar Association kept US judges white and male?
• White House supports gay marriage, urges Supreme Court to strike down California Proposition 8 
• Scalia should resign

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

Collaboration, Law Firm Style - Part 2 at SlawTips

Collaboration: Breaking Each Task Down into its Many Parts, the second installment of my Practice Tips series with David Bilinsky on law firm collaborations, is now online.

Here's a snippet:

There are infinite variations on this theme, but irrespective of the size of your group, the questions for planners and team-players remain the same: Who can handle each small step involved in completing a single, broader task most competently? Most efficiently? Most cost-effectively? How can seamless handoffs be achieved? What structures can be developed to enable each contributor to maximize his or her value added?

By breaking major tasks down into smaller component parts, rational systems can be developed that allow tasks to be optimally shared among your practice group.

We'll continue the theme next Thursday at SlawTips

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net

140Law - Legal Headlines for Thursday, February 28, 2013

Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Thursday, February 28, 2013:

• The astonishing amount of personal data police can extract from your smartphone
• Six Myths About Lawyers
• Evidence by video application denied by BC Human Rights Tribunal - Lexology
• Common law spouses : the Supreme Court of Canada ruling 
• Canada high court upholds hate speech laws\
• U.S. prosecutors quit and side with cocaine traffickers to fight ‘wrong’ drug policy
• U.S. Justices Challenge Voting Law (Jess Bravin/Wall Street Journal)
• New twist for teen who flipped off judge - judge applauds her success at drug rehab. Justice gone right.
• Canada's Supremes strike the right note on hate speech (Kinsella)
• Law Firm SEO Tactics to Avoid in 2013
• Ontario must rebuild First Nations' trust in legal system: Editorial - Toronto Star
• Bigamy brings six-month suspension for Manhattan lawyer
• Garth Drabinsky stripped of Order of Canada - Toronto Star 
• Judge acquits, discards video evidence of Philadelphia cop sucker punching Puerto Rican woman
• Yahoo rescinds work-from-home policy, riles workers everywhere
• Mayor Rob Ford: Legal troubles behind him, flies to Disney World with his family
• Arkansas governor rebukes ‘unconstitutional’ abortion ban
• Hate speech ruling: Anti-gay pamphlets broke law, Supreme Court of Canada says

- Rachel Spence, Law Clerk

Visit our Toronto Law Office website: www.wiselaw.net