Pulse
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May 16, 2025
Federal Court extends deadlines for immigration JRs due to surging cases, inadequate gov’t funding
Contending with far too many immigration cases for its tight budget, the Federal Court this week extended by 45 days its regulation 30-day deadlines for litigants to perfect their applications for leave and judicial review of immigration decisions (ALJRs). Why? Because the registry’s beleaguered staff simply can’t keep up, and now often needs weeks rather than days to intake and process the ALJRs — which have more than quadrupled the average volume the court experienced over the five years immediately preceding the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
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May 16, 2025
Ontario case highlights human oversight function in generative AI which cannot be ignored: law prof
An Ontario judge has criticized a lawyer for the apparent use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in a factum which provided several incorrect case citations, and legal experts are saying the judge's admonishments highlight the need for human oversight of AI and increased attention to the guidance provided by law societies and courts on the use of the technology by legal professionals.
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May 16, 2025
Natasha Sanders joins McLennan Ross in Yellowknife
Associate lawyer Natasha Sanders has joined the Yellowkknife office of McLennan Ross as part of the firm's litigation and advisory practice .
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May 16, 2025
Karl Racine joins Smart & Biggar
The trademarks practice group at Smart & Biggar has been joined by associate Karl Racine.
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May 16, 2025
Court of Appeal: SOIRA exemption unlikely with shorter sentence
On Oct. 28, 2022, the Supreme Court of Canada declared the provisions of SOIRA (Sexual Offender Information Registry Act) unconstitutional (R. v. Ndhlovu, 2022 SCC 38). Section 1 of the Charter could not save the provisions.
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May 16, 2025
Rules of Civil Procedure as seen by the Oracle of Belleville
New Rules of Civil Procedure — ahem
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May 15, 2025
Ottawa welcomes ‘historic’ international ruling that Russia shot down Malaysian civilian airliner
As Canada pursues a separate case against Iran at the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) — for the illegal downing of a Ukrainian civilian airliner in 2020 — Ottawa said it “welcomes” the ICAO’s recent determination that the Russian Federation shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, in breach of Russia’s obligations under international law.
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May 15, 2025
Civil rules reform based on blind data of personal injury litigation
In September 2023, Attorney General Doug Downey created the Civil Rules Review (CRR) with a mandate to identify issues and develop proposals for reforming the Rules of Civil Procedure to make civil court proceedings more efficient, affordable and accessible.
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May 15, 2025
Use of fake cases by U.K. lawyer qualifies as professional misconduct
The citation of fake cases in documents used in court proceedings continues to be a growing phenomenon. In Ko v. Li, 2025 ONSC 2766, an Ontario lawyer has been ordered to show cause why she should not be cited in contempt of court for relying on non-existent authorities in her submissions on a motion.
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May 15, 2025
Deepak Gill returns to BLG as partner
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) has announced the return of Deepak Gill as a partner in its Vancouver office, effective May 2, 2025.