Pulse
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August 12, 2025
What to make of the Wapekeka courtroom shooting, part one
On July 31, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers in Wapekeka First Nation fatally shot 23-year-old Tyresse Kenny Padro Cree Roundsky during a court proceeding at the community’s Youth Centre. This is not an isolated tragedy. Over the past 18 months, at least three members of this small community have died in encounters with law enforcement.
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August 12, 2025
What has Ontario’s law society’s CEO salary scandal really cost us? Part two
Upon reflection, I realized there is a wonderful opportunity here for the law society to demonstrate its commitment to transparency by simply advising the profession how much this has all cost us. If I had to guess, I would put the global price tag in the seven-figure range. But I shouldn’t have to guess. The fees of the external human resources specialists, private law firms, Mr. O’Connor, the image consultants and the governance reviewer, among others, are paid by us — the licensees. We are entitled to see what we got for that money. And we are entitled to know what we spent.
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August 11, 2025
‘The fight of our lifetime’: ABA president receives award for defending rule of law
“This is the fight of our lifetime,” said American Bar Association (ABA) president William Bay while receiving the Ontario Bar Association’s (OBA) President’s Award on behalf of American lawyers on Aug. 7. The award comes as the ABA has launched a lawsuit against the United States federal government for allegedly using its powers to coerce lawyers and law firms to abandon clients, causes and policy positions President Donald Trump opposes.
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August 11, 2025
What has Ontario’s law society’s CEO salary scandal really cost us?
As I wrote here in March, Ontario’s Law Society has recently been rocked by the biggest scandal in its existence. The genesis of the controversy was the approval of a massive compensation increase (ultimately worth substantially more than $1 million) to their former CEO by a single signature — that of former treasurer Jacqueline Horvat. I personally find it fascinating that anyone could possibly imagine that was how that worked, when the law society’s bylaws require 10 signatures on any motion a licensee may wish to bring at their AGM.
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August 08, 2025
Federal judges seek $60K pay hike but Ottawa says no raise needed to attract senior bar to bench
Chief justices are pointing to newly disclosed data about private bar lawyers’ rising incomes and declining appointments to the bench to bolster the judiciary’s contention that inadequate judicial compensation and onerous job demands are deterring “outstanding” lawyers from seeking federal judicial appointments.
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August 08, 2025
Ontario announces expanded London Justice Centre to aid at-risk youth
The Government of Ontario has announced the opening of the London Justice Centre expansion, a “newly renovated downtown facility located in Youth Opportunities Unlimited’s (YOU) Joan’s Place.”
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August 08, 2025
New N.S. AI guidebook warns of over-reliance in legal practices
Nova Scotia’s law society is using a new guidebook to warn members against becoming over-reliant on artificial intelligence in their practices — and urging them to heed instances where lawyers ended up in hot water over its misuse.
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August 08, 2025
Ontario Court of Justice appoints seven new judges
The Ontario government has announced the appointment of seven new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective Aug. 13, 2025.
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August 08, 2025
Should AI be declared a separate legal personality? Go ask your motherboard
Hey humans! Should AI be declared a separate legal personality? The Law Commission in England is studying the notion, noting the thought is not farfetched. This means the entity can be a "person" in the eyes of the law, such as corporations, sovereign states, etc. all capable of owning property, entering into contracts, suing, and being sued.
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August 08, 2025
Being smart is not what it’s cracked up to be
Parents teach their children about success by reference to how things were during their productive years. To my grandparents, success was a job in the front office at the factory, rather than on the production floor. My parents hoped that their children would become professionals. I wanted my children to achieve some work/life balance.