Amid the media frenzy over the morality play unfolding in an Ottawa courtroom, the bar has a lesson to glean from the argument over the interaction between the Canadian Senate’s expense rules and the Criminal Code. (“Blame the rules, not Mike Duffy, defence says“; “Mike Duffy trial: Defence to continue attack on vagueness of Senate rules.”) Mr. Duffy’s… Read More
Why can’t a lawyer be more like a share capital corporation? A reflection on the CBA Legal Futures Final Report
Henry Higgins, in My Fair Lady, famously sang, “Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” For Higgins, an elocution teacher who traded in British class prejudice by offering to improve clients’ social standing through posh talk, the education of a woman was essentially a troublesome Alternative Business Structure (ABS) – he could work with the… Read More
2013 : The year of ethical lapses among high-performing professionals
If there has been a mystery from the events of 2013, it is the emergence in Canadian public life of respected professionals as instigators of questionable deals and conflicts of interest. The intrigue surrounding Senator Mike Duffy captured national attention, but we were also mindful of the fact that, in Québec, it was getting hard… Read More
Choisissez le ‘nouveau’ professionnalisme juridique
Le droit et le combat (For English version, click here or click on the image – right) Les outils de notre métier sont-ils les insultes et les arguments ad hominem? Est-ce que nous allons collaborer à la suppression des puissances des avocats plaideurs? Suivrons-nous le « mouvement de civilité » en droit canadien? Ou devons-nous… Read More
Managing “wasted time” – Dealing with non-lawyer adversaries
Few experiences in a lawyer’s work are as infuriating as having your time wasted by a lay adversary. But it is easy to allow frustration to steer you off the path to a desired outcome, or to a good result in litigation. The sooner you realize the futility of convincing someone incapable of understanding why… Read More
Keynote Address to ABA YLD Conference
Lee Akazaki delivered the Keynote Address to ABA YLD Conference, on August 5, 2011. He talked about the “OF” and “FOR” dichotomy of being a lawyer and a representative professional. Click ABA YLD Keynote for the full text. Terms of use / Mentions légales
