Law Times

PAGE 16 WillBuilder Tel: 416.322.6111 Toll-free: 1.866.367.7648 doprocess com ntitled-2 1 The FASKENS LAUNCHES NEW INSTITUTE Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP announced last week a series of upcoming seminars for its new Fasken Martineau Institute. The goal of the institute is to provide educational sessions on the legal issues senior business lead- ers in the Greater Toronto Area are facing. "Continuing education has long been an important part of the value we offer to our clients," said Wally Palmer, the Ontario regional managing partner for the firm. "With the new Fasken Mar- tineau Institute, we hope to make it easier for our clients to partici- pate in even more of our seminars and presentations." The new course calendar cov- ers the first six months of the year and includes a six-part series fo- cused on the top issues facing cor- porate directors and officers. The sessions will also deal with topics such as a review of major intellec- tual property cases in 2009, pub- lic-private partnerships, new pro- visions in the Competition Act, and pension and benefits law. For a link to the complete list of the seminars, see fasken. com/fasken-martineau-institute- launches. LAW FIRMS CRACK CANADA'S TOP 50 A new ranking has put Stikeman Elliott LLP and Bennett Jones LLP among the top 50 employ- ers in Canada. "We are delighted to be rec- ognized among the 50 best em- ployers in Canada," said Pierre Raymond, Stikemans' chairman. "Our people are the reason that we can provide our clients with exceptional service and compete so strongly in this changed econ- omy. Accordingly, we have made a conscious effort to invest greatly in our team." The ranking by Report on Busi- ness, La Presse, and Hewitt Associ- ates is the result of surveys of more than 108,000 employees across the country. Stikemans ranked the 12th best employer based on fac- tors such as employees' motivation to contribute to the success of the organization and their desire to remain and advance in the work- place. Bennett Jones, meanwhile, Reinventing the Will www 2/2/09 10:53:45 AM Inside Story came in at No. 4. For its part, Stikemans high- lighted its training programs as key to its success as well as policies related to flexible work hours, pa- rental leave, and telecommuting. "This is particularly exciting because the 50 best employers honour directly reflects the opin- ions of our people," said Ray- mond. "It validates our efforts to be at the forefront of employee en- gagement, training, and retention and gives us a number of valuable ideas on how we can continue to enhance our workplace." LAWYER SUSPENDED OVER CONDUCT A Law Society of Upper Can- ada panel has suspended lawyer Kevin Murphy over his actions during the decade-old murder trial of Julia Elliott. "He was suspended for six months beginning Jan. 11 and has to pay costs of $10,000 with- in 24 months," says Jane Withey, acting communications manager for the LSUC. Murphy faced professional misconduct allegations before a panel of three law society bench- ers that wrapped up last week. They included claims that he "abused and hectored witnesses." The Elliott murder case was the same matter that landed for- mer Superior Court justice Paul Cosgrove in trouble. Cosgrove resigned from the bench last year after coming under fire by the Canadian Judicial Council for his conduct during the trial. LSUC SERVICE NOW FREE The Law Society of Upper Can- ada is offering Ontarians a deal on its Lawyer Referral Service. As of Jan. 1, the LSUC will provide the service at no charge through a toll-free number at 1-800-268-8326. Since 1970, the Lawyer Referral Service has been helping Ontar- ians with legal questions. It allows them to get in touch with a law- yer in their preferred geographic area for a consultation of up to 30 minutes. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. THOU SHALT NOT ASK QUESTIONS IN COURT BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — What ever happened to "judge not lest ye be judged?" The question comes after Je- sus Christ — not the Messiah but rather an Alabama woman who had her name changed — was relieved from jury duty re- cently for being disruptive. According to AOL News, the 59-year-old woman wasn't content to listen quietly and cast judgment over the accused in a criminal matter. Instead, Christ wanted to ask questions of her own. As a result, she was relieved of jury duty. According to the story, some in the courtroom were "shocked" when the name Jesus Christ was called out. How- ever, court administrator San- dra Turner pointed out at least Christ was ready to do her jury duty unlike some other resi- dents of Jefferson County. POLICE INVESTIGATE ROW OVER JAZZ MUSIC Sigüenza, Spain — The Guardia Civil was called to investigate California-based saxophonist Larry Ochs after the musician allegedly played contemporary music at the Sigüenza Jazz Fes- tival. A man attending the concert took exception to Ochs' music, believing it wasn't jazz but rath- er, shudder the thought, con- temporary music. According to the Guardian, ™ January 11, 2010 • Law Times Bizarre Briefs By Viola James the jazz purist called police be- cause his doctor had warned him it was "psychologically inadvisable" for him to listen to anything that could be mis- taken for mere contemporary music. The Guardian, referring to the El País newspaper story, said the police officers listened to the music before agreeing the purist may have a case. The man had demanded his money back from the or- ganizers. The complaint was registered by police and will be forwarded to a judge. "The gentleman said this was not jazz and that he wanted his money back," said the festi- val director, Ricardo Checa, in a quote by the Guardian. "He didn't get his money. After all, he knew exactly what group he was going to see, as their names were on the festival program." YOU'RE A STRANGE ONE, MR. GRINCH Redding, Calif. — A woman who sued for emotional dis- tress after a contractor arrived at a business meeting wearing a Grinch costume with a giant imitation penis attached has lost in court. According to the Redding Record Searchlight, Tina Hitch- cock sued contractor Bobby Martin for $7,500 saying the prank caused her emotional distress. Acting Judge Timothy Pappas ruled there wasn't enough evidence to prove the woman's case and that Martin had a constitutional right to wear the Grinch outfit. "Martin's conduct was not outrageous to the objec- tively reasonable person and was protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution," Pappas said in his ruling. According to the publica- tion, Martin had offered an apology for the incident, but Hitchcock refused to accept it. HE'S AVAILABLE AGAIN, LADIES Jerusalem, Israel — A 50-year- old Jewish man has been given his 11th divorce, breaking his previously held record for the number of rabbinical court di- vorces. The man, who wasn't named in a BBC story about the issue, shattered the previously held record of seven divorces by one person. According to the BBC, the man told the court he has wives on a two-year rotation and that once divorced, he goes out and gets another one. However, his most recent ex-wife said the marriage didn't end due to the cycle but rather because the man had been liv- ing off of her and had amassed large debts. The BBC quotes a rabbini- cal court statement that said: "Despite his 50 years, he has no grey hair and despite his much experience in marriage, he plans to marry again." The man told the court finding willing brides has never been a problem. rections, and the fish come on their own," he said. "I send out a hook in all di- LT "Lucky for you, Johnson, you don't have more than 200 plants; otherwise, you'd be liable for the mandatory minimum sentence under Bill C-15, the new Anti-Crime Bill. . . . Johnson? . . . Johnson? . . . Pay attention, Johnson! This is a serious matter!" WHICH DIRECTION IS BEST FOR YOU? RainMaker Group 110 Yonge Street, Suite 1101 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1T4 Untitled-7 1 Tel: 416-863-9543 Fax: 416-863-9757 www.rainmakergroup.ca www.lawtimesnews.com 5/29/08 1:05:49 PM

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