Law Times

PAGE 16 Enabling Lawyers through Technology Tel: 416.322.6111 Toll-free: 1.866.367.7648 doprocess com www The Inside Story RYERSON HOSTS LEGAL EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM Leaders will gather on Nov. 25 at Ryerson University for a sympo- sium on legal education. "We are at a crucial point in the evolution of legal education in Canada," said Julia Hanigsberg, Ryerson's general counsel and secre- tary of the university's board of gov- ernors, and interim dean of The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education. "We are seeing a rapid rise in the number of unrepresented litigants in court and many Canadians who experience a legal problem have no idea where to turn." The full-day event includes panellists and speakers from sev- eral fields. The law deans of Os- goode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto Fac- ulty of Law will be participating, along with the Toronto managing partner of Gowling Lafleur Hen- derson LLP, members of the ju- diciary, and other leading figures in the field of legal education. Key issues will be examined, in- cluding the role of law schools, re- cent developments in the licensing and accreditation of law schools, and new legal education models. "As an urban, career-focused university that prides itself on innovation in professional education and that has integrated law into many of its de- gree programs, Ryerson is uniquely positioned to engage leading think- ers in a discussion of how new models of legal education can help address these issues in the future," said Hanigsberg. The symposium — Innovation in Legal Education: Ideas for the 21st Century — was organized following the recent release of two task force reports on the state of legal education in Canada. HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WORKPLACE Employers looking for guidance on how to effectively manage hu- man rights issues in the workplace have an updated resource, with the publication of the third edi- tion of Human Rights at Work by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. "Almost three-quarters of hu- man rights complaints in On- tario are about a problem in the workplace," said chief commis- sioner Barbara Hall, in a release. "Human Rights at Work outlines some of the more common human rights issues and provides explana- tions and examples to help employ- ers and employees understand their obligations and responsibilities." In the guide, employers will find a plain-language text that gives ex- amples of common human rights issues in the workplace, best prac- tices they can put to use, sample forms to ensure compliance with regulations, and several other re- sources that will aid in avoiding hu- man rights complaints. The commission reminds em- ployers that along with promot- ing a better workplace environ- ment, dealing with human rights issues promptly and effectively by implementing best practice mea- sures can help to save the com- pany time and money. The guide has been endorsed by the Human Resources Profes- sionals Association as a valuable resource in helping to protect employee rights. It is available for purchase via the Ontario Human Rights Commission web site. BLG HIRE ADDS TAX EXPERTISE Laura White, named in the 2008 and 2009 Best Lawyers in Canada for tax, has joined the Toronto office of Borden Lad- ner Gervais LLP. "Laura is widely recognized for her tax knowledge, especially as it relates to investment-management industry issues. She will enhance BLG's ability to continue as a leader in this area," said the firm's national managing partner, Sean Weir, in a release. "Having Laura join us represents a real coup of our firm and clients." The move marks White's return to the firm. She was with BLG 10 years ago, before she left to join PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP/ Wilson & Partners LLP as part- ner, where she led its investment management practice. Along with her recognition in Best Lawyers in Canada, White has also been recommended by Lex- pert as a pre-eminent tax practitio- ner in the area of investment funds and asset management. White will work with the securi- ties and capital markets practice at BLG, where she joins as partner. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com "It's that time of year again: class-action season." 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 PRISON BREAK PUTS BRAKES ON POLITICIAN'S CAREER CARACAS, Venezuela – A Ven- ezuelan opposition politician's bid to evade corruption charges by escaping from jail through an air conditioning duct has put an at least temporary halt to his hopes for re-election. Eduardo Lapi, the former governor of Yaracuy state, had wanted his old job back after he ran off to Peru following his prison break. The critic of Ven- ezuelan President Hugo Chavez claimed he was a political prisoner, Reuters reports. Lapi hasn't yet gone to trial on the corruption charges. But in the meantime, supporters got him on the ballot for the governorship after Peruvian au- thorities granted him asylum. The country's Supreme Court, however, ruled he couldn't be a candidate later this month. "Eduardo Lapi escaped from San Felipe prison to avoid jus- tice, excluding himself from his political rights," the court said. The decision leaves a tight race for Lapi's old job in a year Chavez faces an uphill battle in states and cities across the coun- try. Earlier in the year, the gov- ernment's anti-corruption office banned several opposition poli- ticians from running for office. But for his part, Lapi isn't giving up yet. "I want Hugo Chavez to know — they will have to shoot me in the head to stop me fight- ing for democracy," television station Globovision quotes him as saying. November 10, 2008 • Law Times "This is information that Bizarre Briefs By Viola James LATIN REACHES ITS TERMINUS AS LOCAL COUNCIL MANDATES PLAIN LANGUAGE LONDON, U.K. – A British local council's move to veto Latin phrases amounts to a casus belli, advocates for classi- cal language argue. "Think of the number of words from Latin that are now part of the English language: alias, alibi, exit, terminus," re- tired University of Newcastle classics Prof. Peter Jones says in a report from the Associated Press. "Are they going to cut out those words?" The comments come after the council in Bournemouth in southern England approved a new policy that attempts to cut out 19 Latin words and phrases from official documents. It fol- lows what officials say is pres- sure from the Local Govern- ment Association to simplify the language they use. For Jones, the policy flies in the face of the hybrid nature of English, which has drawn influences from many lan- guages. "To deny the hybrid nature of the English language is almost like ethnic cleansing of English," he says. Proponents of the policy, however, say it's about time that councils started simplifying the language they use. "We are talk- ing about public documents where people need to read, understand, and take action that may affect their lives," says Marie Clair, a spokeswoman for the Plain English Campaign. everybody needs to know about, regardless of their level of education." GERMAN HEIRESS DETAILS LOVER'S ALLEGED BLACKMAIL FRANKFURT, Germany – Her family rarely appears in the public spotlight, but that didn't stop Susanne Klatten from coming forward with claims that a former lover tried to bilk her of millions of euros. Klatten, whose Quandt fam- ily controls BMW AG, alleges the lover, identified only as Mr. S., threatened to publish pic- tures and videos of the pair tak- en by an accomplice while they were at a hotel in Munich, Ger- many's Bild Zeitung newspaper reported. She approached pros- ecutors with the story after the man allegedly demanded $40 million euros from Klatten, a married mother of three whose wealth is estimated at $7.8 bil- lion euros. "Klatten learned that the re- lationship to Mr. S. had an ex- clusively criminal background," according to her spokesperson Joerg Appelhans. "She filed her complaint of the distressful regardless consequences in the public," Appelhans added. The alleged crimes started last year after the former lover, who is Swiss, requested a loan for several million euros and then tried to blackmail her for more, Bloomberg reports. Au- thorities have now extradited the accused lover to Germany, where he's in custody. Offi- cials also arrested the alleged accomplice in Austria. LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail. com.

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• Fatboys Running
• Avoiding Equalization
• Focus On Family Law