Law Times

October 17, 2011

The premier weekly newspaper for the legal profession in Ontario

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PAGE 16 The Inside Story BARRIE FIRMS MERGE Barrie, Ont.-based law firms Burgar Rowe Professional Corp. and Purser Dooley Cockburn Smith LLP have officially merged to become Barriston LLP. "The merger creates a firm that is unique in the region, which can serve clients who have always chosen local legal representation as well as those who might have otherwise felt it necessary to go to Toronto," said Scott Fairley, a partner and member of the merger manage- ment team. The partnership brings to- gether 10 former partners from Burgar Rowe and the six former partners of Purser Dooley. Alto- gether, the new firm has 37 prac- tising lawyers and one licensed paralegal. "The creation of this new partnership was born of a com- mon desire among the partners of both of the former firms to enhance our ability to serve our clients, attract new clients, and further develop and refine key practice areas," said Jim Mc- Intosh, another partner on the merger management team. The firm now has two offices in Barrie and another in Brace- bridge, Ont. LFO SEEKING FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS The Law Foundation of On- tario is accepting applications from prospective host orga- nizations until Oct. 24 for its Public Interest Articling Fel- lowship Program for the 2013- 14 articling period. The fellowship aims to meet the need for legal assistance within the public interest com- munity and allow law students to gain experience in public in- terest law. The program expands opportunities for articling at public interest organizations in Ontario by targeting groups that don't have access to funds to pay for a position. The fellowship covers the arti- cling student's salary, Law Soci- ety of Upper Canada licensing process fee, and licensing appli- cation fee. A stipend may also be available to pay for out-of- pocket expenses required to host an articling student. Organizations can submit applications to Navneet Johal, Pro Bono Students Canada, 39 Queen's Park Cres. E., Toronto, Ont., M5S 2C3. LAWRENCE CANNON JOINS GOWLINGS Former foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon has moved to Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP to chair its government af- fairs group in Ottawa. In his new position, Cannon will advise the firm and its clients on strategic issues on a national and international level. "Lawrence's expertise in fed- eral, provincial, and municipal levels of government offers un- paralleled insight to our exist- ing Canadian and international clients and to those seeking to establish themselves in Canada," said Scott Jolliffe, Gowlings' chairman and CEO. "This an- nouncement also reinforces our commitment to provide a world- wide perspective to our clients as their business objectives become increasingly global in nature and scope." Cannon was first elected to the House of Commons in 2006 and served in several cabinet positions in the Conservative government. He went down to defeat in the federal election in May. CBA HONOURS U OF T STUDENT University of Toronto law stu- dent Daniel Michaels has won the Canadian Bar Association's 2011 James H. Bocking Memo- rial Award. Michaels picked up the award for the best scholarly work re- lated to Canadian competition law or policy for his paper on Visa and MasterCard merchant restraints. The jury commended Mi- chaels for his "balanced, well- written account" of issues in the credit card industry. "Given that the credit card in- dustry is attracting the attention of competition agencies around the world, the jury noted that the paper's presentation of differ- ing views within the field is both timely and helpful," said Don- ald Houston, chairman of the CBA's national competition law section and partner at McCar- thy Tétrault LLP in Toronto. Michaels picked up the award at the CBA's annual competition law conference in Gatineau, Que., on Oct. 6 and is set to start his articles in August 2012 at Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. "At least nobody's going to accuse US of running a grow-op." The title insurer that puts you front row, centre Putting the legal community front and centre has made us the #1 choice with Canadian lawyers for over a decade. Stewart Title does not support programs that reduce or eliminate the lawyer's role in real estate transactions. COUNTY WANTS INMATES IN FIRE HALLS ST. MARYS, Ga. — It ap- pears Ontario Conservative Leader Tim Hudak's chain- gang proposal won't become reality after the Oct. 6 elec- tion, but how about putting prisoners in fire halls? That's exactly what officials in Camden County would like to do. With the United States continuing to experience hard times, officials estimate the county could save more than $500,000 a year, the Florida Times-Union reported. The program, according to the Times-Union, would place two inmates in each of three fire halls. They'd respond to all emergencies and would work under the supervision of tra- ditional firefighters. Those who currently do the job aren't so convinced of the merits of putting prisoners in fire halls. "If you vote to bring these inmates into our work- ing environment, you jeopar- dize not only the employees' well-being but the safety of our citizens," firefighter Stuart Sulli- van told county commissioners during a recent meeting. But Commissioner Jimmy Starline said those who have worked with inmates before have found them to be good workers. "I've been told these inmates are very enthusiastic about being a firefighter," he said. "It's an opportunity to break that cycle." OctOber 17, 2011 • Law times Bizarre Briefs By Viola James A REGULATION FOR REGULATIONS? SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A regulation to control new regu- lations is receiving high praise from California businesses. In an odd twist, business groups are applauding Gov. Jerry Brown for signing legis- lation to create a new layer of government regulation they say will lessen the burdens imposed by future regulations. According to Reuters, the measure orders the governor's department of finance to es- tablish a uniform method of measuring the economic con- sequences of regulations put forward by other state agencies. Starting in 2013, those agencies will have to consider the job gains or losses, advan- tages or disadvantages to vari- ous businesses, and investment increases or declines projected as a result of any proposed regu- lation with an economic impact of more than $50 million. "This new law creates a standard yardstick everyone is measured against — both the regulatory agency and those who offer alternatives that they say are more cost-effec- tive," California Chamber of Commerce president Allan Zaremberg told Reuters. The chamber and other business groups hailed the legis- lation as a victory because they say for the first time the state must assess the potential harm new regulations impose on the state's economy. "Our legislation will ensure that businesses spend fewer dol- lars on regulation compliance and more on innovation and expansion," said state Sen. Ron Calderon, who authored the bill along with fellow Demo- cratic Sen. Fran Pavley. The genesis of the bill is in part a reaction to the regula- tions created by the state Air Resources Board in imple- menting California's landmark greenhouse gas measure. Business groups complain about what they consider a lack of concern about compliance costs shown by the board in its economic analysis of the law. SPEEDSTER CAUGHT BY OWN CELLPHONE GENEVA — Talk about self- incriminating evidence. A Swiss motorist is in trou- ble with the law after he alleg- edly used his mobile phone to record himself driving on a highway near Geneva at 320 kilometres an hour, police said. According to Reuters, au- thorities only uncovered the offence six months later when the 28-year-old was questioned in another case. It was then that investigators found the images still on the phone. Some shots were focused on the speedometer of his car, a Bentley Continental, according to a police spokesman. Others showed the road — revealing where he was — and the phone's timer recorded the date and the time just before 3:30 a.m. last April. Police said probably took the shots to impress his friends. His the driver li- cence was confiscated and he is free on bail awaiting trial, Reuters reported. LT For more information call (888) 667-5151 or visit www.stewart.ca. Untitled-2 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 7/19/11 12:31:45 PM

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