Law Times

PAGE 16 The Inside Story RESEARCH PROJECT SEEKS LAW FIRM Ryerson University's Ted Rog- ers School of Management is looking to partner with a local law fi rm to learn more about how it uses mobile technology and its eff ect on work-life bal- ance. Th e research team is seek- ing a fi rm whose lawyers are currently using BlackBer- rys, iPhones or other smart- phones for business purposes. In return for participating in the study, the team will partner with the fi rm to develop policy for productive mobile technol- ogy use. Th e participating fi rm can use this policy to at- tract and retain talent, bet- ter manage lawyers' billable time, and be better equipped for the mobile revolution. Sam Ladner, a post-doctoral fellow and private-sector con- sultant, is managing the re- search. Th e study entails so- cial scientists visiting the fi rm, observing everyday technol- ogy use, and interviewing key members of the team. Firms that are interested in participating can contact Ladner at sladner@ryerson.ca. FASKENS MAKES U.K. LIST Legal Business magazine has in- cluded Fasken Martineau Du- Moulin LLP on its list of the 50 largest overseas fi rms in London, England. Faskens, the only Canadian fi rm to make the list, ranked 23rd. Th e fi rm has 56 fee earners in London, up 15 per cent from last year. Th at total includes 30 partners. NEW PRESIDENT OF FACL Th e Federation of Asian Cana- dian Lawyers has elected Julia Shin Doi as its next president. Shin Doi, counsel to York University and an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, says membership expansion is one of her top priorities. As well, she plans to work with community groups to encourage diversity and build strong relationships with legal organizations. "We are committed to see- ing our membership fl ourish," she said. "We will continue to reach out to other organizations to raise the profi le of Asian Ca- nadians in the legal profession and community." Shin Doi takes over from Ja- son Leung, director of knowl- edge management at Ridout & Maybee LLP. CASSELS BROCK LAUNCHES WEB PORTAL Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP has launched a web portal for corporate counsel. Th e Corporate Counsel Bul- letin Board is "a one-stop compi- lation" of educational resources, according to the fi rm. Th e web site, ccbb.cassels- contains brock.com, archived materials, searchable seminar newsletter presentation articles, practice management tips, and other reference materials for in- house lawyers. BOUTIQUE FOLDS INTO MCCARTHYS A year after leaving Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP to start their own energy law boutique, the fi ve founders of Venn Law LLP have joined forces with McCarthy Té- trault LLP in Calgary. Ron Mar, Craig Spurn, Ed- mund Gill, and Kurtis Bond are joining the fi rm as part- ners along with associate Chris McLelland. "With these lawyers on our team, we can provide even better service to our growing domes- tic and international oil and gas practice," said Greg Turnbull, McCarthys' regional managing partner in Calgary. "When combined with our existing tax team, we now off er clients the strongest full-service tax practice in Western Canada." Mar advises domestic and international clients on energy ventures and is a governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation. Gill's tax practice focuses on commercial transactions and planning. He has worked for multinational clients as well as senior, intermediate, and ju- nior oil and gas companies. Bond focuses on the Cana- dian resource sector and com- mercial transactions, including structured and cross-border fi nancings. All three will work with the fi rm's tax group. Spurn, who practises corpo- rate and commercial law in the energy sector, joins McCarthys' oil and gas group. McLelland, meanwhile, is part of the fi rm's business law group. For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. Recruiting? Post your position on GREAT RATES. GREAT REACH. GREAT RESULTS. Contact Sandy Shutt at sandra.shutt@thomsonreuters.com for details. www.lawtimesnews.com JobsInLaw 1-8 pg 5X.indd 1 2/15/11 4:12:27 PM "Drugs!" COPS DRESSED AS DOCS FOOL TURKS GAZIANTEP, Turkey — Turk- ish police donned white coats and stethoscopes to disguise themselves as doctors, then knocked on people's doors to see how easily they would fall for a confi dence scam. Th e undercover police offi - cers told residents of the south- eastern city of Gaziantep they were screening for high blood pressure and handed out pills, according to Turkish media. Th ey were alarmed when residents at 86 out of 100 households visited swallowed the pills immediately. Police later returned to warn residents to be more cautious. Th e police pills were harm- less placebos. But a local gang had been using the same tech- nique to give people heavy sed- atives and then burgle them. Turkish police in other prov- inces have also used novel meth- ods to test citizens' gullibility. Offi cers in Adana in south- ern Turkey called at houses, announcing through the in- tercom: "I am a burglar, please open the door." Police said they were stunned at the number of people who opened the door. — Reuters DOG ATTACK VICTIM SHOT BY POLICE BERLIN, Germany — A Ger- man woman who had escaped without serious injury from may 9, 2011 • Law Times Bizarre Briefs By Viola James a dog attack was accidentally shot by police while she hid from the animal behind a door, police said. Police in Berlin shot the dog dead, but a stray bullet went through the door behind which the woman was cower- ing, striking her in the arm. Th e woman was not seri- ously injured. She had gone to visit neighbours at their apart- ment one evening when their two-year-old dog Carlito at- tacked her. A police offi cer was also grazed in the throat by a rico- cheting bullet. Police are inves- tigating possible charges of neg- ligence against both the dog's owner and the police offi cers who fi red the shots. — Reuters BID TO OUTLAW MALE CIRCUMCISION SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A group opposed to male cir- cumcision says it has collected more than enough signatures to qualify a proposal to ban the practice in San Francisco as a ballot measure for November elections. But legal experts said that even if it were approved by a majority of the city's voters, such a measure would almost certainly face a legal challenge as an unconstitutional infringe- ment on freedom of religion. Circumcision is a ritual obligation for infant Jewish boys and is also a common rite among Muslims, who account for the largest share of circum- cised men worldwide. Th e leading proponent of a ban, Lloyd Schofi eld, 59, ac- knowledged circumcision is widely socially accepted but he said it should still be outlawed. "It's excruciatingly painful and permanently damaging surgery that's forced on men when they're at their weakest and most vulnerable," he told Reuters. His group submitted about 12,000 signatures supporting his proposed ban, said Ra- chel Gosiengfi ao, campaign services manager for the city's department of elections. Th e agency has 30 days to verify the petitions. He needs 7,200 valid signatures to qualify. Th e measure, which would only apply in San Francisco, would make it a misdemeanour crime to circumcise a boy before he is 18 years of age, regardless of the parents' religious beliefs. Schofi eld, who would not discuss his current occupation but previously worked for ho- tels in the San Francisco Bay area, has found allies for his cause in the anti-circumcision groups Intact America and the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers, according to his group's web site. However, some experts said it was doubtful such a measure would withstand le- gal scrutiny if challenged. "Th e practice of Judaism re- quires a boy to be circumcised. I suspect the California courts would ultimately require the city to demonstrate the practice is harmful," said Jennifer Roth- man, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. — Reuters

• Cover
• LawPRO Warning
• Final Remarks
• Focus On E-Discovery