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Nov 12, 2012

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MURDER CHARGE Lawyer accused in husband's death $4.00 • Vol. 23, No. 36 COVERING ONTARIO'S LEGAL SCENE • WWW.LAWTIMESNEWS.COM November 12, 2012 Refugee lawyers alarmed at LAO proposals Report suggests web, phone services for applicants with little chance L AW TIMES P3 New law will limit how they spend court awards P7 L BY YAMRI TADDESE Law Times egal Aid Ontario's proposed changes to how it pro- s cost-saving vides services to refugee claimants is troubling some lawyers who are calling the organization' new federal regulations are demanding faster processing of refuge e applications, LAO is fl oating the idea of moving towards web- and phone-based legal services. In a consultation paper released in October, LAO also Claimants from places on the federal government's desig- creased by nine per cent in 2011-12. In the same period, legal aid funding from the federal government for refugee cases decreased by nearly $2.7 million, according to LAO. Bill C-31, which will come into eff ect in December, will Th e number of refugee and immigration certifi cates in- " the consultation paper states. require those who claim refugee status at ports of entry to submit the basis of their claim within 15 days following a referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board. Th e time- line adds more pressure on LAO to provide legal aid faster. But web- and phone-based services are "simply inap- propriate for refugee claimants," says Peter Showler, direc- tor of the refugee forum at the University of Ottawa' man Rights Research and Education Centre. Showler, who' nadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, says claimants oſt en s also a member of the executive of the Ca- s Hu- plans both ineff ective and unjust. In response to funding constraints that come as suggests providing full representation to refugee claim- ants only when there' nated country of origin list would be part of "a low priority group because their claims are much less likely to be suc- cessful, s a "reasonable likelihood of success." 'The justification for these cuts is that there is more need. Go figure,' says Raoul Boulakia. don't have the legal, linguistic or cultural understanding to absorb information and represent themselves. Nor do refu- gees have the fi nancial means to seek services elsewhere a mere two weeks aſt er arriving in Canada, says Showler. ntitled-4 1 12-03-20 10:44 AM INMATES' RIGHTS FOCUS ON Labour & Employment Law P9 Photo: Robin Kuniski den have the 15-day submission rule for refugee claims, but those jurisdictions also provide state-supported FMC gets new name in merger with Salans, SNR Denton F 'By expanding our geographic reach, we will be able to work with our clients as they continue to expand their businesses overseas,' says Chris Pinnington. BY YAMRI TADDESE Law Times CEO Chris Pinnington says will provide a signifi cant boost Canada's presence in the global to legal market. Th e three-way merger with Salans LLP of London, England, and Washington- and London- based SNR Denton will create a 2,500-lawyer fi rm. Th e move makes it one of the 10 largest law fi rms in the world. With 550 lawyers and legal raser Milner Casgrain LLP is preparing to merge with two large interna- tional law fi rms in a move the nation's largest law fi rms. "Th is is about the globalizing economy," says Pinnington. merged in 2010. Salans has more than 750 reach, we will be able to work with our clients as they continue to ex- pand their businesses overseas." Energy, mining, and infrastruc- "By expanding our geographic ture — all areas Pinnington calls FMC's "pillars" — are central to the global economy, he says. Th e move, he adds, "puts us into key markets that interest our clients." SNR Denton, a 1,200-lawyer professionals across six offi ces in Canada, FMC is already one of fi rm, has more than 60 locations worldwide, including in Britain, the Middle East, the Asia Pacifi c , and Africa. It was formed when American fi rm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP and Brit- ain' s Denton Wilde Sapte LLP A DAILY BLOGOF CANADIAN LEGAL NEWS [WWW.CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/LEGALFEEDS ] LegalFeeds-BB-LT-Apr23-12.indd 1 lawyers who serve clients in 17 countries and specialize in sec- tors such as the automotive, tele- communications, and fi nancial industries. Th e three fi rms are building a new one together, says Pinning- ton, who emphasizes that FMC is not "being acquired or taken over. Th e amalgamation would follow a Swiss Verein structure that doesn't combine the fi rms' fi nances. FMC has offi ces in Toronto, " Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. Can- ada' three of the 14 seats on the new fi rm' s sixth-largest fi rm will take s global board. Countries such as Australia, the Netherlands, and Swe- See Tariff , page 5 See FMC, page 5 CANADIAN LAWYER & LAW TIMES POWERED BY 12-04-16 11:56 AM PM #40762529

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