Law Times

Law Times • December 8, 2014 Page 5 www.lawtimesnews.com friends and family, which is not an inconsiderable point given how hard we work to construct a positive image in the commu- nity," said Backhouse, who has attended call to the bar ceremo- nies for 12 years. "I know that we don't always realize fully the opportunity that this presents, but it is a very important chance for us to con- vey information about what the law society does, what our members' obligations are, and to inspire an entire audience with speeches from our best role models," she added. Some, like Bencher Alan Sil- verstein, said the motion wasn't going to rob anybody of the op- portunity to be in attendance if they so wished. "We're not taking anything from anyone who wants to at- tend," he said. "We're adding an option." Bencher Judith Potter dis- agreed. "I support entirely Ms. Backhouse's comment," she said, adding call to bar ceremonies are "an important opportunity for families to bask in the glory of the moment for their loved ones." "I totally, totally feel that we need to continue with the tradi- tions that are so important. We are dumbing down our profes- sion in so many ways and this would be, to my mind, the final coup d'é tat," said Potter. Bencher Avvy Go made an emotional delivery about how grateful she is that she was able to attend her call to the bar cer- emony with her late mother even though she was the type of person who didn't like to go to graduations. But Bencher Peter Wardle de- scribed the situation as a matter of "compulsion versus choice." "If the call to the bar is such a great thing, it's not going to matter that people are no longer compelled to come," he said. "They're going to make the choice because it's going to be something that they want to do. That's the secret here. We have to keep this as something that's a great event that honours all the traditions of the law society. If we do that, we shouldn't be afraid that if we give people the choice, they won't come." Others, like Bencher Michael Lerner, suggested that providing those who finish the law practice program with an administrative option would create a two-tier system between them and those who pursued articling. "The most important thing in my mind is I heard during the articling debate concern expressed by benchers and the profession as to a two-tier sys- tem. If we do not include the LPP licensing candidates with those who have gone through the traditional articling system, we have clearly made a two-tier system," he said. "And I think it is important that at an occasion such as the call to the bar, the two groups in the licensing process be joined together to recognize that they are equals in the eyes of the pro- fession," he added. On Nov. 28, Convocation also heard about the placement opportunities Ryerson Univer- sity and the University of Ot- tawa were able to find for those currently enrolled in the law practice programs. As of mid-November, Ryerson had secured 227 placements for its program with 91 of them paid, 73 unpaid, and the issue of pay- ment still undetermined for the remaining 63 placements, accord- ing to a report to Convocation. The University of Ottawa, meanwhile, has 19 candi- dates and has secured paid plac ements for all of them. The law society will also ex- tend its current repayable allow- ance program for students who were only able to find unpaid work. "The repayable allowance program is a forgivable loan of last resort for those who demon- strate need and have exhausted other sources of funds. Candi- dates do not have to begin re- paying the loan until the third year from their date of call to the bar," according to the report. "Repayable allowance recipi- ents may apply for forgiveness of repayment on compassionate grounds, such as medical disabil- ity or inadequate income." LT NEWS New Edition Ontario Municipal Law: A User's Manual 2015 George Rust–D'Eye, Ophir Bar-Moshe, and Andrew James Your portable source for fully annotated municipal legislation For many years, Ontario municipality have relied on annual editions of Ontario Municipal Law: A User's Manual for answers to complex issues. In this new 2015 edition, leading authorities George Rust- D'Eye and Ophir Bar-Moshe offer a current, comprehensive and easy-to-use source of municipal law. Features Include: • The key municipal statutes and regulations, fully annotated with case law and commentary – Municipal Act, 2001 – Municipal Conflict of Interest Act – Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act – Municipal Elections Act, 1996 • Statute Reference Guide included as a companion booklet of checklists designed to provide quick and practical clarification of the legislative requirements New in this edition The 2015 edition is fully updated with case law, including the Supreme Court of Canada decisions regarding the application of the doctrine of promissory estoppel to statements made by municipal officers, and exemptions from freedom of information. You'll also find appellate-level decisions on such crucial areas as revoking business licences, highway maintenance, bad faith in passing by- laws, limitation period for assessment appeals, municipal liability for negligent investigation, conflict of interest, and much more. Order # 986158-65201 $111 2 volume softcover December 2014 approx. 1000 pages 978-0-7798-6158-3 Annual volumes available on standing order subscription Multiple copy discounts available Shipping and handling are extra. Price(s) subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. 00225OQ-A45473 Available risk-free for 30 days Order online at www.carswell.com Call Toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Continued from page 1 They would not ask for pay rises." And just as many clients are refusing to pay for associ- ates' learning curves, they may also decline to pay more than what artificial intelligence-processed work costs the law firm. "That is a hot subject right now and will be even hotter when AI arrives," says Williams. "From a client's perspective, AI will be nothing more than a production tool." Firms would still have to hire young lawyers if only to perpetuate themselves. But it's unlikely they would be able to use them for billable work as they do today. In- stead, education and training for associates would be the primary goal. But because the weakness of the bots, according to the report, will lie in "making decisions that are based on hu- man factors," strategic and creative thinking will become increasingly valuable assets. "Clients would greatly value the human input of the firm's top partners, especially those that could empathize with the client's needs and show real understanding and human insight into their problems," says Williams. "Some partners who have been very well paid will find themselves either out of a job or not paid as well. The real business getters, on the other hand, will be paid more." As usual, it's likely that the artificial intelligence sce- nario will evolve more slowly for the legal profession than it will for business in general. But Holme says law- yers are only partly at fault. "It's true that lawyers are very resistant to change, but legal services is also a relatively small and very fragmen ted industry," he says. "So AI investment in legal services won't come at the early stages of development." Lawyer Eric Apps of Toronto's Aluvion PC, who also served for more than a decade as president of Angoss Software Corp., a publicly listed predictive analytics so- lution company, also believes the development of artifi- cial intelligence is "a long way off " from the point where it threatens the traditional associate leverage formula. "AI is one aspect of a continuum in which lawyers have been getting more sophisticated about the use of technology that can relieve the burden of a lot of work that's fairly tedious," he says. "It's not a case of the robot replacing the individual but more about how law firms are using technology to address their needs and clients' needs for them to operate more efficiently." Even if artificial intelligence makes its mark on cer- tain types of legal work, Apps believes there are reasons to be optimistic. "As one area of law becomes commoditized, new ar- eas are emerging. So it's not as if lawyers who may be dis- placed will have no place at all to go. At the same time, more and more firms need to look at the technology they're investing in and they need to invest enough to keep up with the trends." Pessimistic lawyers and paralegals may take some comfort in the fact they're not alone in facing the threat from artificial intelligence. No less a figure than physicist Stephen Hawking recently told the BBC that the contin- ued evolution of artificial intelligence could end human life as we know it. "I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," he said. "Once hu- mans develop artificial intelligence, it would take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate." LT LSUC bencher worries about two-tier system Artificial intelligence a 'hot subject right now' Continued from page 1 Investment in artificial intelligence in relation to legal services won't come at the early stages of development, says David Holme.

• Cover