Law Times

PAGE 4 NEWS January 17, 2011 • Law Times CLawBies honour the best in Canadian legal blogs A BY OLIVIA D'ORAZIO For Law Times s the CLawBies wrap up the 2010 honours for the best in legal blogs, the founder of the Ca- nadian Law Blog Awards ex- pects more collaboration in the area this year. "I think we'll see a lot more collaboration and group blogs and a lot more topical group blogs," says Steve Matthews, who started the CLawBies fi ve years ago. Th is year, the CLawBies introduced a few changes to its lineup, including the addition of two new categories: best le- gal news blog and best practice group blog. Matthews began the CLaw- Bies in a bid to draw attention to the Canadian law blogo- sphere. "I wanted to see blog- ging become more social," he says. "I was trying to increase The Ontario Condo Law Blog won for best practice group blog. the social connections be- tween Canadian bloggers and others." Recently, he notes, the area of activity has grown even more. "In the last 18 months alone, the number of bloggers has doubled. Th at's really impressive." For one of the winners, the recognition by fellow bloggers was particularly welcome. "It's not winning the award that's im- portant," says Antonin Pribetic, winner of the best practitioner blog award for Th e Trial Warrior Blog. "It's the fact that my peers in the blogosphere . . . were col- legial enough to recognize my small contribution." Also recognized were 17 other blogs and bloggers, plus numerous runners-ups, includ- ing the Canadian Lawyer/Law Times blog Legal Feeds. So why do lawyers blog? Ac- cording to Matthews, it's an op- portunity to present a picture of their law fi rm that a client may not get off a web site. "Blogs provide LawyerDoneDeal_LT_Jan17_11.indd 1 1/11/11 3:10:19 PM added insight that [clients] don't get off of the brochure version of a web site," he says. "It paints a more complete picture." Megan Connolly, winner of the best new law blog award for Toronto Estates & Trusts Monitor, says she blogs because of the opportunity it provides her to learn more about her fi eld. "It's a great opportunity to learn about new things and share that information with others who may also fi nd it helpful or useful." Chris Jaglowitz, winner of the best practice group blog for the Ontario Condo Law Blog, fi nds the creativity involved particularly exciting. "We're not really limited to the customary styles of articles and newslet- ters," he says. "It's a lot more fl exible and a lot more fun." With law blogs popping up A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE LAW OF TERMINATION IN ONTARIO SECOND EDITION Janice Rubin and Hena Singh THE LEGAL PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR ENDING AN EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP This practical text discusses in non-legal language the legal principles employers and human resource professionals need to know when ending an employment relationship. It provides an overview of the law and helpful advice when planning a termination in Ontario. It also helps you avoid commonly made termination mistakes, which often cause unexpected legal liability. A Practical Guide to the Law of Termination in Ontario, Second Edition covers important topics such as: • Notice of termination and severance pay under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 Just cause terminations • • • Perfectbound • 174 pp. September 2010 • $65 P/C 970010002 ISBN 978-0-88804-505-8 • • Disabled employees and the Human Rights Code The termination meeting • Reasonable notice at common law Elements of the severance package • Employment contracts Litigating wrongful dismissal claims at every turn, selecting only a few winners is no easy task. Matthews, however, has got his own criteria for what makes a good blog nailed down. "A successful blog will get beyond newsletter content," he says. "Th ey need to move forward with their opinions without providing legal advice." "We look for readership," he adds. "Who is originating new ideas and getting recognized for it? [It's] lawyers who are driving or starting the conversations." Michael Geist, co-winner of the award for the best Ca- nadian law blog, benefi ts from his eff orts but notes there are challenges. "It is a great way to road-test ideas and gener- ate conversation. I know that many people fi nd regularly posting a challenge." Th at's something Pribetic deals with on his blog. "Th e hardest part of blogging, in my experi- ence, is fi nding the time and us- ing the time effi ciently," he says. Jaglowitz faces similar issues on his blog. "It's sometimes diffi cult to prepare fresh content on a reg- ular basis," he says. "But there are some great blogs out there, and I try to read as many as I can." In the meantime, the Cana- canadalawbook.ca For a 30-day, no-risk evaluation call: 1.800.565.6967 Canada Law Book, a Thomson Reuters business. Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. LT0117 www.lawtimesnews.com dian legal blogosphere contin- ues to develop. "Th e Canadian legal blog scene was more lim- ited when the awards were fi rst launched," Geist says. "But to- day, there is a great community of bloggers providing timely, informative posts." LT

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