Advice from Law Schools: Follow the Money to Big Law
Photo by Edotommo99 at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 16, 2025 One cold December evening, when I was 22, I lined up outside for almost an hour to get into an exclusive club in Montreal. The gatekeeper allowed the beautiful people in and passed over the others. I would still be waiting if I had […]
A Tale of Two Law Firms
By Murray Gottheil | June 12, 2024 Let me tell you about two different law firms. Big Law Group One is a well-respected Canadian firm with many hundreds of lawyers, some of whom appear to be happier than others. Some of their dearly departed professionals have told me distressing stories about their lives at that firm, […]
To Everything There is A Season
By Murray Gottheil | June 10, 2025 I was the managing partner of a law firm for a while. At the time, I saw myself as something like Cassandra, whom the Gods punished by giving her the ability to foresee the future while dooming her never to be believed. I used to try my best to […]
AI in court: Just your humble serpent?
By Marcel Strigberger | June 9, 2025 You must remember this, a hiss is still a hiss. Maybe in Casablanca. But not in Sandston, Va. And certainly not for Carletta Andrews. Carletta was enjoying a margarita at a Mexican restaurant with her husband. Suddenly, something descended from the ceiling and bounced off her forehead. She […]
Be Careful What You Wish For
Photo by Abhishek Shekhawat at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 7, 2025 Those of my era may remember the comic book character known as “Richie Rich”. A nice little kid, but having been brought up by wealthy parents, he was not on the same wavelength as some of his friends. My friend Stan had a […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Help protect the Rule of Law in Canada | Toronto lawyer gets 9-month suspension for misconduct in investors’ $105M loss | BLG hops on sports branding bandwagon | Counsel caught with pants down – for real | UK lawyers must reinforce clients’ right to complain
By Julius Melnitzer | June 3, 2025 PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT TO RULE OF LAW CANADA Concerned about recent developments that have exposed the fragility of the Rule of Law (ROL) and “how quickly it can be eroded”, a group of lawyers has come up with the idea of having Canadian lawyers unite by collectively pledging […]
AI through the eyes of a born-again Luddite
By Marcel Strigberger | June 2, 2025 Hey lawyers! Beware the ides of artificial intelligence. A week does not pass without reading about some judge raking lawyers over the coals for presenting AI-generated defective law. The defects include but are not limited to misquotes of cited cases; misrepresentations of legal principles associated with cited cases, including […]
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Photo by Jan Koetsier at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | May 31, 2025 Those of you who have read my stuff before may have seen my article titled, Beyond Pizza and Yoga: Let’s Get Serious About Mental Health for Lawyers, in which I advanced the theory that billable hour expectations, a dearth of mentoring, cultures of disrespect, and […]
What are the considerations for employers introducing AI in a unionized workplace?
By: Julius Melnitzer | May 28, 2025 In the unionized workplace, the implementation of artificial intelligence isn’t just a management decision — it’s also a bargaining issue. “Just don’t assume you can quietly roll AI out, because it’s something to which the unions are paying attention,” says Lisa Stam, managing partner at Springlaw Professional Corp. “And […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Mandatory mediation undermines experts’ reports | DEI malaise infects UK | Susskind wrong: AI not lawyers’ demise | Law firm bet on the Leafs | Rap sheet for rapping lawyer
By Julius Melnitzer | May 27, 2025 GETTING EXPERT WITNESSES BACK ON TRACK There’s little doubt that courts have manifested an increasingly critical look at expert testimony lately. Gerald Genge, a claims adjudicator and expert witness with 25 years’ experience, is not surprised: he says the quality of experts’ reports has dipped with the introduction […]