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 […]
Pay for Play
Photo by Cottonbro at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | May 26, 2025 A friend of mine, whom I will call Bill, was named as a Best Lawyer. Bill is a sole practitioner in a narrow specialty, and I am inclined to believe that having his peers vote him that award is meaningful. Unlike some of […]
Assault with a loaded slipper
By Marcel Strigberger | May 25, 2025 En garde! Choose your weapon. Actually, do you know what constitutes a weapon? You may be surprised what ignorance of the answer to this question can cost you. This gets me to turtles, turkey and Toblerone. A gentleman from Pennsylvania recently set off an alarm at Newark Liberty […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Law firm branding mania: Are Leafs Next? | Five years: Harshest sentence ever for OHS criminal negligence | Div. Ct.: LST has power to order compensation for pending claims | Taliban: Chess not compatible with Islamic law | Lexis+ AI fuels revenue growth – says Lexis Nexis
By Julius Melnitzer | May 22, 2025 LAW FIRM PAYS $11.4M FOR STADIUM NAMING RIGHTS CITY AM reports that Liverpool’s Hill Dickinson, a top-50 UK law firm whose profits exceed C$95M, has paid $11.4 million for the naming rights to soccer team Everton’s new stadium. The move is apparently part of law firms’ realization of […]
Pivoting From Big Law
Photo by Allison Browning on Pexels By Murray Gottheil | May 20, 2025 Sometimes I meet a young lawyer whose career goal is to work in Big Law. That might not be my first choice, but they should go for it as long as they know what they are getting into. This article is not about those […]
Ontario court rules employer’s termination clause enforceable due to clear language, entitlements
By: Julius Melnitzer | May 19, 2025 A recent Ontario Superior Court decision demonstrates that it remains possible for employers to insert enforceable termination clauses in employment contracts. For some five years now, a host of decisions have struck down as unenforceable termination clauses that purport to displace employees’ right to reasonable notice or pay in […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: “Woman means woman” as UK Supreme Court refuses to recognize gender identity | Alberta lawyer challenges “woke” Law Society rules | World’s first AI law firm says system can do “anything” | AI video of murdered man gives his impact statement | Training AI on someone else’s headnotes is copyright infringement: USCA |
By Julius Melnitzer | May 12, 2025 “GENDER RECOGNITION CERTIFICATE” DOES NOT A “WOMAN” MAKE The United Kingdom Supreme Court has ruled that “woman” in the Equality Act (EA) means a biological woman. The ruling strikes down guidance from the Scottish government stating that a gender recognition certificate issued to an individual brings that person […]