Succession Law: Tables of National Concordance
The CBA’s Wills, Estates and Trusts Section has assembled a series of tables entitled Succession Law: Tables of National Concordance and posted them on the CBA website. Intended for use by members working with the varying laws across Canada, they relate to estate and trust planning and administration. The tables were designed to provide a quick reference to different jurisdictions; to inform on conflicts of law; to support current mobility initiatives across Canada; to support comparative analysis; and to provide access to primary sources of information through citations and links.

Details (requires CBA member number)
www.cba.org/CBA/sections_wills/main/tables.aspx


CBA Condemns Arrests of Lawyers in Pakistan
The CBA is supporting the Canadian government in its condemnation of the imposition of emergency rule in Pakistan, and is lending its voice to the call for the immediate return to the rule of law. “We fully endorse the government’s call for an end to emergency rule in Pakistan,” said CBA President Bernard Amyot of Montreal.

The CBA has developed a web page for members who would like to do more for colleagues in Pakistan. The site contains the CBA’s statement as well as those from other organizations, CBA core principles (resolution from 2006), information on the situation in Pakistan, a sample letter, addresses of the High Commissioner of Pakistan, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Information on Pakistan
www.cba.org/CBA/news/pakistan/


President Meets Minister of Justice
CBA President Bernard Amyot met with federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson on October 25 to discuss issues of mutual interest. During the course of the one-hour meeting, the talks focused on security certificates under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, federal responsibility for civil legal aid, and justice initiatives coming up in the new Parliamentary session. The Minister praised the CBA for the high calibre of its federal submissions. A second meeting with the Minister and the CBA’s Executive Officers was scheduled for November.

Podcast: Is Flat Fee Billing a Viable Alternative for Lawyers?
Rather than setting price by a standard unit or result, alternative billing options focus on actions taken to benefit the client, beyond the time of how that value is applied. One of the simplest such options, and one that has increasingly received a great deal of attention in Canada, is billing for legal services at a flat rate. This month on CBA PracticeLink, certified management consultant and author Ed Poll helps you discover whether flat fee billing is a viable alternative for your firm.

View podcast
www.cba.org/cba/PracticeLink/podcasts/

View article
www.cba.org/cba/PracticeLink/MF/flatfee.aspx

All this and much more
www.cba.org/cba/practicelink/


CBA Calls for Reduced Delays in Processing Work Permits
The CBA’s Citizenship and Immigration Section has written Immigration Minister Diane Finley and Human Resources and Social Development Minister Monte Solberg to raise concerns about the length of time it is taking to process work permit renewals and extensions. The delays are causing real hardship to people and a climate of uncertainty for many Canadian employers and their employees. The CBA recommends a number of administrative improvements to alleviate some of the pressure, but says the only way to solve the problem permanently is through the allocation of additional resources.

Letter
www.cba.org/CBA/submissions/pdf/07-51-eng.pdf


CBA and Competition Bureau Sign Accord
The CBA’s National Competition Law Section and the Competition Bureau have endorsed a protocol that will promote more effective cooperation between the two groups. The protocol is the work of a joint task force that based the accord on the successful working relationship between the ABA’s Antitrust Law Section and the U.S. Department of Justice and the FTC.

Protocol
www.cba.org/CBA/sections_Competition/pdf/Final_CBA_Task_Force_Report_07_13_07.pdf


CBA Responds to New Legislation
In the days immediately following the Speech from the Throne, the government introduced several new Bills including: Tackling Violent Crime Act (Bill C-2), amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Bill C-3), and amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act (Bill S-3).

• Bill C-2: The CBA’s National Criminal Justice Section notes that public safety is best advanced by ensuring adequate resources to rely on laws already in place, rather than making changes that may complicate the law, elicit constitutional challenges and unnecessarily bog down the courts.
• Bill C-3: The CBA has previously noted flaws with the U.K. model of special advocates that relate to the advocate’s access both to the person being detained and to the information in the entire file.
• Bill S-3: The amendments bring back investigative hearings and preventative arrest under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The CBA has previously argued that both Sections should be repealed under the “sunset” provisions of the Act, given the extraordinary powers they provide to law enforcement.

All three Bills are being reviewed in detail by the relevant Sections.

These articles were published in the December 2007 issue of BarTalk. © 2007 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.