Like the hangover that follows the night before, media coverage of the Paris COP 21 climate accord in late 2015 seemed to shift suddenly from euphoria to pessimism, as critics turned their attention from the scope of the deal to its limits.

One Canadian company would like to buy another company of roughly the same size, a deal at mid-market level. What happens next? That’s the question that’s asked – and answered – in the new Skilled Lawyer Series being launched in January.

The low dollar, uncertain commodity prices and Canada’s new government are all factors at play in M&A projections for the new year, says Pavan Jawanda, an associate at McCarthy Tétrault in Vancouver.

It’s a system that has evolved to respond to the legal challenges inherent to the global trade environment. But as trade agreements continue to proliferate and take hold, the treaty process that manages conflicts between states and foreign investors is, after decades of operating as an obscure and largely confidential arrangement between lawyers, emerging as a global political flashpoint.

The Ontario Securities Commission’s “comply or explain” approach to addressing the underrepresentation of women has resulted in a momentum shift on the country’s corporate boards. Seven provinces and two territories adopted the policy last December and it’s already making a difference. The disclosure results themselves have been mixed, according to OSC chair Howard Wetston, with some explanations conforming to the letter but not the spirit of the regulations.

The field of animal law seems to be having a bit of a moment – laws being tabled and passed at home and abroad are working to raise animals’ status from furniture to sentient beings. Even so, the laws still draw a line between the treatment acceptable for companion animals and for food animals, despite some food producers’ fears and a Supreme Court decision that could open the door to more litigation.

Ottawa can be a leaky ship, but that doesn’t mean there are no secrets in government – among them, note Mark Katz, Erika Douglas and Megan Cheema of Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, are the whistleblower protection provisions in Canada’s Competition Act. Commissioner of Competition John Pecman is about to change that: the bureau’s WhistleBlower Initiative is designed to make the public aware that protections exist.

Trademark trolls make a business of registering trademarks they have no intention of using and either holding them for ransom or suing anyone who uses them. Canada used to get around that by requiring those registering the trademarks to use them. Provisions contained in the omnibus Economic Action Plan Act of June 2014 eliminate this use requirement and open the door for trolls to gobble up trademarks at will.

Marijuana is sure to be an issue in this year’s federal election, with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau having declared early on he thinks it should be legalized. The Conservatives, no surprise, have other ideas. But while they bicker about legality, quick-footed lawyers are taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the business model for medical marijuana, and gearing up for the possibilities that lie beyond medical pot.

Negotiations toward the establishment of a national securities regulator are at a tricky spot, with legislation based on provincial securities law outlining policy in broad brushstrokes – details to be filled in later. As Doug Beazley tells us, the devil is in those details.