News

ubmissions and letters to government since August have run the gamut from comments on proposed intellectual property guidelines to remediation of hazards related to shipwrecks, to an offer to provide emergency pro bono services if the government agrees to expedite the processing of Syrian refugee claims.

Every fall a new executive lineup takes the helm at most of the CBA’s 31 sections and 10 forums. Here’s a little primer on what sections and forums are, what they do, and why you should get involved.

The Intervention Policy Review Committee tabled its report in June and the CBA Board has approved an interim policy based on its recommendations which will serve until Council gets a chance to officially adopt it in February.

Summer’s not even over, but already the Intellectual Property Section is looking ahead to the 8th annual IP Day, next May in Ottawa.

The CBA Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee has released updates to its guidelines for meeting ethical obligations while using technology. Legal Ethics in a Digital World provides a guide for managing the risks inherent in using technology in your practice.

The Write Your Wrong campaign, launched by the National Women Lawyers’ Forum, SOGIC and the Equality Committee, has received a number of stories from lawyers who’ve experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. It has also received a number of questions from members about the need for such a campaign.

Did you know the federal government is considering adding a voluntary supplement to the Canada Pension Plan? Or that the Ontario Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act received Royal Assent in May 2015? The CBA Pensions and Benefits Law Section has prepared an at-a-glance, one-stop summary of legal developments both at the federal and provincial level.

Professor Gerry Ferguson’s course Global Corruption: Law, Theory and Practice, which he’s teaching this fall at the University of Victoria, marks two firsts: it’s the first course on anti-corruption at a Canadian law school, and he’ll be teaching from the first coursebook focused on the law of anti-corruption available globally – a book in which the CBA’s Anti-Corruption Team played a key role.

We correct an error made in the August Enews about one of the CBA Legal Conference resolutions.