Distance Family Mediation Project In Full Swing

Nate Russell at the BC Courthouse Library blog The Stream draws our attention to the Distance Family Mediation Project from Mediate BC.

Russell reports:

“The program is] in full swing now and offering innovative delivery methods for mediation services using technology. The project is still looking for people in family law disputes (i.e. divorce, division of property, child custody, spousal support, etc.) who are interested in experimenting with technology to engage in mediation at a distance.”

For more information about the program visit its homepage or accompanying blog.

BCLMA Topics – Summer 2011

The Summer 2011 issue of BCLMA‘s newsletter, Topics, is now available. Among the articles and features:

• D&D’s emergency plan, tested, tried and true — Connie Fenyo explains what happened when Dye & Durham’s disaster recovery and business continuity plan was put to the test
• How to plan for change in emergency planning – insight from Cadillac Fairview’s manager of Fire & Life Safety
• Is your corporate website still relevant? Susan Van Dyke explains why websites still matter among social media.

Also included are a new “You be the Judge” scenario, highlights from the summer social, information on the Lawyers Assistance Program Society of BC, tips on how to handle challenging conversations, and part 2 of an article on performance improvement planning (part 1 available in the spring 2011 issue of Topics).

UVic Law at the SCC

University of Victoria faculty and students participated in a pair of landmark Supreme Court of Canada proceedings this summer, according to the UVic Faculty of Law.

Bastien Estate v. Canada, 2011 SCC 38, and Dubé v. Canada, 2011 SCC 39, “dealt with taxation of investment income of First Nations people and how to determine when such income is situated on a reserve.”

Professor Martha O’Brien‘s research was cited in Bastien. Professor James Hopkins (the National Aboriginal Economic Development Chair) was co-counsel for the Chiefs of Ontario, intervenor in both appeals. Racquel Fraser and Sheri Solares (now UVic grads) assisted Professor Hopkins.

“The involvement of UVic Law professors and students in such significant cases highlights the successful work of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Chair as well as the outstanding research being conducted by UVic Law professors.”

BCCA Practice Directives & Notes to be Replaced

The BC Court of Appeal announced it would repeal current Practice Directives and Practice Notes and replace them with new and clearer ones, effective September 19, 2011.  A few key changes:

• Practice Directives will be divided into three categories: Civil, Criminal, and Civil & Criminal
• Practice Notes will be styled as “Civil & Criminal Practice Notes”
• The new directives and notes will be organized alphabetically, not numerically.

For details on changes to each note and directive, view this press release and concordance from the Court of Appeal. The old and new documents with their effective dates can be found on the Court of Appeal practice & procedure page.

2011 Pacific Legal Tech Conference Details

This year’s Pacific Legal Technology Conference will be held Friday, October 7, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Vancouver Convention Centre. According to their website, “this year’s conference is particularly focused on law practices moving into the social, virtual and collaborative worlds on the Internet. ”

Here are a few highlights (view or download the conference program for more details):

• The lunchtime keynote, entitled The Future of Legal Practice?,  will be delivered by Chas Rampenthal, Vice President of Product Development and General Counsel, LegalZoom.com, Inc.
• Sessions will be organized into seven distinct tracks: Solo and Small Firm Track; e-Trials, e-Discovery, e-Litigation and e-Mediation;  Social Media, Mobile and Marketing Track; Tools for Collaboration/Cloud Track; Management and Effectiveness Track; Innovative and Strategic Technologies Track; and the Paperless Track
• The day will wrap up with the always popular “60 Tips in 60 Minutes”

The PLTC counts towards mandatory CPD hours in BC; eligibility for other jurisdictions can be found here.

The conference is a joint production of eight local and international legal associations and promises to offer a “world class program based on the technology issues and topics of greatest interest as identified by a survey of all past Conference participants.”

Registration details (including the early bird rate available until September 16th) are available at www.pacificlegaltech.com/registration.html.

Upcoming VBA Events

A pair of Vancouver Bar Association events to share today:

1. The VBA’s 8th Annual Fall Wine Festival

Thursday, October 6th, 2011 from 6-9pm, at the Law Courts Inn. Participants will taste a selection of wines from BC and featured countries. Tickets are $35 for VBA members, $40 for non-memebers.

2. The VBA Annual General Meeting

Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 6pm, at the Hotel Vancouver. A special presentation to this year’s Peter S. Hyndman Mentorship Award will be made. Tickets are $65; VBA expects the event to sell out and therefore recommends purchasing tickets by November 1.

CLEBC August Newsletter

The Continuing Legal Education Society of BC has just issued its Comprehensive Newsletter for August (No. 39). Items include:

• Featured upcoming courses and general course listings (live courses and webinars)
• New address reminder
• Upcoming CLE-TV offerings (including six courses on ethics and practice management)
• CLE news
• Three new Practice Points (Employment-Related Consequences to Employees’ Use of Social Media; Incapacity Planning: Issues for Grantors of Enduring Powers of Attorney; and Escrow Closings)

Why Legal Aid Matters

The Public Commission on Legal Aid wants British Columbians to think about “Why Legal Aid Matters”. The commission recently launched a YouTube channel that will be home to a series of four videos discussing the importance of legal aid to specific groups.

Entitled “Why Legal Aid Matters: Legal Aid as an Essential Service“, the first video features commentary from:

• Leonard T. Doust, Q.C. (Commissioner – Public Commission on Legal Aid, BC)
• Carol Pickup (Advocate, Seniors Entitlement Service Office – British Columbia Old Age Pensioners Organization)
• Doreen Littlejohn, R.N. (Coordinator – Positive Outlook Program – Vancouver Native Health Society)
• Diane Sugars (Executive Director – Learning Disabilities Association – Vancouver)

The “Why Legal Aid Matters” campaign also has an active Facebook page for discussion.

Read about other developments in the CBA BC’s August 3rd  Legal Aid Update.

New Blog: UBC Law Orientation 2011

Continuing on the law school theme, UBC Law has developed a blog for 1Ls starting at the law school later this month.

Written by a group of orientation coordinators and former and returning students, the blog gives the inside scoop on what to expect from the first few weeks of law school, and beyond.  Recent posts discuss course scheduling, managing expectations, and small groups. (Check out the 2010 blog for more info, too.)

Orientation Week organizers are engaging with students through a variety of social media channels; the blog complements the UBC Law Orientation facebook page and Twitter stream.

UVic and UBC Law Recruitment

Admissions officers from University of British Columbia Law and University of Victoria Law will be busy in the coming months, attending career and school fairs to meet prospective students. Here’s a look at some upcoming sessions in BC. For out-of-province event listings, visit the UBC Law and UVic Law information pages.

UBC

September 28th
SFU Graduate & Professional Schools Fair
Academic Quadrangle, Burnaby Campus
8888 University Drive, Burnaby

October 5th, 10am – 3pm
UBC Graduate & Professional Schools Fair
Student Union Building
6138 Student Union Boulevard, Vancouver

UVic

September 28, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The “Big” Fair
Simon Fraser University (Surrey campus)
Mezzanine

September 29, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The “Big” Fair
Simon Fraser University (Burnaby campus)
AQ North and East Concourse

October 4, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Graduate and Professional School Fair
University of Victoria
Student Union Building

October 5 & 6, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Graduate and Professional School Fair
University of British Columbia
Student Union Building

November 1, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
2011 Law Forum
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Conference Centre, Surrey Campus

Be sure to double-check event listings to confirm times and locations.

More on BC’s Overloaded Courts

Hat tip to the Trial Lawyers Association of BC @(tla_bc) for pointing us to a pair of articles on BC’s overloaded courts system:

• Legal days could could double number of cases tossed (Vancouver Sun)
• B.C. courts are in crisis, say critics (CBC)

BC Law Watch noted that TLABC was concerned about this issue earlier this summer. Attorney General Barry Penner has acknowledged that recent judicial appointments will “address the workload pressures the court is facing,” saying “It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not the only thing.”

News from the Justice Education Society

The Justice Education Society recently issued its July 2011 newsletter, which details the organization’s activities and projects, such as:

• A planned update to SmallClaimsBC.ca
• Development of a new website for the We Can End Violence Against Women global campaign
• A documentary entitled “Justice Through Knowledge: A New Vision for Public Legal Education in Vietnam“
• An update on the Art in the Court program

The newsletter includes a resource and website of the month, We Can BC in the news, details of a new Court Information Program for immigrants, and staffing news.