Legal Practice

LSO Guidance on Artificial Intelligence

Posted on by Brenda Lauritzen

It’s difficult to have a conversation about the future of legal services without addressing the elephant in the room: generative AI. Here at the library we’re seeing it gradually seep into the legal research process, and lawyers and students are rightfully curious about how the technology can and will be useful in all areas of their practice. Like it or not, the technology is here to stay!

The Law Society of Ontario has released several documents of guidance that can assist for those looking to experiment with the technology, and we recommend taking a look:

It’s important to also be aware of current guidelines issued by the courts on AI usage. The LSO maintains a list of notices and practice directions on AI usage issued by the courts, which can be found here.

 

Library Information for Summer Students

Posted on by Jennifer Walker

Welcome new Ottawa summer students! If you’re a law student working a firm this summer, we’d like to invite you to a tour of the CCLA Library and learn more about our services. Library tours are a great opportunity to meet library staff and learn about the legal research services and resources we can offer, training opportunities, and legal services to support and assist a legal practice. We also encourage any and all students to sign up for the CCLA Newsletter to begin learning about news, events, and opportunities in the East Region. The newsletter is always free, and not tied to CCLA membership.

Tours will be held beginning May 11 on Wednesdays at 10:30 AM, and usually take between 15 to 20 minutes. Please email library@ccla-abcc.ca or call 613-233-7386 x221 to schedule a tour. Need another time? Would rather meet virtually? We can do that, too! Email the library and let us know how we can help you get started this summer.

New on CanLII: Civil Procedure and Practice in Ontario

Posted on by Jennifer Walker

There is an exciting new resource on CanLII that we wanted to flag for our Ottawa lawyers! Led by Professor Noel Semple of the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, the brand new Civil Procedure and Practice in Ontario is a comprehensive and entirely free guide to the Rules of Civil Procedure, Courts of Justice Act, and Limitations Act.

The title was written by 135 lawyers and experts in the province, including Ottawa lawyers Phedely Ariste (Gowlings), Kelsey Buchmayer (Gowlings), Cory Giordano (Supreme Advocacy), Corey Groper (DMG Advocates) and Guy Régimbald (Gowlings), and made possible with funding from the Law Foundation.

A Definitive Guide for When to Gown (or Not Gown) in Ottawa

Posted on by Jennifer Walker

We’re often asked about robing protocol and to be honest, we don’t know. We’re not lawyers and the entire practice around when to gown or not seems like a mystery to us! Unfortunately, it wasn’t clear for lawyers, either. Which is why <drumroll> we’re very excited to present our Definitive Guide for When to Gown (or Not Gown) in Ottawa.

 

We’ve also posted this to our website under the Practice Portals, along with a text version, and we’ll be hanging them up in the Library, Lounge, and Robing Rooms too. Hope it helps!

Thank you to the many people who have helped with this chart, including Sean Bawden, Jonathan Richardson, Karen Ann Reid, and members of judiciary of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.