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Legal Update Service

Click on the links above to view recent decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada as well as other courts across the country.

Rural areas losing lawyers, reducing access to justice

The first lawyer to live and practice in Barrington, a municipality with a population of about 9,000 at the southern tip of Nova Scotia, is worried he may be the last.

David Eldridge, who turned 60 last summer, has been trying for five years to find someone to take over the solo practice he established in 1978. He’s taken out advertisements, approached law firms in nearby towns, even chatted up local students who went to law school.

There have been no takers.

“Rural practice does not mean low income…a lawyer can make a very good living,” Eldridge insists, and could be clearing six figures within a few years instead of struggling to climb the ladder in a large firm. “The demand is still here. The door is wide open for someone to come in.”

Doing business in China

When the Quebec Superior Court recently awarded toy maker Mega Brands Inc. $1.3 million following a legal tussle with a Chinese supplier, it highlighted the perils of doing business abroad, but also underscored the value of putting pen to paper to create a comprehensive, detailed and binding contract that clearly spells out the obligations of each party.

Firms focus on anti-counterfeiting

Protecting brand—name, image and product—is big business for lawyers and those they represent. In fact, it’s so big that one firm in the U.S. focuses exclusively on anti-counterfeiting, and a similar firm already exists in Canada.

Getting the right support: Hiring and retaining good support staff

Although the statement, 'behind every great man there’s a great woman,' is far too reminiscent of a 1950s housewife for a current 21st-century mentality, the idea that a successful person is not a singular tower but rather held up by a solid foundation of supporters still holds true.

Lawyers debate what makes top court candidates supreme

Few lawyers would deny that only the best qualified jurists should be appointed to Canada’s top court — but what is best is partly in the eye of the beholder.

With three Supreme Court of Canada judges facing mandatory retirement over the next five years (2 from Quebec and 1 in Ontario) the government making the next appointments will have to decide what it wants, beyond impeccable legal credentials, good character and sound judgment.