The Complete Brief
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February 10, 2026
Why family mediation/arbitration beats courtroom drama
Back in the old days, lawyers and clients thought “going to family court” was a sensible choice for separating spouses. Clients hired lawyers, exchanged court documents, filed motions, spent months fighting about disclosure and interim orders and drafted plenty of briefs. Clients dutifully paid their bills … for two to five years, and for tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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February 10, 2026
Amanda Lawrence-Patel named head of Hicks Morley’s Universities Practice Group
Hicks Morley has named Amanda Lawrence-Patel as leader of the firm’s Universities Practice Group, according to an announcement.
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February 10, 2026
McLennan Ross welcomes Cody Van de Veen
Cody Van de Veen has joined McLennan Ross at its Edmonton office, where he practises insurance defence and commercial litigation, according to the firm.
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February 10, 2026
Settlement reached in securities class action against cannabis company
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has certified a securities class action where the parties reached settlement in relation to alleged misrepresentations by a cannabis company.
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February 10, 2026
B.C. law society has ambitious plans for the year, new president says
The Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) opened its first meeting of 2026 by welcoming a new president, who says there will be an ambitious agenda over the year in areas such as governance improvements and strengthening legal training.
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February 10, 2026
Federal listing of plastic manufactured items as ‘toxic’ may soon land on top court’s steps
The Federal Court of Appeal’s recent judgment that Ottawa reasonably added plastic manufactured items to the federal list of “toxic” substances in Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), enabling the regulation of single-use plastics under s. 93 of the Act, may soon head to the Supreme Court of Canada.
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February 10, 2026
Newfoundland Court of Appeal finds errors in lawyer’s acquittal, orders retrial
From 1989 to 2021, Robert Regular’s name appeared frequently in Newfoundland newspapers. In July 2021, Regular sought a publication ban on his name before the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, arguing that he was a “prominent lawyer” with a career spanning more than three decades and a thriving practice that included several employees and associate lawyers. He said that having his name publicized would have significant professional, social and emotional impacts, especially since some allegations involved a minor.
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February 10, 2026
Recent developments in Canadian class action law: Q4 2025, part two
As we discussed in the first article (see below for link) of this two-part series, the final quarter of 2025 marked notable developments in Canadian class action law, with courts continuing to refine the boundaries of certification and leave across securities, consumer protection and privacy class actions in eight important decisions. We covered three of the eight key decisions from the Supreme Courts of Canada, Ontario and British Columbia in the first article, and we will now discuss the remaining five.
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February 10, 2026
APPEALS - Grounds - Insufficient reasons - Mixed question of law and fact
Appeal by Stuart from sexual assault convictions. The appellant was convicted of sexual assault and criminal harassment. The charge for sexual assault arose from an incident which, after having stayed overnight at the appellant’s home, the complainant awoke to find the appellant pulling her underwear off.
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February 09, 2026
B.C.’s consumer legislation amendments to take effect this summer
Amendments to British Columbia’s Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act are to become effective in summer 2026 to allow for clearer contracts, better cancellation rights and protections from high-pressure sales tactics.