Pulse
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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
Ontario lawyers could learn a lesson from Alberta Law Foundation’s funding dilemma
Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey could learn a thing or two about stretching a dollar from his Alberta compatriot, Mickey Amery. Progressive Ontario lawyers, meanwhile, may soon have to put their money where their mouth is on hard questions of justice funding, economic reality and what it truly means for civil society organizations to operate at arm’s length from government.
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February 09, 2026
Heidi Gordon joins McCarthy Tétrault’s M&A leadership
McCarthy Tétrault has appointed Heidi Gordon as co-head of the firm’s national mergers and acquisitions group, alongside Jonathan See and Shea Small, according to an announcement.
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February 09, 2026
Gowling WLG adds Pascal de Guise to Montreal corporate finance and M&A team
Gowling WLG has welcomed Pascal de Guise as a partner in its Montreal office, bolstering the firm’s corporate finance, capital markets, M&A and funds practices.
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February 09, 2026
Continued misuse of generative AI in Canadian courts
Despite several judicial admonishments in recent months, the unchecked use of generative AI programs for written submissions has continued in Canadian courts. Recently in Ontario, counsel responding to a motion to dismiss an action for delay filed a factum containing a quote purportedly from a Court of Appeal case that could not be found by opposing counsel or the motion judge. While the cited case existed, the quote that was reproduced in the factum could not be found. When pressed on the issue, counsel confirmed that while certain cases referred to in the factum existed, he did not verify their content by reading them: RSR Road Surface Recycling v. Bonnechere Excavating, 2026 ONSC 698.
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February 09, 2026
The Friendly Bar Series, No. 15: What happens when a snowplow and a retainer walk into a bar? It depends
So, there comes a moment in practice when a lawyer realizes that most client anxiety does not arise from the law itself. It comes from not knowing what is about to happen, how bad it will be and whether anyone is pretending otherwise.
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February 09, 2026
Parole hearing spotlights need to recognize reality of con code and rethink incarceration
Lawyers and professionals who work with inmates in penitentiaries have long been aware of an unwritten set of rules that, if broken, carries the death penalty. That set of rules is quickly learned by new arrivals at jails across Canada and is referred to as the “inmate code” or, more frequently, the “con code.” A news report published in the Toronto Star on Feb. 6, 2026, reminds the public that serving a prison sentence is far harsher than being locked away from society.
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February 09, 2026
Why I help pro athletes find their post-retirement careers, part two
This is the second part of a two-part series: Part one: Why I help pro athletes find their post-retirement careers.
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February 06, 2026
Lawyers charged with crimes may claim ‘innocence at stake’ to pierce solicitor-client privilege: SCC
The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld 7-2 the acquittal of a Saskatchewan criminal defence counsel charged with attempting to obstruct justice, ruling for the first time that lawyers charged with a crime may invoke the “innocence at stake” exception to solicitor‑client privilege to seek access to their client’s privileged communications for use in their own defence.
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February 06, 2026
Fasken welcomes lawyer to its Canada, U.K. offices
This week, Fasken announced that Timothy St. John Ellam, K.C., has joined the firm as senior counsel in the litigation and dispute resolution group.