Pulse
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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.
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February 06, 2026
Wills and estates 101: Understanding legal terms
My colleague, Marly Peikes, wrote an article way back in 2023 that demystified some common legal terms used in Ontario estate and trust planning. While an entire textbook could be filled with estate-related legal jargon, for now, we want to provide our readers with greater clarity on even more commonly used terms in the estate and trust realm, with the goal of making this legal landscape a little less intimidating.
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February 06, 2026
Ryan Ejim joins Massey LLP to launch practice for retired athletes
Ryan Ejim, a former professional basketball player turned corporate lawyer, has joined Massey LLP as an associate, where he is building a new practice focused on advising retired professional athletes.
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February 05, 2026
Appeal Court addresses sentencing challenges for multi-million-dollar fraudsters
At one time, the only guidance the Criminal Code provided to sentencing judges was the minimum and maximum sentences applicable to crimes. Although criticized by a Sentencing Commission, denunciation and deterrence became key sentencing considerations and were even incorporated into the Code.
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February 06, 2026
Why I help pro athletes find their post-retirement careers
A sprawling betting scheme to rig National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Chinese Basketball Association games ensnared 26 people, including more than a dozen college basketball players who tried to fix games in the 2024-25 season, U.S. federal prosecutors said in an Associated Press report from Jan. 15.
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February 05, 2026
Miller Thomson adds Rochelle Perera as partner in corporate, M&A and securities
Rochelle Perera has joined Miller Thomson’s Waterloo Region office as a partner in the firm’s corporate, M&A and securities group, effective Feb. 2.
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February 05, 2026
Carney at Davos: Why Canada needs the capacity to ‘stop pretending’
Recently in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney made a speech that captured everyone’s attention — opinions were varied. Here is mine.
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February 04, 2026
An open letter to lawyers in Alberta and elsewhere on the importance of checks and balances
Dear fellow lawyers:
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February 04, 2026
Alberta seeking greater role in judicial appointments, threatens to withhold funding for judges
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is asking the federal government for a greater say in judicial appointments and has threatened to withdraw funding to support any new judicial appointments in the province unless a more collaborative process is set up. In an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Smith also said Ottawa needs to relax bilingualism requirements for judicial appointments “that do not reflect Canada’s broader linguistic diversity in Western Canada and alienates Albertans and western Canadians alike.”