Pulse
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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.”
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February 04, 2026
McKercher names Perrault and Wilson as partners
McKercher LLP has welcomed Toni A. Perrault and Cole J.N. Wilson to its partnership in the firm’s Saskatoon office.
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February 04, 2026
How outdated website content quietly sabotages law firms
Law firms invest significant time and money producing website content, blog posts and practice area pages designed to inform prospective clients and demonstrate expertise. Once published, that content is often treated as an asset that continues working indefinitely.
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February 04, 2026
Marks & Clerk promotes Vekris, Smith and Young in Canada
Marks & Clerk has promoted three members of its Canadian team across its patents and trademarks practices, effective Feb. 1, 2026. Evangellos Vekris and Justin Smith have been named partners, while Shannon Young has been promoted to principal.
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February 03, 2026
Prateek Gupta joins BD&P’s partnership
Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP (BD&P) has welcomed corporate and securities lawyer Prateek Gupta to its partnership, according to an announcement.
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February 03, 2026
The secret power of everyday generosity: The glue that makes client relationships happen
Professional wisdom on advancing your practice often starts with sharing your expertise and experience for the purpose of making sure you are known. But what would happen if you stepped away from sharing knowledge for the sole purpose of building your book of business and instead focused on how you might grow your practice — and client relationships — by simply supporting others? What might happen if you infuse your days by practising radical generosity?
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February 03, 2026
Counsel conduct leads to mistrial in Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
In many instances, the claim on appeal is that the accused received ineffective assistance of counsel. A claim of ineffective assistance can result in a new trial if it is shown that counsel’s acts or omissions fell below the standard of reasonable professional assistance and resulted in an unfair trial or a miscarriage of justice. It is rare for a trial in a provincial court to be adjourned because an accused person makes a claim for ineffective assistance of counsel midway through the trial. Yet such was the case in R. v. MacQuarrie, 2026 NSPC 5.
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February 03, 2026
Carney names Bill Blair and Nathalie Drouin to senior diplomatic posts
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced two diplomatic appointments effective this spring, naming the Honourable Bill Blair as Canada’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom and Nathalie G. Drouin as ambassador to France and Monaco.