Pulse
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January 26, 2026
Full variety protection for plants: Drones, DNA and the Court of Bari’s landmark decision
While the digital world grapples with AI-generated imagery, a parallel revolution in intellectual property enforcement is taking place in the physical fields of Italy. A recent, groundbreaking decision by the Court of Bari has set a transformative precedent for Plant Variety Protection (PVP).
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January 26, 2026
Jury charge regarding exculpatory evidence, statements to police leads to new trial in murder case
It was big news, first reported in the Edmonton Journal on May 8, 2020. The RCMP responded to a report of an unresponsive man found near a rural Alberta roadside just after 8 a.m. on April 12. The death was later deemed a homicide following an autopsy in Edmonton a few days later. The body was identified as that of a 74-year-old Wetaskiwin man, Larry Parker.
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January 23, 2026
OBA civil litigation award recipients encourage mentorship in the profession
The importance of mentorship and elevating young lawyers was a focal point of the Ontario Bar Association’s (OBA) Civil Dinner, which celebrates excellence in the bar. Both recipients of the OBA awards emphasized the vital position role models play in the profession.
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January 23, 2026
James-Scott Lee rejoins Fasken as partner
James-Scott Lee has returned to Fasken as a partner in the firm’s banking and finance group.
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January 23, 2026
Langlois expands litigation team with 5 new lawyers
Langlois Lawyers LLP has added five lawyers to its litigation group following their articling terms and calls to the Quebec bar, the firm has announced.
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January 23, 2026
Moral, legal imperatives affecting restitution of looted art
As someone involved in the field of art restitution, I often marvel at the different types of responses that we receive once we advise someone that the artwork in their possession was looted during the Holocaust and must now be returned to its rightful owners. Possessors who find themselves in this predicament range from private individuals to corporations and foundations, but most institutional possessors are clearly museums, which range from small regional ones in Western and Eastern Europe to the most prominent ones in Europe and the United States.
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January 22, 2026
What I learned about artificial intelligence in the 1990s
My law firm had a thriving real estate practice in the 1980s. When the real estate market tanked from 1989 until about 1996, they were not happy times. We did not hire any real estate lawyers in those days.
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January 22, 2026
B.C. Court of Appeal weighs in on Port Coquitlam neighbour dispute
“Good fences make good neighbours” is the oft-quoted line from Robert Frost’s poem Mending Wall. It suggests that clear boundaries and respect for personal space foster better relationships. Even with walls and fences, relationships sometimes sour.
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January 22, 2026
Cassels adds 11 new partners
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP has announced that 11 lawyers have been admitted into its partnership for 2026.
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January 22, 2026
John McKeown joins Loopstra Nixon as partner
John McKeown has joined Loopstra Nixon LLP as a partner with the intellectual property practice group.