The Complete Brief
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December 22, 2025
Court denies higher contingency fee in case tied to Indian Day Schools settlement
In a case relating to the Indian Day Schools class action settlement, the Federal Court of Appeal has denied a law firm’s appeal for a five per cent contingency fee, noting class counsel involved in proceedings had a lower rate.
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December 22, 2025
Court allows $611,845 deposit forfeiture, rules extension did not waive timeliness clause
The Alberta Court of King’s Bench has permitted a vendor to retain a $611,845 deposit in a $7.6-million land sale after the buyer failed to close on time, finding that agreed extensions did not constitute a waiver of the contract’s “time is of the essence” clause.
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December 22, 2025
Alberta court strikes down law society oath of allegiance over religious rights
Alberta’s top court has ruled that the provincial law society’s requirements to swear allegiance to the monarch violated a Sikh man’s religious rights under the Charter.
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December 22, 2025
Class action certified against RBC over Ponzi-type scheme
The Alberta Court of King’s Bench has certified a class action against the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in a case concerning a real estate investment Ponzi scheme.
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December 22, 2025
Mark Wiseman named Canada’s next U.S. ambassador
Prime Minister Mark Carney has named Mark Wiseman as Canada’s next ambassador to the United States, effective Feb. 15, 2026.
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December 22, 2025
Appeal Court sentence reduction inveighs against normalized errors
The John Howard Society once distributed buttons bearing the words, “There is no such thing as a short prison sentence.” The Alberta Court of Appeal recently decided R. v. Lazzaro, 2025 ABCA 410, where it had to determine how long is too long.
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December 22, 2025
Grand Valley break-in: Incarcerated deserve security, too
We sometimes read of inmates escaping from prison, but it is most unusual to hear of someone breaking into one. A CBC report dated Nov. 3 states that a 28-year-old man from Kitchener, Ont., is facing multiple charges, including two counts of assault, one count of break and enter and one count of mischief. The police said someone had broken into a women’s prison the previous day.
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December 22, 2025
Patients relevant in pharmaceutical product trademark decision: Federal Court of Appeal
In Novartis AG v. Biogen Inc., 2024 FC 52, the plaintiff successfully sued for infringement of its registered trademark and passing off for a pharmaceutical preparation for ophthalmology and pharmaceutical preparations for prevention and treatment of ocular disorders and diseases.
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December 22, 2025
Langlois adds business lawyer Javeria Qureshi
Langlois Lawyers LLP has welcomed Javeria Qureshi to its corporate and commercial law group.
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December 22, 2025
Quebec intends to bolster consumer protection over subscription renewals and ticket resales
The Quebec government, after adopting the first consumer right-to-repair law in Canada and introducing new rules on pricing and tip calculations, has now set its sights on cracking down on hidden subscription renewals and ticket scalping following the tabling of a bill that would yet again bolster key sections of the province’s Consumer Protection Act.