Pulse
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December 05, 2025
Mario J. Lanteigne appointed to New Brunswick Court of King’s Bench
Mario J. Lanteigne, a sole practitioner in Bathurst, N.B., has been appointed a judge of the Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division, in Bathurst.
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December 05, 2025
Getting called back to the bar
I’m talking about the other bar. The salad bar. We all thought COVID-19 would signal the end of the salad bar. However, these sumptuous buffets have made a resurgence.
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December 05, 2025
Brutality of crime informs sentencing, appeal in B.C decision
Criminologists might use “strain theory” to explain crimes committed by individuals who grew up in deprivation and are unable to reach their goals through legitimate means. While such individuals deserve sympathy, how far should an appellate court go in reducing sentences when the crime was brutal? That was the issue facing the Manitoba Court of Appeal in R. v. Heinrichs, 2025 MBCA 101.
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December 04, 2025
McLennan Ross to promote 5 lawyers to partner in 2026
Elise Cartier, Michelle Fong, Alex MacDonald, Marco Marrelli and Richard Wong will join McLennan Ross LLP’s partnership in 2026, according to the firm.
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December 04, 2025
Shauna Towriss joins Dentons as partner in Vancouver real estate group
Dentons has added Shauna Towriss as a partner in its real estate group in Vancouver.
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December 04, 2025
Court orders law firm to disclose client’s banking information
Parties may occasionally seek disclosure of information or documents from another party’s lawyer during the course of litigation. In such cases, solicitor-client privilege as well as a general duty of confidentiality must be considered. Lawyers who receive a request for disclosure of privileged information by a non-client will generally require that a court order for disclosure be obtained.
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December 04, 2025
Ontario Court of Appeal weighs real public risk against public opinion
There is significant public pressure to deny bail after a person is arrested for a criminal offence. It is also reasonable to expect that this pressure could influence a Court of Appeal judge to refuse bail when an application for bail pending appeal is made, especially if the conviction involves a serious offence.
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December 04, 2025
A manually actuated excavation device and other excuses for legal bafflegab
Let’s call a spade a manually actuated excavation device. Why? Well, I can think of at least four reasons.
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December 03, 2025
Federal judges ‘reluctantly’ take Carney gov’t to court in dispute over pay, judicial independence
In a pay dispute with Ottawa that raises questions about the requirements for judicial independence, the Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association (CSCJA) and the associate judges of the Federal Court separately filed Federal Court applications seeking judicial review of the Carney government’s recent refusal to implement the recommendations of an independent judicial pay commission, including its advice that a $28,000 salary boost (on top of mandatory annual indexing) is necessary to keep attracting outstanding lawyers to the federal benches.
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December 03, 2025
Valerie Prather joins McCarthy Tétrault in Calgary
McCarthy Tétrault has welcomed Valerie Prather as a partner in its litigation and dispute resolution group in Calgary, according to the firm.