It is pretty easy to remember to look for legislation that applies to an issue. In the legal research card game legislation trumps case law unless an argument can be made that the legislation is wrong or should in turn be trumped by some other legislation – the Charter is a Joker.

Some legal research arguments require a searcher to be aware of policies.  All kinds of policy references appear in judicial decisions including this reference to Peter Hogg at para 107 of Canada (Attorney General) v. Bedford, 2013 SCC 72 (CanLII).

The doctrines of overbreadth, disproportionality

Yes, I acknowledge that the Tuesday Technology Tip this is supposed to be a general bite-sized tip that is practical and easy to implement. However, when I came across this post from my good friend Jim Calloway today, I felt obligated to share it on SLAW Tips. Speech Recognition – It Really, Really Works was posted on the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Management Assistance Program page.
This post is very practical as it answers most of the common questions I get about what is available in speech recognition for different devices and platforms. It has tons of tips on making the …

Did you know that emails appearing to come from companies you trust and know may actually be from criminals trying to steal your money or identity? Because they are so successful at duping people, “phishing” emails have quickly become one of the most common and devastating scams on the Internet.

Phishing scams use spoofed (meaning faked or hoax) emails and websites to trick you into revealing your personal and financial information. By using the trusted brands and logos of online retailers, banks, or credit card companies, phishing scammers trick surprisingly large numbers of people. The phishing email directs users to …

Time to bare the soul time. There are days when all of us…and here I speak of no other than myself –  get ground down by the daily grind: days where the simple acts of life seem to be oppressive and it is difficult to see the joy in life given all that you have to do. But all of us know that you can’t let this get you down. Silly really, given that we all live in a continent that brims with wealth and opportunity. We all know that you have to get up and set your eyes …

As we sign off on our Practice Tips for 2013, here’s a thought – if you have a bit of spare time on your hands over the break, why not complete a self audit of your firm – Aussie-style.

Australia’s Legal Services Commission makes it easy (and mandatory) with its online self-assessment audit form.

Addressing firm risk-management in areas including competency, communications, timeliness and delay, cost-disclosure, billing practices and termination of retainers, conflicts of interest, records management, undertakings, supervision of staff and practice, and trust fund handling, the Australian self-audit could afford you with a new window on the …

Researching federal legislation can be fascinating particularly historical legislation. The Canadian spirit of the times can gleaned from the content and context of our legislation. As frustrated ambivalent challenged as this might make you feel when reading the current debates, thankfully available on the wonderful LEGISinfo site, looking at debates from the past is both interesting and potentially useful for legal research.

This fall, the Library of Parliament, in collaboration with Canadiana.org, launched its Historical Debates of the Parliament of Canada digital portal.

The portal makes the debates of the House of Commons and the Senate for the …

Public computers in libraries, Internet cafes, airports, and copy shops are an extreme security risk. While you can take steps to reduce these risks, it is still very dangerous to access sensitive personal or client information on them. Start with the assumption that most public computers will have malware on them and let this govern your activities accordingly. The following steps can reduce some of the risks associated with public computers:

• Try to turn on the “private browsing” feature.
• Watch for over-the-shoulder thieves who may be peeking as you enter sensitive passwords to collect your information.
• Uncheck or disable the

“ This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure. ”

To continue our quest to inbox zero, here are further tips to attaining Maslow’s self-actualization by reaching the seemingly stratospheric and elusive high-ground of Inbox Zero:

• Make the most of your time: OK, so you are standing in a lineup at the checkstand (typical with Christmas shopping at this time of year).  Open your Smartphone and start zapping emails…
• Get creative with Labels.  Create folders with names that are relevant to you such as “travel”  or “family” or

The people who know most about what features a product has are the people who made it.

Despite our constant practice using the information tools that we subscribe to and use, the library team members at my firm take opportunities to attend training sessions offered by our vendor and industry partners.  Whether it is a YouTube video, a webinar, a demo at a conference, or a visit to an exhibit hall booth, there is always something new to take in.

Today’s Tip applies to research tools, but equally to any software. Hat Tip to my document management provider, Worldox, …

I have given this tip before, but it is worth giving again (thanks to the nudge in this LifeHacker post): Two-factor authentication is one of the best things you can do to make sure your online accounts are more secure and don’t get hacked. More and more popular services are offering it, including: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google/Gmail, BlackBerry, Yahoo, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon web services, PayPal, Dropbox, Hootsuite, Twitter, Evernote, WordPress and LastPass.
Two-factor authentication is a feature that asks for more than just your password. It requires both something you know (a password) and something you have (for example, your …