The Friday Brief: Managing Editor’s must-read items from this week

Matthew Grace

Here are my picks for the top stories we published this week in The Lawyer’s Daily.

Chief justice's rare order in Trinity Western case ensures 'all voices could be heard'
Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin’s unusual decision to vary an order from one of her colleagues that denied intervenor status to LGBTQ groups in a major case involving equality rights and religious freedom is a largely procedural matter that stemmed from a desire to hear more points of view, say several observers of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Appeal court ruling contains a 'lot of lessons' for legal profession: lawyer
The B.C. Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of assault and sexual assault against a former girlfriend after it ruled he received ineffective assistance of counsel, and the accused's appellate lawyer says the decision contains a "lot of lessons" about ensuring proper training for trial lawyers and any mistakes made were "utterly avoidable."

B.C. fires had firms scrambling to stay in business, protect data
While law firms in communities affected by the wildfires scramble to continue business as unusual, lawyers across the country should look closely at the B.C. situation and assess their readiness to respond when disaster strikes.

Quebec notaries, lawyers lose legal battle against title insurers
The governing bodies of the Quebec legal and notary professions lost a suit against American-based insurers after Quebec Superior Court held that they did not overstep their bounds in preparing, registering and discharging mortgages on real estate.

A tale of two consultations: Top court bolsters Indigenous rights
Richard Pound’s column looks at two companion cases in which the Supreme Court of Canada considered whether the constitutional duty on the part of the Crown to consult with Aboriginal groups whose Aboriginal property and other rights might be infringed or affected by proposed usage had been adequately discharged.

Matthew Grace is the Managing Editor of The Lawyer's Daily.