Immigration Canada can address the shortcomings of the start-up visa program without sacrificing the country's credibility on the altar of bureaucracy, says lawyer Mariam Jammal in the opinion piece for CBA National: bit.ly/3Z9Hol4

Do you know an individual or an organisation who has excelled in promoting equality in the legal profession, the judiciary, or the legal community in Canada? If so, we want to honour them! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ou6khx

Mark February 26 in your calendar! Get registration details for this year's AGM here: bit.ly/49jIv5M

Justice Sheilah Martin is leaving the Supreme Court of Canada. Learn more in CBA National: https://bit.ly/4sD85fs

Check out this exciting new initiative by the @uottawa.ca Law Faculty: a free interactive docu-course and video game about Canada's Supreme Court. It's a great resource for teachers, as well as anyone who wants to better understand the Court and the country. supremecourtexperience.ca

Behavioural science research shows that human reasoning in legal contexts is inherently flawed and vulnerable to both explicit and implicit biases. Dr. Gleb Tsipursky shares why understanding cognitive biases leads to a more just legal system in this opinion piece: bit.ly/4sz2U0e

Mark February 26 in your calendar! Get registration details for this year's AGM here: https://bit.ly/49jIv5M

As life becomes increasingly virtual, governments around the world are developing national digital IDs to help citizens prove who they are online. However, don't expect similar offerings from Ottawa: https://bit.ly/4jq6RQw

🏆 Do you know an individual or an organization who has excelled in promoting equality in the legal profession, the judiciary, or the legal community in Canada? If so, we want to honour them! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3A9pp5q

The Supreme Court of Canada marked its 150th anniversary in 2025, so CBA National asked former justices about the cases that stand out to them as the most important: https://bit.ly/4ss5gOl

Thanks to the Canadian Law Blog Awards for recognizing our Verdicts & Voices podcast with a #Clawbie for Best Open Web Publishing. Congrats to host @alisoncrawford.bsky.social! New episodes start January 28. Meanwhile, catch up on last year's content at www.verdictsandvoices.simplecast.com#Clawbie

From mandatory minimums to big brother bills, these topics caught CBA National readers' attention in 2025: https://bit.ly/4soS1xZ

🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉 Start the year off right by saving the dates for our national must-attend conferences. Get ready to elevate your skills, expand your network and stay ahead in your practice. ➡️ bit.ly/470TIFZ

Ontario has the chance to move away from the barrister and solicitor exams and adopt a practical, human rights approach that better prepares lawyers for the profession. It should take it, say Elsa Ascencio & Samantha Peters. Read more in their op/ed for CBA National: https://bit.ly/48ZM6Xj

"I finally felt heard and empowered, and reassured that my assailant would not do this again." For some sexual assault survivors, restorative justice provides healing that the traditional court system does not. Read more: https://bit.ly/49nJmUR

In case you missed it, the latest issue of the Canadian Bar Review is out now! Have a read: https://bit.ly/4j27NdH

If a premier "wants to tackle bail issues, another useful avenue would be to better fund the criminal justice system to reduce the time it takes to get a case to trial. Pretrial detention is a bigger issue when it takes months to get to court." https://bit.ly/491Z0nt

"Canada's justice system is not designed to be guided by popularity or political whims." https://bit.ly/491Z0nt

"In a free society, it is emphatically not the courts' role to simply get out of the government's way." Some Canadian politicians continue to target the courts irresponsibly. Read more from CBA National editor Holly Lake: https://bit.ly/44CSt1f

At the National Assembly last week, Jérémy Boulanger-Bonnelly of CBA-Québec warned that the province's new proposed constitution would weaken protections for fundamental rights. Read the full submission (in French): bit.ly/4pVmWj9

Last week, ABC-Québec chair Alexandre Forest told the National Assembly that a new constitution should be based on broad, unifying consultations – which isn't the case for Quebec's Bill 1. Full submission here (in French): bit.ly/4pVmWj9

"Is it normal to feel guilty for not working late when everyone else in my firm does?" Read the final Dear Advy column for 2025 for advice on how to set healthy work boundaries while still navigating billable-hour culture: https://bit.ly/44wGUbW

Just in time for the holidays, the latest issue of the Canadian Bar Review is out now! Have a read: https://bit.ly/4j27NdH

Whether your literary tastes lean towards heart-pumping thrillers or heart-warming tales that kids and adults can enjoy reading together, these bookworm lawyers have you covered: https://bit.ly/4j5U8T2

⛄ Season's Readings! To wrap up 2025, Verdicts & Voices has assembled an elite Canadian legal brain trust… to recommend books for the holidays. Thanks to @adodek.bsky.social, @erincowling.bsky.social, Shelley Hounsell, and Jacob Kojfman for getting in on the fun. Listen now: https://bit.ly/4j0froR

A decade after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission tabled its final report, lawyers who work with Aboriginal communities are concerned about the lack of progress on two particular calls to action: https://bit.ly/44uFAGx

Mark February 26 in your calendar! Get registration details for this year's AGM here: https://bit.ly/49jIv5M

🏆 REMINDER: Do you know an individual or an organization who has excelled in promoting equality in the legal profession, the judiciary, or the legal community in Canada? If so, we want to honour them! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3A9pp5q

With Canada in the throes of an about-face on climate policies, advocates say the shift could jeopardize the viability of Canada's climate agenda. Learn more in CBA National: https://bit.ly/44sjsMV

In case you missed it ➡️ Why can't lawyers and judges just say what they mean? On Verdicts & Voices, Karen E Jacques and Paul Aterman argue that we need to drop the Latin and $10 words, and instead use plain language to make the law more accessible: bit.ly/4q2tc9c

"In a free society, it is emphatically not the courts' role to simply get out of the government's way." Read the full statement by CBA President Bianca Kratt about the troubling trend of attacks on our courts by Canadian political leaders: https://bit.ly/4q3lMCk

Eschewing unnecessary obfuscation (like this!) in juridical discourse in favour of plain language is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to improve access to justice. Read more in CBA National and listen to the full episode of Verdicts & Voices: https://bit.ly/44IWPnN

Calling all young lawyers! The CBA is looking for its rising star. 🌟 An early career lawyer who exhibits professional excellence, outstanding dedication and team spirit in their involvement with the CBA. The deadline to nominate your peer is February 9. https://bit.ly/48HZgYf

Why can't lawyers and judges just say what they mean? On the latest Verdicts & Voices, Karen Jacques and Paul Aterman argue that plain language makes the law more accessible and builds trust in the justice system. Listen now: bit.ly/4q2tc9c

Today, CBA-Quebec's Alexandre Forest and Jérémy Boulanger-Bonnelly will tell Quebec's National Assembly that the provincial government's new proposed constitution, known as Bill 1, is seriously flawed and should be withdrawn. Read their brief (in French): https://bit.ly/4pVmWj9

Members of the legal community are panning Ontario's attempt to toughen up bail conditions. They say what's proposed will further disadvantage marginalized individuals and may be unconstitutional: https://bit.ly/4rRKMhR

Calling all legal journalists! 📣 The Law Commission of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association are pleased to invite applications for the 2026 LCC-CBA Journalism Fellowship, valued at $40,000 CAD. Applications will be accepted until December 19, 2025: bit.ly/4nZr54g

Mark February 26 in your calendar! Get registration details for this year's AGM here: https://bit.ly/49jIv5M

🏆Recognize Legal Scholarship – Nominate a candidate for the CBA's Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award! Send us your nominations by February 9: https://bit.ly/3QrysUC

Nominations are open till Dec 15 for the 20th annual Clawbies, which celebrate free online Canadian legal content. (ahem, our Verdicts & Voices podcast is a quality listen 😉) Post up to three choices on BlueSky or LinkedIn and use #clawbies2025. More info: https://bit.ly/4prGCvm

Provincial Court civil hearings, traffic, and contravention cases in Newfoundland and Labrador have been adjourned "indefinitely." Read more about why observers are decrying the lack of transparency around the decision: https://bit.ly/48mNy71

Tomorrow is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, a day to commemorate the 14 young women who were murdered at Polytechnique Montréal in 1989. 1/2

Very concerned that Newfoundland & Labrador has indefinitely suspended several circuit courts and adjourned civil, small claims, traffic, and Contraventions Act matters in St. John's, Grand Falls-Windsor and Stephenville. Statement by CBA-NL: https://bit.ly/48TclQc

Today, the CBA's Shelley Hounsell, KC, and Katherine Batycky will express support for the expansion of Unified Family Courts as part of the Senate's study of Bill C-15, the Budget Implementation Act. For more info and the live feed: https://bit.ly/48pfENu

Quebec's proposed constitution has taken many by surprise, given the red flags it raises and the danger it presents to fundamental rights and freedoms, as well as the rule of law. 🎧 Read more and listen to the full episode of Verdicts & Voices: https://bit.ly/3KoYDeA

Constitutions aim to be unifying documents that reflect a people's common values and grand ideals. On the latest Verdicts & Voices, Alexandre Forest and Stéphane Beaulac argue that the Quebec government's proposed new constitution is anything but: bit.ly/3MoHvGl

Animal law just hit a significant milestone with the launch this fall of the animal law program at the University of Toronto, the first of its kind in Canada. Read more about the program and why practitioners say it "legitimizes" the field: https://bit.ly/3MBCkTt

Consider supporting the Law for the Future Fund this #GivingTuesday: it has contributed to over 240 innovative studies, including work improving family law in Saskatchewan and building a virtual library of the rights of victims of crime: https://bit.ly/40X5cZx

Do you know an individual or an organisation who has excelled in promoting equality in the legal profession, the judiciary, or the legal community in Canada? If so, we want to honour them! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ou6khx

"You have every right to have some time for yourself balanced against the demands of your job." Dear Advy gives advice on how to talk with superiors at you firm about taking a vacation: https://bit.ly/4rwmIAX