BarNotes: The Voice of Saskatchewan’s Legal Community

Legal and non-legal organizations in Saskatchewan in family and civil law sectors collect important justice data—what if there was a province-wide justice data commons readily accessible to decision-makers and stakeholders? 

Lawyers practice in high-conflict, deadline-driven and emotionally charged situations. When they are not engaging with clients, legal practitioners can spend solitary, mentally challenging hours preparing documents, developing case strategy or preparing for court.

Bono Law Saskatchewan (PBLS) is experiencing a large spike in the number of asylum seekers in Regina needing assistance with making an inland refugee claim. 

CREATE Justice, with the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science and Justice Studies, announced the release of the final reports of the Legal Data Scan and Needs Assessment, which seek to improve access to justice.

I have previously written about the project started in 2019 that resulted in the publication this year of a book and now it's a podcast.

Saskatchewan needs a provincial UNDRIP legislation for two reasons: one, because the federal legislation only imposes obligations on the federal government; and two, because of Saskatchewan’s role in the cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples. 

No matter where you are in your path – whether you are a law student excited about entering the profession, or a lawyer 25 years into your career – you have something to learn from this book.

Steven Dribnenki is the new CBA Saskatchewan President, his term having officially begun on  September 1, 2023, running through until August 31, 2023. 

Throughout my two summers at MLT Aikins, mentorship was the most beneficial aspect of my experience. Connecting with lawyers genuinely interested in teaching students and assigning meaningful work allowed me to build my confidence.

Some clients may still be impacted by the principle of revocation by marriage, if their will was revoked by marriage before the 2020 amendment.

By embracing remote work and modern office models, Procido LLP has gone from hanging a shingle to a team of 25.

Sydney Sukymka and Patricia Warsaba, K.C. of McKercher LLP to discuss receiving the 2023 Canadian Bar Association Saskatchewan Branch Community Service Award.

As the legendary Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” A day in the life of a Legal Aid lawyer is similar.

Bill C7 (March 2021) broadened eligibility to persons without reasonably foreseeable natural death (RFND), adding some additional safeguards, such as increasing the mandatory waiting period for 90 days, while MAID for sole mental illness was initially excluded until March 17, 2023 (recently deferred to March 2024).

Burnout is not unique to family law. I would hazard a guess that most lawyers experience burnout at some point in their career.

The toughest thing was to leave the partnership.  To actually retire.  It was my hardest decision, but it turned out to be not a difficult or drawn-out process.

As most lawyers know, our Code of Professional Conduct (the Code) has been amended to clarify the requirements regarding direct supervision of non-lawyers (see s. 6.1 of the Code). These amendments were thoroughly considered after many consultations related to non-lawyers’ roles in the legal industry, with the goal of improving access to justice.

The Shift Project offers up to 4 hours of free legal advice for individuals who have suffered workplace sexual harassment at a Saskatchewan workplace.

After successful pilot programs in Prince Albert and Regina and in accordance with s.44.01 of the Queen’s Bench Act, mandatory early family dispute resolution has been extended across the entire province of Saskatchewan, effective July 1st, 2022.

As of July 1, 2022, parties to a family law action in Saskatchewan must participate in a family dispute resolution process before proceeding with a court application.

New CBA Saskatchewan (CBASK) President, Jana Linner, discusses her priorities, judicial independence and advocating for the increased representation of women in the legal profession.

Although the world has largely adapted to the new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 virus and its variants continue to create uncertainties for employers.

In the pre-pandemic world, hiring summer students and articling students involved several networking events, such as the CBA Law Firm Showcase, the College of Law Career Fair and receptions hosted by law firms themselves.

Employers struggled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with a problem: were their remote employees working?