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New Books for the New Year

Here’s a selection of new books in our collection – covering current issues from cannabis and liquor laws to expert witnesses and family arbitration:

Cannabis Law by MacFarlane et al. HV 5840 .C36 M34 2018 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor & 1st Floor.

  • This item, which claims to be “the first of its kind”, acts as a guide with which readers can navigate the plethora of uncharted legal issues newly relevant with the legalization and regulation of cannabis in Canada.

Charter Remedies in Criminal Cases: A Practitioner’s Handbook by Asma & Gourlay. KF 9655 A84 2019 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor.

  • The latest title in the Criminal Law Series covers breaches and remedies, as well as issues such as police misconduct and exclusion of evidence, from both defence and Crown perspectives. Includes checklists and ample case references.

Government Lawyering: Duties and Ethical Challenges of Government Lawyers by Sanderson. KF 299 .G6 S25 2018 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor.

  • This new text fills a major gap in the literature by explaining and analysing the unique ethical and practice issues facing lawyers working for the Crown.

Impaired Driving and Other Criminal Code Driving Offences: A Practitioner’s Handbook by Jokinen and Keen. KF 2231 J65 2019 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor.

  • With the repeal and replacement of all driving provisions of the Criminal Code in 2018, this item acts as a comprehensive handbook that analyzes and contextualizes the new provisions of the legislation replete with case law, strategy, and advice.

Liquor Laws of Canada by Bourgeois. KF 3919 B69 2018 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor.

  • This text serves as a comprehensive primer to the laws governing the regulation, manufacturing, distribution, selling and consumption of liquor across Canada while providing constitutional and economic context to Canadian liquor law.

Other recent additions to our Canadian Practice Collection:

The Expert Accountant in Civil Litigation, 2nd ed., by McAuley. KF 8968.15 Z53 2018 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor.

A Guide to Family Arbitration in Ontario by Grant and Preston. KF 505 .ZB3 G73 2018 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor.

Ontario Residential Real Estate for Practitioners by Wolf. KF 665 W65 2019 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor.

Quasi-Constitutional Laws of Canada by Helis. KF 425 H45 2018 / 1st Floor.

Witness Preparation: A Practical Guide, 4th ed., by Finlay et al. KF 8950 F56 2018 / Practice Collection, 2nd Floor.

 and to our Circulating Collection:

The Class Actions Controversy: The Origins and Development of the Ontario Class Proceedings Act by Chiodo. KF 8896 C45 2018 / Circulating Collection, 2nd Floor.

A History of Law in Canada, Volume One: Beginnings to 1866 by Girard et al. KF 345 G57 2018 / Circulating Collection, 2nd Floor.

Truth and Conviction: Donald Marshall Jr. and the Mi’kmaw Quest for Justice by McMillan. KF 8205 M36 2018 / Circulating Collection, 2nd Floor.

 


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Here Comes Santa Claus(e)

As the Great Library’s staff heads off to spend the holidays with family and friends, and the doors close for the year, I can sneak in this guest post unobserved, like a night-time intruder in a chimney flue.  As visions of sugar plums dance in my head, I can’t help wonder if the AI in legal publishing research databases dreams of Santa.  Or if it’s not quite clear on the concept.  Sometimes Santa’s little legal research helpers need a bit of guidance.

Continue reading →


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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

December is known as Universal Human Rights Month. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in Paris on December 10, 1948. The milestone document consists of 30 articles setting out the basic human rights and freedoms – civil, political, economic, social and cultural for “all peoples and all nations”.

The universality of the Declaration is reflected in the fact that it is the most translated document in the world. There are currently 515 translations from Abkhaz to Zulu, as well as sign language versions, child-friendly versions, and illustrated versions.

To mark Universal Human Rights Month, here is a short selection of resources for researching the UDHR:

 


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We’re Moving Again!

Well, really we’re moving books again. In an earlier post this year, we let you know that our British law reports, digests and statutes were moved from the American Room down to their new home on the 1st floor.

Now we’re filling all of those empty American Room shelves with our comprehensive collection of federal and Ontario legislative materials. In the New Year, you’ll finally be able to find statutes, regulations, bills, Hansard debates and committee minutes and proceedings all together in one room! Plus, library staff are close by – ready to share their expertise and help you navigate the print and digital sources. For help with any legislative research, just ask us!


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American Law Guides for Beginners (and Canadian legal researchers)

At the Great Library, we’re always looking for simple, accessible resources that can provide our users with a good starting point for their U.S. legal research. So we were happy to discover that the Law Library of Congress has produced a series of beginner’s guides to American law topics.

Topic choices are pulled from the library’s frequently asked questions, and the guides are designed to assist researchers get their bearings in an unfamiliar area of law. So, they are well-suited to the needs of non-US legal researchers.

The guides are published on the Law Library of Congress blog, In Custodia Legis. Each one offers an introduction to the area of law, some research tips and a well-researched selection of secondary, primary and free online sources. Here are a few examples:

Patent Law: A Beginner’s Guide outlines the U.S. patent process, provides advice on where to search for patent laws and cases, and gives the titles of leading texts, as well as links to online resources, patent organization websites and practitioner blogs.

The Administration of a Probate Estate: A Beginner’s Guide includes a list of useful secondary sources and provides direction to state probate codes where answers to common questions about the administration of estates can be found.

Federal Statutes: A Beginner’s Guide aims to de-mystify federal statutory research by explaining the statutory publication process and describing where each type of statutory publication can be found.

Check In Custodia Legis for a full list of Beginner’s Guides.