CCCT-CCTJ » CCCT-CCTJ – Blog

Cameras in the courtoom

Clearinghouse IWG — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:56:09 +0000

Omar Ha-Redey’s SLAW post Lights, camera … judgment provides an overview of the some of the recent decisions related to recording courtroom proceedings.

Although the media has a vital role in maintaining the open court principle by disseminating news of judicial hearings to the public and informing them of legal issues, the Charter does not give the media greater rights than those enjoyed by the public…

Role of Tweeting in Court Decisions

Clearinghouse IWG — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:21:42 +0000

Colin Lachance, CEO of CanLII”s post on Twitter, Facebook and the Rule of Law brings a new perspective on the role of tweeting to the rule of law.

To reinforce the rule of law and for the law to be widely known it must be openly and frequently brought into public view and made part of public discourse. It will be a long time before we see Donoghue v Stevenson “trending” on Twitter, or receiving tens of thousands of “likes” on Facebook. But sudden changes or dramatic turns in legal understanding brought about by a court judgment will and frequently do attract significant attention in both venues. And it is this attention, whether triggered by a court’s own twitter account or the accounts of court observers that enhance awareness of the changes and facilitate the process for understanding “new” law.

Ontario Court of Justice New Website Launch

Clearinghouse IWG — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:23:33 +0000

The Ontario Court of Justice launched an “enhanced” public website. One goal was to expand the content to address the needs of a variety of users from the legal professional – educators and students – media and the public. The development took into consideration the CCCT Website best practices, in particular the use of a content management system. You can check out the new Ontario Court of Justice look at:

http://www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/ and http://www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/fr/

The mobile version will follow shortly.

If you have links to content on the old Ontario Court of Justice site you will need to update your links.

Australia’s OpenLaw Initiative by BarNet

Clearinghouse IWG — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:00:09 +0000

Checkout JADE for access to Australian and International Courts and Tribunals decisions.

JADE (Judgments and Decisions Enhanced) is a BarNet initiative. BarNet is a communications management company managed by barristers for legal practitioners and SMEs. Our mission is to provide open access to a range of high quality data and voice communications and electronic research products and services. BarNet is operated by BarNetwork Pty Limited (ABN 32 092 121 198), a not-for-profit corporation.

JADE is BarNet’s first community-based service in its openlaw intiative.

Service Via Social Media

Clearinghouse IWG — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:50:18 +0000

David Canton’s post on SLAW provides the lawyers views on using social media and technology to serve documents. The comments to he post should also be read.

See also http://ccct-cctj.ca/?p=8261 and http://ccct-cctj.ca/?p=7850 for other references to service by social media.

Factums in Commercial Products

Clearinghouse IWG — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:35:01 +0000

Two issues are circulating on this issue in both Canada and the US.

Courts providing briefs to commercial vendors the US perspective, This post also provides links to the copyright question noted as the second issue.

Question of copyright in briefs, factums, and other court documents prepared by lawyers/law firms. For developments in Canada check out the SLAW post.

Cloud Computing Guidelines for Public Bodies

Clearinghouse IWG — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:34:16 +0000

The BC Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has released their seven page guideline for public bodies on the use of cloud computing.

“As the popularity of cloud computing grows, public bodies (including schools, hospitals, municipalities and local police forces) are looking to take advantage of the cost-savings and functionality these services offer. But personal information in the custody and control of public bodies must be managed in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FIPPA”). These provisions apply no matter where personal information is stored.”

The reports identifies areas for the due diligence review of the cloud provider and provides a link to a self assessment tool to evaluate the organization’s information protection readiness.