The American Bar Association (ABA) is holding its 2011 Annual General Meeting in Toronto from August 4-9, 2011.

See Slaw for updates on various sessions, and the ABA Journal.

My Legal Briefcase has a post on good places to eat.

The 2011 World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM) was held in Toronto on June 19-22. The theme this year was “Innovative Solutions for a Modern World.”

A summary of the proceedings can be found by Jared Wade at Risk Management Monitor.

Omar Ha-Redeye spoke at the first-ever Law Tech Camp in Toronto on June 18, 2011 at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRACK

Social Media and the Courts presented by Omar Ha-Redeye
Should reporters and members of the public be allowed to live-tweet courtroom proceedings?  How much weight should Facebook photos and comments be afforded in litigation? Should jury members be restricted from all social media use during trial?  Social media has changed the way information is distributed in society.  In the absence of specific regulations, the role of social media in the courts has largely been left to judicial discretion.  But is the judiciary necessarily the best arbitrator on what the balance between competing interest should be, especially when they are not necessarily active users of social media?  Come share some of your thoughts based on your own social media and legal experiences.

Omar Ha-Redeye is a 2010 graduate of the University of Western Ontario.  A prolific writer and active user of social media and blogs, he is frequently contacted by the legal media and consulted by law firms on technology issues in the legal field.  He is currently an Adjuct Faculty member at Ryerson University, and will be called to the Ontario bar on June 16, 17, 2011. You can visit him at his personal website.

Sponsors included the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy and Lawyer Locate.

See more about Law Tech Camp on Slaw

Omar Ha-Redeye spoke at the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), Social Media in Schools: Friend or Foe?, on May 26, 2011.

OBA Education Law Program Speakers

Omar Ha-Redeye, Articling Student
Damien Liddle, Lawyer, McMillan LLP
Wendy Lopez, In-House Counsel, Toronto District School Board
Harris Rosen, Partner, Fogler Rubinoff LLP
Brenda Stokes Verworn, Board Lawyer, District School Board of Niagara

Moderators

Grant Bowers, Legal Counsel, Toronto District School Board
Lai-King Hum, McMillan LLP
Rob Barrass, McMillan LLP

Omar Ha-Redeye presented on “Online Reputation Management” at LegalIT 5.0 in Montreal on April 4, 2011.

“Reputation Management Law” is the application of old legal principles to new public relations challenges due to the proliferation of social media.  It draws upon the intersection of defamation, privacy, copyright and trade-mark, and employment laws, but applies them in conjunction with contemporary best practices in the public relations field.
Reputation matters like never before, and the impact of social media on the bottom line means businesses and professionals are paying attention.  Between sites that review businesses and services, and blogs optimized to rank higher on Google searches, clients are now asking lawyers what they can do for them.

Complete program is now available in pdf here.
LegalIT5.0 Programme

Bios on the other speakers available here:

Omar Ha-Redeye taught a seminar on Online Reputation Management at the Leveraging Social Media session held at the Schulich Executive Education Centre on Monday, March 28, 2011.

The Black Law Students Association of Canada (BLSAC) held its 20th Annual National Conference in Toronto, on February 24-27.

The Ontario Bar Association (OBA) held it’s annual OBA Institute on Feb. 3-5, 2011 at the Royal York Hotel.

The keynote speaker was Steve Paikin of The Agenda.

Starting September 1, 2010, new amendments to the automobile insurance system were enacted affecting the medical and care benefits that litigants can receive in motor vehicle accidents.

The Law Society of Upper Canada and the Ontario Bar Association hosted a session, The New Auto Insurance Regime – Practical Strategies for Radical Change.

Speakers included John A. McLeish and Dale V. Orlando of McLeish Orlando LLP, and Roger G. Oatley and James L. Vigmond of Oatley, Vigmond LLP.

The topics discussed included the definition of minor and catastrophic injuries,and rehabilitation, housekeeping, caregiver and attendant care benefits.

The new Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS)  can be found in Ontario Regulation 34/10 to the Insurance Act.  A table of time periods is available through Taran Virtual Associates.

For more on this talk see the notes on Slaw. The Tournay v. Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company FSCO decision referred to in that post can be found here.

Justice Harvey Brownstone was awarded a plaque by the Canadian Bar Association honouring him as a Colleague in the Spotlight at a Judges’ Forum Reception for their CLC Conference.

Justice Harvey Brownstone Presented a Plaque by the CBA

The plaque was presented at a private reception for members of the judiciary and their guests.

Justice Harvey Brownstone with Omar Ha-Redeye