After a new initiation ceremony, the Phi Delta Phi chapter at UWO Law, Rand Inn, is back.

From the Phi Delta Phi website:

The University of Western Ontario has had a chapter since 1978, called Rand Inn after the founding dean of the law school. But Rand Inn has been defunct in recent years due to lack of participation.

In celebration of UWO Law’s 50th anniversary this year, Phi Delta Phi decided to reinvigorate its local chapter by hosting a membership drive. On March 3, 2010, Rand Inn initiated 7 new members at UWO. Al Burton, the Province President for Phi Delta Phi and a partner at Thomson Rogers, came from Toronto to administer the ceremony.

“The principles of Phi Delta Phi stand for professionalism and legal ethics, said Omar Ha-Redeye, a third-year law student, and Magister of the Inn. “It’s a perfect match for our school, which is considered a pioneer in this field.”

Over 400 members of Rand Inn are listed in the fraternity’s directory, all graduates of UWO Law since 1978.

Current members of Rand Inn at the University of Western Ontario Law; (From Left) Kristopher Manitius, Joel Welch, Matthew Wilson, Omar Ha-Redeye, Benjamin Tinholt, Stephanie Lafrance, John Magyar, Chris Berrigan, Province President Al Burton

Omar Ha-Redeye finished as a finalist in the Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP Labour Law Advocacy Competition.  The winners were Eric Grigg and Ben Howard.

The case was an appeal of the Ontario Court of Appeal decision in Fraser v. Ontario, which is currently pending judgment at the Supreme Court of Canada.

The moot was judged by Paul Broad, Barry Brown, Aida Gattfield, Bob Atkinson, and Margaret Szilassy.

Read about some of the hurdles and obstacles of law school in Completing the Circle of Blood for Future Law Students, in the 6th annual Black Law Students Association of Canada (BLSAC) magazine.  A text version is also available on Slaw.

See the article, First-Rate Mind, Third Rate Temperament in UWO Law’s Student Paper, Amicus Curiae, or hyperlinked on Slaw and Law is Cool.

Muslim youth and the media

Omar Ha-Redeye was quoted in the November/December 2009 issue of Lexpert Magazine in The Virtual Legal Marketplace by Marzena Czarnecka of Falstaff Productions,

That’s the thinking behind Torys‘ new YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/torysmedia). “We had the podcasts and videos on our website anyway,” says [Stuart] Wood. Cost and effort of putting them on YouTube? Minimal. The pay-off? Still under evaluation at Torys. The online legal community has given the venture a thumbs-up. Law is Cool (www.lawiscool.com). the law school blog and podcast from Canada, loves it. Writes founder Omar Ha-Redeye, “This is what I’ve been waiting for…. This project shows that the firm understands that students want a human face to firms that often appear intimidating.~ (He adds that the venture proves that “social media and viral videos are no longer for small firms or solo practices~ – if Torys is doing it, they’ve gone mainstream.)

A copy of the article can be found on the Davis LLP website.

The Canadian Bar Association’s magazine, National, has an article in the December 2009 issue by Luigi Benetton on Canada’s Best Law Firm Websites.  A copy of the article can be found on Luigi’s website.

Law student and blogger Omar Ha-Redeye believes good bios are the exception today. He sees bios that vaunt lawyers instead of providing useful information to clients. “When looking for a lawyer, most clients could care less about the
things that lawyers care about, [like being a] Gold Medalist, or having clerked with so-and-so,” he says. “I would love to see social media linked from profiles (e.g., a lawyer’s blog), but this rarely if ever happens,” he adds.

The best sites listed in various categories were:

Ogilvy Renault LLP, Hyndman Law, Neff Law Office, Bull, Houser & Tupper LLP, Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP, Torys LLP, McInnes Cooper, Legault Joly Thiffault, Davis LLP,  Clark Wilson LLP, Hull & Hull LLP

Runners-up:

Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Clark Wilson LLP, Hicks Morley Hamilton Steward Storie LLP, McMillan LLP, Cox & Palmer, Bélanger Sauvé, Lavery, Torys LLP

Omar Ha-Redeye was also quoted for the multimedia award given to Hull & Hull LLP,

They’ve probably been doing it as long as anyone, and have fully integrated videos and podcasts into their practice. Experience with these formats has not only resulted in a highly polished product, but also content that is actually relevant to what they do.

See more on Slaw.

LAWPRO Magazine did an interview with Garry Wise, which mentioned OMG! Law Talk and Omar Ha-Redeye.  The issue focused on the use of social media by lawyers and law firms.

See more on Slaw.

The October 2009 issue of JDSupra Law Practice Digest included an article by Omar Ha-Redeye on reputation management.

Check it out in this issue of Amicus Curiae on the UWO Law website or hyperlinked on Law is Cool: