News

Congratulations to Professor Richard Devlin, who has co-edited the third edition of Lawyers' Ethics and Professional Regulation (LexisNexis) with Alice Woolley (University of Calgary), Brent Cotter (University of Saskatchewan) and John M. Law (University of Alberta). Schulich Law's Professor Jamie Baxter is a contributor.

The book is a comprehensive discussion of the professional responsibilities of lawyers in Canada. It addresses issues related to the "law of ethics and lawyering" and provides tools for helping students and practitioners exercise the moral judgment that underlies all ethical decisions by lawyers. Case law and case studies are used to illustrate points and suggest solutions to problems that lawyers typically face during their day-to-day practice.

The potential readership is broad: 

• Law students taking courses in lawyers' ethics and professional responsibility
• Paralegal students taking courses in this area
• Lawyers who need a teaching tool for continuing legal education courses in lawyers' ethics comparing regulations and policy matters across most provinces
• Law libraries needing a Canadian reference on lawyers' ethics and professional regulation suitable for practitioners
• Law firms as a reference for articling students

What's new in this edition?

• Entirely rewritten chapters on Ethics and Criminal Law, and Access to Justice
• Updated case law including:
  • Witness preparation and advocacy and civility – Groia v. Law Society of Upper Canada
  • Duties to former clients – Ontario v. Chartis Insurance Co. of Canada
  • Duties to current clients – SCC case Canadian National Railway Co. v. McKercher LLP
  • Lawyer-client conflicts – Law Society of Saskatchewan v. Balon
• New discussion on changes in the regulatory approach, now a more national than provincial approach to the regulation of lawyers, as well as broadening the scope to paralegals
• Updated discussion on corporate scandals
• Discussion on judicial fundraising (in relation to issue of judicial integrity) and independent research (in relation to issue of diligence)
• Updated discussion on self-regulation, competency issues in national requirements for approved law degree and discrimination in law school settings (i.e., the Trinity Western law school case)
• And more!

Devlin has been busy writing and editing over the past several months and years, given the timeline it takes to take a book through to final production. In June, two books he co-edited and co-authored were launched: Canada and the Rule of Law: 150 Years After Confederation (click here to read our story about it) and Regulating Judges: Beyond Independence and Accountability (click here to read our story about it).

Kudos to this prolific professor!