On September 14, 2017, the Ontario Bar Association organized Technically Speaking: How Lawyers are using Technology Today.
The event was held in partnership with the Association des Juristes d’Expression Francaise de l’Ontario. Fittingly, the event was hosted at the head offices of Ottawa ecommerce giant Shopify. Attendees had the opportunity to drink, eat, mix, and mingle, before hearing from three professionals about developments in the use and application of technology to our lives and the practice of law.
First, Erin Zipes, assistant general counsel at Shopify, explained how technology such as electronic closing rooms and e-signatures have revolutionized the practice of corporate law and simplified Shopify’s corporate reporting obligations. Next, Thomas Bennett, an itinerant teacher of assistive technology at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, showed attendees a number of google chrome hacks and add-ons to reduce distractions and increase productivity. Finally, Alyssa Tomkins, partner at Caza Saikaley LPP, discussed the use of technology in litigation as it relates to documentary discovery.
Participants had a fascinating discussion about the increasing shift from relevance to proportionality in discovery in the technological age. Overall, it was an informative evening.
About the Author
Calvin Hancock