THE TORONTO STAR – Chris Spence loses appeal to keep PhD amid plagiarism findings

University of Toronto appeals tribunal says recommendation last June to cancel former TDSB director’s doctorate ‘was correct.’ Spence now intends to seek a judicial review of the decision, his lawyer says.

Five years after facing the first explosive allegations of plagiarism, Chris Spence has lost his fight to hold onto his PhD at the University of Toronto.

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HUFF POST – My life as a drug addicted lawyer

There are a lot of movies about drug lords, drug dealers and drug addicts. That’s Hollywood for you. But two hours later, you’re back in your own world. Comfy, cozy.

What is more difficult for Hollywood to depict is what it’s like living with a drug addict, the effect they have on the people around them, plus how long people actually battle drug addiction. It’s not as sexy as snorting cocaine through rolled-up $1,000 bills in a fancy New York nightclub. Or as seedy as shooting up in a filthy public washroom.

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THE LAWYER’S DAILY – Five ways to stop your smartphone from controlling your day

A 2015 British study showed that the average smartphone user checks their phone 150 times a day. That’s every six minutes. Microsoft itself published a report in 2015 that stated that the average attention span of smartphone users was reduced from 12 to eight seconds. Experts believe, based on studies like these, that the long-term impact of smartphones is to reduce both brainpower and memory elasticity.

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THE LAW TIMES – Quiet sexism still persists in legal profession (Speaker’s Corner)

I have a trusted associate lawyer who has been with my firm for six years. She runs many of the client files on her own and is, in fact, the main point of contact for almost all of the personal injury files in my office.

Yet I cannot count the number of times in the last six years when clients, opposing male counsel and insurance adjusters have referred to her as my “assistant.” This, despite the fact they have been introduced to her as a lawyer and have her email or letters, which clearly indicate that she is a lawyer.

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