The Regulation of In-House Counsel: Opening the Pandora’s Box of Professional Independence

The number of lawyers who practice law in-house has significantly increased over the last thirty years in North America. While in this part of the world, in-house counsel are regulated in the same manner as outside counsel by their professional bars, the recent decision by the European Court of Justice (Grand Chamber) Akzo Nobel Chemicals Ltd et al. v. European Communities, reminds us that other parts of the world treat in-house counsel very differently. This paper analyses the justifications for a similar treatment of in-house counsel and outside counsel by the legal profession. While a detailed contextual analysis of in-house counsel’s functions reveals a likelihood of greater vulnerability in their ability to balance them with various ethical and professional duties, it also shows that outside counsel face similar ethical dilemmas that may vary in degree or in nature. The similar regulation of in-house and outside counsel is consistent with a poor articulation by the legal profession of the scope of the duty of professional independence from the client. And yet such duty exists. As it can conflict with paramount professional obligations, including the duty of loyalty to the client, its scope is controversial. Leaving the duty of professional independence from the client largely undefined is harmful to in-house and also outside counsel, their clients, the legal profession and the public interest. In-house counsel are in a privileged position to provide legal services in accordance with fundamental values of the legal profession. As such, their contribution needs to be better recognized and promoted. Generally, regulatory reform is necessary to nurture in-house counsel’s ability to provide legal services as integral members of the bar, while minimizing the risks that the privileged proximity to their clients present. Such reform will inevitably benefit outside counsel who face comparable issues. A clearer articulation of the meaning and scope of the duty of professional independence from the client, together with tangible mechanisms to actualize it, will provide greater support to in-house and outside counsel to better understand and integrate their various ethical and professional duties within their role. It will also benefit all interested parties

The Ambiguous Nature of Copyright Users\u27 Rights

In this article, I investigate the nature of exceptions to copyright infringement or users\u27 rights. Are exceptions to copyright infringement rights or privileges? Are they mandatory? While copyright users\u27 rights and interests have triggered interest and debate amongst scholars, relatively less attention has been given to defining their precise nature, and on the consequences of the main characteristics of exceptions to copyright infringement on copyright law and policy. I examine the interplay between the users\u27 rights set out in the Copyright Act and how they can be altered or overridden by non-negotiated standard end-user agreements and TPMs. To this end, I refer to a sample of non-negotiated standard terms of use for the online distribution of books, musical recordings and films. I investigate the nature of exceptions to copyright infringement, including through Hohfeld\u27s theory of jural correlatives. I look at the policy considerations behind these questions and conclude by reflecting on the damaging effects of the uncertain nature of users\u27 rights on the coherence and, ultimately, the legitimacy of copyright law

Réflexion sur l’ancienneté du peuplement initial du Québec à partir de nouveaux indices matériels du Paléoindien récent de la région de Rimouski, Québec

Les données permettant une discussion poussée sur le peuplement initial du Québec sont encore trop parcellaires. Il est cependant utile de présenter une réflexion qui pourrait orienter ou susciter de nouvelles recherches. Après une brève description du contexte chronologique, environnemental et culturel dans lequel s'inscrivent les premières manifestations humaines sur le territoire québécois, nous présenterons de nouveaux sites susceptibles d'alimenter le sujet. Ces nouveaux sites du Paléoindien récent de la région de Rimouski complètent les données obtenues lors de la fouille et de l'analyse d'un premier site paléoindien dans la région. Ce nouvel ensemble de sites permettra de mieux cerner le scheme d'établissement des groupes de cette période dans l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent. En dernier lieu, nous examinerons une hypothèse sur la migration des groupes paléoindiens dans l'Est de l'Amérique du Nord dans le but de préciser les scénarios possibles sur le peuplement du Québec.A discussion on the initial peopling of Québec is still handicaped by the limited data available. However, it is relevant to present a reflexion which might stimulate or orientate new researches. Following a brief description of the chronological, environmental and cultural context to understand the first human groups on the Québec territory, new sites will be presented to improve our knowledge. These new Late Paleoindian sites from the Rimouski region add to the information obtained from the excavation and analysis of a previous paleoindian site in this region. This new complex of sites will permit a better understanding of the settlement pattern during this period in the Saint Lawrence estuary. Finally, an hypothesis on the migration of paleoindian groups in Eastern North America will be examined for the purpose of discussing possible scenarios about the peopling of Québec.Die Daten sind noch zu fragmentarisch, urn eine weiterfuhrende Diskussion Liber die erste Bevolkerung Québecs zu erlauben. Doch ist es nùtzlich, Uberlegungen vorzustellen, welche neue Forschungen orientieren oder stimulieren kônnten. Nach einer kurzen Beschreib-ung des chronologischen, kulturellen und Umwelt-Kontextes, in dem die ersten menschlichen Lebenszeichen auf Quebeker Boden auftreten, werden wir neue Plâtze vorstellen, die zur Diskussion des Themas beisteuern kônnten. Dièse neuen Plâtze aus der spàten palào-indianischen Zeit im Gebiet von Rimouski ergânzen die Daten, die bei den Ausgrabungen und der Analyse eines ersten palào-indianischen Siedlungsplatzes in dem Gebiet erhalten wurden. Dièse neue Einheit von Plàtzen wird uns helfen, das Ansiedlungsschema der Gruppen dieser Zeit am St. Lorenz-Gezeitenstrom besser zu verstehen. Zuletzt werden wir eine Hypothèse zur Wanderung der palao-indianischen Gruppen in den Osten Nordamerikas ùberprùfen, um môgliche Szenarios bei der Bevôlkerung Québecs zu prâzisieren