Regulating Social Media Use in the Workplace

The advent of social networking sites (SNS) has become a reality of the digital age. These sites are highly interactive, creative and addictive for individuals to exchange personal, professional and social ideas but its use has also been the subject of litigation in the courts lately just like any man made invention. People using these sites have sparked a number of legal challenges that have dramatically changed the world. This raises a number of questions as to whether there are clear guidelines on the use of these tools by employers and employees. This paper is a case commentary of one of the first cases in Canada where employees have been fired because of work related postings they made on Facebook one of the most popular social networking sites in the world today. The judgment of the British Columbia Labour Relations Board in this case did not invoke the issue of employers policy on the use of social media in the workplace despite the fact that the employers in this case admitted that they admitted that they have never encountered the use of Facebook by employees. My findings in reviewing the facts of this case revealed that the employees involved in this case would not have reacted as they did if their employers had a social media policy and guideline which explained the expectations when using these tools whether at work or outside. The commentary also reviews the recently released professional advisory on the use of electronic communication and social media by a regulatory body in Ontario. It concludes with recommendations for the use of this empowering communication tool in the workplace as technological advancements continue to emerge and change the world

Experiences With Digitization of Customary Court Cases in South Western Nigeria

This article describes my experiences on the digitization project of customary court cases in South Western Nigeria. I made a presentation to the African Section of the FCIL-SIS at the 106th Annual Meeting of the AALL on July 15, 2013. Customary law is based on the tradition, customs and values of the people, and it varies in different ways. The terminology “customary law”, according to Park, is just a blanket description, as there are so many ethnic groups. Customary law covers various legal systems depicting each tribe’s customs and values. These are the two forms of customary law that are in existence in Nigeria: 1. Ethnic or Non-Muslim customary law, and 2. Muslim customary law

Law via the Internet: Report on the Conference

Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York hosted the LVI (Law via the Internet) 2012. The conference also marked the twentieth anniversary of the LIIs (Legal Information Institutes) of the world, which have grown exponentially. The anniversary was not a cake-eating celebration but a two-day deliberation with members of an open access society who have been striving to make legal information freely available on the Internet. Many of the speakers at the sessions shared their experiences from the different projects they have been working on over the past twenty years or more, and the LIIs continue to improve. It was a great experience to see how many of these LIIs have grown, are still growing and are using technological advancements to make legal information freely accessible

Digital Updates

A presentation on recent updates in digital scholarship at Osgoode Hall Law School

HeinOnline’s World Constitutions Illustrated in Top 5 FCIL Sources

World Constitutions Illustrated provides access to constitutions of various jurisdictions. There is a current constitution in the original language, one English language translation for each country, and amending laws for each constitution. The database provides access to constitutional development documents, which is very important and critical, especially when researching smaller economies and jurisdictions. It serves as a one-stop shop for materials that may not necessarily be easily available anywhere else

Book Review: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah is based on a love story that revolved around 3 continents - Africa, North America, and Europe. The themes of race, gender, and identity feature prominently in this award winning novel. Adichie’s story gives a vivid description of the lives of young teenagers of various ethnic and class structures in military-ruled Nigeria from the late 1970s to the 1990s and the beginning of a democratic government. It subtly describes the different ramifications of corruption and highlights a very degenerative period and the beginning of professional brain drain in the country

Legal Information Institutes (Llls) - Free Legal Stuff

Multi-disciplinary and comparative approach to legal studies implies that research should go outside the conventional research sources and consult a variety of options. Open access to legal information is made possible by legal information institutes worldwide. In the early 1990s, the Australian Legal Information Institute (AustiLII) initiated this unique medium of disseminating free legal information

Research Dissemination @ Osgoode Hall Law School: An Update

A presentation on research dissemination metrics for Osgoode faculty with statistics derived from the Osgoode Digital Commons, SSRN, and HeinOnline

Open Access & Research Dissemination at Osgoode Hall Law School

A presentation delivered to Osgoode faculty as part of a Grant Preparation Session held on April 17, 2019 at the Osgoode Hall Law School