Defining legal research and writing malpractice, and how to avoid being found liable for malpractice.
Legal research and writing are foundational to competent legal practice—but when done carelessly, they can lead to serious professional consequences. In this course, you’ll explore real-world malpractice cases from both Canada and the United States that highlight the risks of inaccurate research, poor drafting, and unprofessional tone in legal writing.
We examine infamous examples such as the “missing comma” case, cases of misquotation, and the inappropriate use of punctuation and sarcasm, illustrating how small missteps can have large consequences. You’ll also receive practical strategies and tools to avoid these pitfalls, including a Legal Research Checklist designed to reduce the risk of malpractice in your practice.
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Books on law do not need to be difficult, dull, and costly. At Irwin Law Inc., our aim is to produce books of exceptional quality at affordable prices. We are determined to produce books that are modern, lively, and interesting, as well as clearly organized and attractively designed, at prices substantially lower than our competitors. Indeed, our books are accessible to students and legal practitioners alike, while maintaining the highest standards of excellence. As Canada's youngest law publisher, Irwin Law brings an innovative approach and fresh ideas to legal publishing. The company was established in 1996 - very recently in an industry whose roots go back to 1855. At its inception, Irwin Law Inc. was affiliated with the Stoddart Publishing Group. In 1999, Irwin Law was purchased by Quicklaw, Canada's leading online legal research service. The purchase was a natural, as Irwin Law had been among the first publishers to make its books available on the online database. However, when Quicklaw was purchased by LexisNexis Group in July 2002, Irwin Law needed to find new owners. The company was purchased by a small group led by Irwin Law's founding publisher, Jeffrey Miller. From its beginning, Irwin Law has strived to publish books that do more than outline the current state of the law. They analyze the complex issues of the day in a succinct and readable style and in a manner that is probing and thoughtful. Our books are accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date. Indeed, all manuscript submissions are subject to peer review and our authors are among the leading law practitioners and professors in Canada and the world. Irwin Law brings to the marketplace books that whet the reader's curiosity, challenge established tradition, and create intellectual excitement.
Ted Tjaden, LLB, MISt, LLM, is a Canadian lawyer and law librarian called to the bar in British Columbia (1987) and Ontario (1996). He has practised law in a variety of circumstances, including as a commercial litigator, in-house counsel to Seiko Epson Corporation in Japan, and a research lawyer. In addition, his work at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, as a law librarian and adjunct professor, included teaching legal research at the Faculty in addition to teaching law librarianship at the Faculty of Information. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen’s University, and both a Master of Information Studies and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Toronto. Ted is also the author of The Law of Independent Legal Advice (2d ed, 2013). In 2010, he was awarded the Denis Marshall Memorial Award for Excellence in Law Librarianship by the Canadian Association of Law Libraries and in 2008, Canadian Lawyer described him as a “luminary” of the Canadian blogosphere. Ted maintains a free companion website to this book (www.legalresearchandwriting.ca). In addition, as a hobby, he has created and maintains a different website called “Classic Ragtime Piano” (www.ragtimepiano.ca), where he makes available (for free) his research on ragtime piano, along with access to thousands of pieces of pre-1923 public domain, digital copies of ragtime piano sheet music.
