KPMG BUYS LEDJIT
KPMG LLP has acquired Canadian electronic discovery and information management company Ledjit Consulting Inc.
Bill Thomas, KPMG’s CEO and senior partner, said the deal would complement the firm’s existing e-discovery services.
“The addition of Ledjit professionals and their e-discovery skills positions KPMG as a leading adviser to corporations and law firms on how to proactively manage records from creation to destruction and in the course of litigation and investigation,” he said.
Dominic Jaar, Ledjit’s former president, becomes an associate partner at KPMG. He said he looks forward to helping corporations bridge the gap between their legal and information technology teams.
FIRM SETS UP VIETNAM OFFICE
Harvey Law Group Inc. LLP has continued its international expansion by opening an office in Ho Chi Minh City.
The 18-year-old Montreal-based firm claims to be the first Canadian law firm registered and recognized by Vietnam’s ministry of justice.
“Establishment of a full-fledged operation in Vietnam is indicative of Harvey Law Group’s enduring commitment to this region and assurance of better facilitation for its customers around the world,” said founding partner Jean-François Harvey.
NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDIAN SCHOOL
India’s Jindal Global Law School has signed agreements with two of its Ontario counterparts.
The Queen’s University Faculty of Law has established an exchange program with the New Delhi-based school involving up to three full-time students between them each year, while Osgoode Hall Law School has signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on educational and research projects.
“As India’s economic growth continues to boom, Jindal is aiming high to become India’s first global law school of international rank.
It is an impressive initiative and I am proud that Queen’s law is among the first law schools in the world to partner with Jindal,” said Queen’s law dean Bill Flanagan.
PROFS SLAM REFUGEE BILL
A panel of refugee law experts has denounced the federal government’s response to human smuggling.
Speaking during an event at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies, Sean Rehaag, an assistant professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, criticized the recent bill introduced to tackle human smuggling.
“The bill is unconstitutional, it violates international refugee law, and it is, frankly, mean-spirited,” he said.
The government introduced the bill after the arrival in British Columbia earlier this year of 500 Tamil asylum seekers on a ship from Sri Lanka.
The legislation contemplates a mandatory one-year detention for designated asylum seekers without the possibility of review while provisions for those using human smugglers to get into the country impose a minimum five-year ban on permanent residence and reuniting with family.
James Milner, assistant professor of political science at Carleton University, said the bill is a disproportionate response, especially in light of the important role Canada has historically played in encouraging countries to keep their borders open to asylum seekers.
“Canada would lose significant political capital and credibility with countries in the global south if it introduced restrictive laws and measures in response to the arrival of less than 500 asylum seekers, while encouraging countries like Thailand to respond more generously to much larger groups,” he said.
