Ethics and Leadership, Legal News, Public Policy

/

Divisiveness, polarization and political extremism poses a threat to democratic society, tearing at the social fabric of peaceful co-existence as it generates a volatile environment ripe for upheaval and political violence. In this environment, as the 21st century and its socio-economic issues have gathered pace, so too has the rise of right-wing authoritarian populism[1] and…

Ethics and Leadership, Legal News, Public Policy, Uncategorized

/

For the past 75 years, the international order has helped stabilize the world. For generations, the international order has fostered peace and prosperity on a scale that humanity had never previously experienced, creating unprecedented opportunities for economic growth and freeing nations and their citizens across the world from the constant fear that another great-power war…

Legal News, Public Policy

/

We have an ‘access to justice crisis’ in the U.S. and Canada that is fueled by a yawning ‘legal services gap’. While our legal systems provide “cadillac justice” for the wealthy and corporations able to afford and retain lawyers,[1] a substantial majority of American and Canadian citizens cannot afford to hire a lawyer and cannot…

Legal News, Public Policy

/

There is a dangerous anger sweeping Western nations, and the tenor is shifting, becoming “less episodic and more persistent, a constant drumbeat in our lives” creating a fraying at the edges of our society.[1] This anger and frustration is directed at our public and economic institutions, and it is ripping apart our countries’ social fabric…

Ethics and Leadership, Legal News, Public Policy

/

Across the geopolitical west, public trust and confidence in the institutions underpinning democracy is waning, whether the issue is unrepresentative electoral systems, a failing “rules-based order”, the chronic inability of governments to deliver their promises, or – particularly in the United States – politicized judges fundamentally basing their decisions on a pre-existing ideological determination rather…

Ethics and Leadership, Public Policy

/

In the grand scheme of things, civility is the glue that holds society together – it is the crucial foundation for a successful civil society.[1] A healthy society is dependent on the understanding that citizenship brings both rights and responsibilities, and the fundamental principles and norms of fairness, social and institutional co-operation, and civility where…

Business Insider, Ethics and Leadership, Legal News, Public Policy

/

Climate change is accelerating the frequency of severe storms, floods, droughts and extreme heat events, to the point that the world is now living through climate change as opposed to watching it draw near.[1] Once-in-a-century heatwaves, storms, floods and fires now happen yearly, affecting every inhabited region across the globe. At this point at least 85…

Business Insider, Legal News

/

A cornerstone of leadership development is the ability to find meaning and purpose amid challenges and setbacks, and yes, failure. There is little doubt that we are living in a period of upheaval that is posing enormous challenges for business and legal organizations. The relentless pace of change is the new normal. You hear words…

Ethics and Leadership, Legal News, Public Policy

/

One need only open your newspaper or news app to read about countries – societies in formerly strong democratic nations – where the rule of law and democracy itself appear to be faltering.[1] Today, “the most common way for authoritarian regimes to emerge” in Western society “is by eating out democracy from within”.[2]  Advanced democratic…

Business Insider, Ethics and Leadership

/

What drives a successful legal organization today? Business-as-usual is no longer adequate for the challenges of the 21st century, particularly as our world navigates the devastating socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and public health crisis. There is a pervasive sense of anxiety cutting across the legal profession. However, purposeful, trustworthy legal leaders, lawyers and…