Sabsay Lawyers
606-130 Spadina Avenue M5V 2L4 Toronto, ON, Canada

Leading up to the finale of our optimism series (Monday), & posting a few of our own honourable mentions... #2 ... theatre. Managing lawyer Lorne Es created a firm culture that values creativity, including seasonal theatre & opera outings. We look forward to the return of live theatre, opera, & arts events! In the meantime, we appreciate inventive #zoomtheatre, details to come tomorrow. #lawyerslife #firmculture https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net//82752701_10162877170

We're leading up to the finale of our optimism series, on Monday, & posting a few of our own honourable mentions... #2 ... theatre. Managing lawyer Lorne Es created a firm culture that values creativity, including seasonal theatre outings. We look forward to the return of live theatre, concerts & arts events! In the meantime, we appreciate inventive #zoomtheatre, details to come tomorrow. #lawyerslife #firmculture

Leading up to the finale of our optimism series, we give thanks for the creativity that makes us unique as lawyers. Managing lawyer Lorne Es looks forward to getting out in the world with his passion for Photography. #photography #travelphotography #lawyerslife

Part 7 of 7 in our optimism series comes out Monday! First, let us assure you, we're not going to stop working for the positive, cultivating hope and good reasons for it. And to that end, let us give you a few little lead-ups to the finale of our optimism series... #lawyers #advocate #CreatingHope

Part 6 of 7 in our optimism series. We won't stop looking for the bright side, and that means savouring the here & now. #Wednesdays "36. Columnist Shane Watson... One good thing the pandemic has done is cured us of the curse of Fomo... It had most of us in its grip, worrying about not being in the right place at the right time, making us rush to pack in more, while always looking over our shoulder and checking our phones. [Personally, I hear that!] And then everything stop...ped: we couldn’t move, there was nowhere to go, no one to see, no jobs other people were getting that we might have wanted, no holiday villa that we should be booking now, quickly quickly before it goes. All went quiet ... The world stood still and we stood still in it and we hadn’t felt quite so sure that we were in the right place for a very long time. In 2021, we will get back to some sort of normal but we’ll know we don’t have to be everywhere all the time, and we won’t fear missing out because missing out had its advantages. Missing out taught us how to enjoy what we have." -from Simon LewisO's list in The Telegraph [part 6 of 7 in this optimism series. Check back on Friday for our last excerpt from the list. Because we're all people, we all need hope, and we're barreling into 2021 with a boatload of it.] #welcome2021 #lawyers https://www.telegraph.co.uk//life/reasons-optimistic-2021/

am still frequently asked how I can defend people accused of horrific crimes and believe so strongly in the presumption of innocence, no matter what. Herein lies the answer. When an innocent person is convicted there are two, not just one, injustices. The obvious one is that someone is imprisoned for something they didn’t do. But the other is that the guy who really did do it is still out there, escaping justice for something they did do. And this case is a perfect example.

We give thanks that the courts are (at last) running virtually so that we can do our job as advocates. Our colleague Maija Martin points out that there is potential for this tech-based mode of adjudicating to negatively impact some individuals. Trials involve judgments of the credibility of defendants, and testimony given by video can come across as significantly less compelling. Thank you, Maija, for reminding us that defendants have the right to refuse virtual trials accord...ing to the Criminal Code s 650(1). That said, the right may be symbolic if that's the only way that courts are functioning at the moment. The long and short is, DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO OPTIMIZE lighting and camera angles because perception is no small part of credibility. You can read the full Maija's article here: https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca//techniques-for-making-vide And here's some added background if you or your loved one may be facing trial: https://www.brookings.edu//the-legal-and-technical-danger/ #advocacy #criminaldefense #lawyers [Here are the relevant sections of the Criminal Code for our community's information: "650 (1) Subject to subsections (1.1) to (2) and section 650.01, an accused, other than an organization, shall be present in court during the whole of his or her trial. Video links (1.1) If the court so orders, and if the prosecutor and the accused so agree, the accused may appear by counsel or by closed-circuit television or videoconference, for any part of the trial other than a part in which the evidence of a witness is taken. Video links (1.2) If the court so orders, an accused who is confined in prison may appear by closed-circuit television or videoconference, for any part of the trial other than a part in which the evidence of a witness is taken, as long as the accused is given the opportunity to communicate privately with counsel if they are represented by counsel. Exceptions (2) The court may (a) cause the accused to be removed and to be kept out of court, where he misconducts himself by interrupting the proceedings so that to continue the proceedings in his presence would not be feasible; (b) permit the accused to be out of court during the whole or any part of his trial on such conditions as the court considers proper; or (c) cause the accused to be removed and to be kept out of court during the trial of an issue as to whether the accused is unfit to stand trial, where it is satisfied that failure to do so might have an adverse effect on the mental condition of the accused. To make defence (3) An accused is entitled, after the close of the case for the prosecution, to make full answer and defence personally or by counsel."]

#rehabilitation #addiction ://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://rdnewsnow.com/2020/09/10/mayor-veer-responds-to-provincial-announcement-about-new-justice-centre-in-red-deer/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTMzg1NjUwNTI4MjQwMjA3NzAzNzIcZDZhOGY0NzNkNTRiYzAzMjpjb206ZW46Q0E6Ug&usg=AFQjCNGAP2XSRTC87K_d4VTBK8nPfUYQog #

Viewing drug use as more of a public health issue than criminal offence, it seems, Kathleen Roussel, federal director of public prosecutions, directs that criminal prosecution for drug possession "should generally be reserved for the most serious manifestations of the offence..." https://www.cp24.com//federal-prosecutors-told-to-prosecut Roussel's directive matches the federal Liberal government's approach to controlled substances as more a public health issue than a criminal one. #criminaldefense #drugs #lawyers

COVID-19 has raised risks for addicts, particularly cocaine and fentanyl. Disruptions [to the drug pipeline] mean that users face higher prices and uncertainty about the origin of the drugs... "For someone who’s addicted, now you’ve got to go with what you can get. You’re desperate, you’re addicted, and you’ve got to use, says Paul McGary, director of mental health with the Pinewood Centre, an addiction treatment facility. People are more likely to take a risk and buy fro...m somebody they haven’t bought from before. From May 25 to July 19, paramedics in Durham region responded to 101 suspected opioid overdoses, according to Durham Paramedics Services. The pandemic also caused Pinewood to shut down for 1.5 months, leaving addicts in the region without crisis services. All factors raising the risks for users, making addicts more vulnerable. #addiction #drugtreatment #alternativejustice https://www.durhamregion.com//10131556-durham-s-drug-netw/ See more