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opinion EDITOR ' S DESK BY GAIL J. COHEN A sad loss I t is with great sadness that I sit to write my editorial for this issue. Upon arriving at work this morning, I was greeted with an e-mail message from a journalist colleague in Quebec notifying me that Mike King, our correspondent in Montreal, had passed away over the weekend from a brain aneurysm. He was 51. I had met Mike only once while in Montreal for a legal technology conference last year, but he had been writing for Canadian Lawyer for years bringing our readers the stories of the people and events in the never-dull Quebec legal scene. He was an editor's dream: he always had great story ideas; was flexible and able to accommodate all types of requests; filed his stories on time and if he couldn't he made sure you knew why; and his copy was well written and rarely required much editing. It could be due to his 22 years as a daily newspaper reporter at the Montreal Gazette and before that at a variety of other papers around the country, but even that experience doesn't always translate into easy-to-work-with or good writers. Mike was a great writer who had a way of really bringing characters to life even when faced with closed-mouthed sources and difficult subjects. It was one such story, about Louis Pasquin, the first lawyer in Canada found guilty of gangsterism, that Mike struggled with. No one was really willing to talk about the case, and he was forced to write it from various outside and non-attributable sources and court documents. After much digging and lots of tinkering with the content, we got ourselves a story that told a fascinating tale of Pasquin, whom Mike described in the July 2009 Canadian Lawyer cover story "Gangsta rap" as "no stranger to drug dealers or major police probes as a well-known defender of bikers and mobsters from the Hells Angels to the Montreal Mafia's notorious Cotroni clan." To end on a positive note, Mike's story went on to win a KRW Award for best news coverage at the annual Canadian business press awards at the beginning of June. His wife Christine Kupka told me he lit up when he heard he'd won. It's a great achievement for Canadian Lawyer and a great honour for a great journalist. Our columnist Philip Slayton was another KRW silver award winner this year for his Legal Ethics column. KRW honourable mentions went to the always colourful Ezra Levant for his Back Page column; former staff writer Glenn Kauth, who now edits Law Times, for his story "Big BD" and a profile of Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart; and writer Paul Brent for his wrap-up on the legal aspects of the auto bailouts in the August 2009 cover story "Assembly line." — gcohen@clbmedia.ca Group publisher: Karen Lorimer editorial Director: Gail J. Cohen staff writer: Robert Todd Copy editor: Heather Gardiner Creative Director: Einar Rice Art Director: Bill Hunter Account Co-ordinator: Catherine Giles Contributors: Jean Sorensen, donalee Moulton, Diane Cook, Andi Balla Canadian Lawyer is published 11 times a year by Canadian Lawyer Magazine Inc., 240 Edward St., Aurora, Ont. L4G 3S9 (905) 841- 6480 Fax: (905) 727-0017. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the publisher. Information pre- sented is compiled from sources believed to be accurate, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Canadian Lawyer Magazine Inc. disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publica- tion and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. Advertising sales representatives Legal suppliers: Kimberlee Pascoe tel: (905) 713-4342 e-mail: kpascoe@clbmedia.ca Law Firms: Karen Lorimer tel: (905) 713-4339 e-mail: klorimer@clbmedia.ca Quebec Law Firms: Linda Nadon tel: (450) 224-0055 e-mail: lnadon@clbmedia.ca Labour & employment: Kathy Liotta tel: (905) 713-4340 e-mail: kliotta@clbmedia.ca Sales Co-ordinator: Sandy Shutt tel: (905) 713-4337 e-mail: sshutt@clbmedia.ca Canadian Lawyer Magazine Inc. president: Stuart J. 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For all circulation inquiries and address changes send a copy of your mailing label or labels along with your request in writing to Canadian Lawyer , 240 Edward Street, Aurora, ON, L4G 3S9 Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index The Immigration Line Read about what's on the minds of the immigration bar from practitioner Jennifer Nees. July 26 WEB VIDEO THIS MONTH ON C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com EXCLUSIVE ONLINE COLUMNS Trials & Tribulations Antonin Pribetic opines on rulings, decisions, and issues of interest to litigators. July 12 Human Rights . . . Here & There University of Ottawa law professor Lucie Lamarche's column on human rights and international law. July 12 ver Financial Adviser Financial planner Alan Acton helps lawyers better manage their money. July 12 The IT Girl Sarah Dale-Harris takes a wry look at the intersection of technology and the law. July 19 Defi nitely Mabey Stephen Mabey examines the thorny issues facing law firm management. July 19 Making Rain Episode 5 of our video column on career and business development with executive coach Debra Forman. July 26 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com JULY 2010 3