Canadian Lawyer

www.canadianlawyermag.com 7 though the maximum combined penalty avail- able for the two counts Stevikova pleaded guilty to is $150,000 and 18 months in jail. In imposing the fines — $35,000 for the charge of placing attractants for bears and $25,000 for intentionally feeding wildlife — Smith wrote Stevikova's blame is at the "highest-end" of the spectrum. That compares with a joint submission of fines of $3,500 for the first count and $7,000 for the second. Explaining why she imposed the higher fines, Smith wrote that Stevikova's "actions were deliberate, and she deliberately side-stepped the province's wildlife management scheme." All but $1,000 of the fines will go to the Habitat Conservation Foundation. "This is a significant decision," says Vancouver lawyer Victoria Shroff, who specializes in the law of animals. "The court rejected a joint submission by the Crown and defence, saying 'No, the suggested fine doesn't satisfy the public interest or send a strong enough message' and needs to be higher." Shroff says she hopes the size of the fine will send a message that courts will come down hard on those who disobey wildlife conservation laws prohibiting giving food to wild animals. While acknowledging that Stevikova was not motivated by cruelty or harm to the bears, the judge said Stevikova's supposed good intentions in feeding the bears are not mitigating factors. "Her offending behaviour would have been worse if she had left the attractants with a view to hunt the bears... or for a cruel motive, [but] I do not put the heavy weight of her motivation, described as 'misguided' by counsel, as significant." Legal tech provider Clio acquires document automation company Lawyaw Q&A » President of the Legal Cloud Computing Association » Author of The Client- Centered Law Firm » 2019 Fellow to the College of Law Practice Management » Board member of AI-powered legal research provider, ROSS Intelligence » Host of Matters, a podcast dedicated to hearing from legal professionals, industry leaders, and subject matter experts about the future of law "This is a significant decision. The court rejected a joint submission by the Crown and defence, saying 'No, the suggested fine doesn't satisfy the public interest or send a strong enough message." Victoria Shroff, Shroff Animal Law Jack Newton CEO and Co-founder CLIO The recent acquisition by Vancouver cloud-based legal tech provider Clio of digital workflow provider Lawyaw provides "foundational technology" for automation that will transform how lawyers create documents, says company CEO and founder Jack Newton. We talked to him about the future of technology aimed at the legal sector. Explain the importance of your latest deal to buy Lawyaw. There's so much that can be dramatically improved around document workflows for both clients and lawyers. Clio and Lawyaw are a compelling combination that will allow us to transform an essential portion of that workflow. You already have a relationship with Lawyaw, so why buy the company outright? Clio and Lawyaw have had a productive working relationship for several years and are already well-integrated into the Clio infrastructure. In fact, it was the first document automation company to offer an app inside of our app store. We have been so impressed with the Lawyaw team, their dedication, and innovation in streamlining the creation of important court forms and legal documents. Acquiring their business and bringing their team in-house better enables us to support further development of the critical work they are doing for the industry. What does Lawyaw do? Lawyaw's legal document automation software simplifies routine legal drafting and completing court forms through a cloud-based platform that is easy to use. What makes Lawyaw unique among legal document automation tools is its focus on digitizing entire workflows like document assembly and e-signatures. How has COVID-19 affected the business of companies like Clio and Lawyaw? The pandemic has provided a tailwind for law firms to adopt cloud- based solutions to help operations — something law firms have been looking for. For example, surveys show about 90 per cent of legal professionals believe court systems can be improved with better access to technology. In many ways, how the courts, and lawyers and their clients interact with documents hasn't changed in 20-plus years. They're still circulated by email; they're still sent out as Microsoft Word documents. There's so much that can be dramatically improved around document workflows. What is the company's growth strategy? There is still plenty of room for organic growth within our current markets. Acquisitions will remain an important part of our growth model, but these acquisitions will likely be "tuck in" deals that enhance what we offer. One way of determining what lawyers want from Clio and what might make a good acquisition is to look at the integrated apps already in our app store, where there are already about 200 apps. How these apps are used and how well they are reviewed could be important clues since they are pre-vetted M&A targets that have demonstrated value to our customers. Deal marks company's third and largest to date

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