Preface to the third edition

• Author: Ted Tjaden
• Profession: National Director of Knowledge Management McMillan LLP
• Pages: 21-22

Page 21

Change continues to dominate the legal research field. There have been many developments in the legal publishing and legal research community in Canada since the second edition was published in late 2004. Most of these changes have occurred in three areas: (i) new print materials; (ii) new and improved "fee" and "free" online research materials, particularly the improvement to legislation and case law for free on the website of the Canadian Legal Information Institute; and (iii) the advent of Web 2.0 technologies that are essential to legal research, including the use of blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds.

More particularly, some of the new content in the third edition includes:

· Updated content in every chapter

· A new chapter on knowledge management in law firms

· Updates to new developments for some of the major legal publishers and their products, including Westlaw Canada, LEXISNEXIS Quick-law, Canada Law Book, CCH Online, and Irwin Law

· The increasing digitization of all legal materials, including e-books

· Expanded coverage of free legal resources, including CANLII

· Updates to legal encyclopedias, now including Halsbury’s Laws of Canada and JURISCLASSEUR Québec, in addition to the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest

· Improved coverage for Québec, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand

· Coverage of Web 2.0 tools (such as blogs and wikis) for legal research

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· Extensive updates to resources in Chapter 8 on Legal Research by Topic

· Updates to reflect a new edition of the MCGILL Guide (6th ed.)

· New cases added on the recoverability of online search charges (Chapter 1), legal research and writing malpractice (Chapter 11), and restrictive covenants in the sale of a business (Appendix A, sample problem)

· New and updated illustrations and tables

· A new sample research problem and research memo (on the topic of restrictive covenants in sale of a business)

Without the support and patience of my wife Reiko and daughter Hannah, none of this would have been possible.

Thanks also to my law firm MCMILLAN LLP where legal research and writing is taken seriously and valued at all levels of the firm. Particular thanks go to my staff, including Danielle Beaudoin...