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Suzanne Leclair

Lawyer For The New Economy of Ontario

Suzanne Leclair

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What Are You Trying To Prove (or Hide): A Modern Guide to E-Discovery and Digital CYA

Hillary Clinton never imagined her digital naivety would light up a public relation scandal due to “missing” personal emails.

Nigel Wright, former Chief of Staff to Canada’s ex Prime Minister, could not have anticipated his quick “Good to go” email would help feed the acrimonious criminal trial of a former friend thrown under the political bus.

And more recently, David Livingston, former Ontario Chief of Staff to Dalton McGuinty, is now facing criminal mischief charges for allegedly authorizing the destruction of possible incriminating emails.

Electronic breadcrumbs have bitten some of the most astute political gamers. But you my friend, will be one step ahead of most of your colleagues if you understand your e-obligations and take simple steps to CYA (Cover Your Ass) in a digital world. [Read more…] about What Are You Trying To Prove (or Hide): A Modern Guide to E-Discovery and Digital CYA

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We Need To Talk About Gen X, Ageism, Work & Semi Retirement

I met up with four friends from law school last Friday. We graduated in 1989. It’s the year Edie Brickell & New Bohemians sang the recession’s top hit "What I am". It’s also the year Generation X entered the job market. 

So, how did we do? – Scroll down to the end for the poll result. In short, Gen Xers are career bohemians, following unlikely paths to employment.  We specialize in special projects. And resiliency. 
 
Yet, this persistent 2015 recession is a beast. We started our career in an recession and in all likelihood, many GenXers face a premature layoff in this recession.  That’s why we need to have an unconventional talk on how this recession is impacting Gen Xers. An unconventional talk with an unconventional Plan B. [Read more…] about We Need To Talk About Gen X, Ageism, Work & Semi Retirement

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The Bitcoin Story is Getting Weirder

For many of us, bitcoin is a story about an underground currency for drug dealers, tax evaders and money launderers. The idea of holding virtual currency in a virtual wallet does not offer mass appeal to the over 40 crowd. The Mt Gox (the world’s biggest bitcoin exchange) recent bankruptcy served as a reminder that cyber currency is not for the faint of heart.

Regardless, there is something more to this story. First, we are seeing the rise of bitcoins in certain countries where the public trust in the national currency is eroding (such as in Argentina and Ukraine). Second, China has banned its financial companies from bitcoins in transactions.  Third, Russia has banned cybercurrency such as bitcoins because of its "suspicious use", such as money laundering (good grief, Russia, worried about money laundering….).

Meanwhile, back in America, Canada is looking to regulate the bitcoin industry and the U.S. regulators and Wall Street are interested in learning more . Even Japan has announced it intends on regulating and taxing bitcoins.  

Finally, Newsweek has supposedly "outed" the mysterious creator of bitcoin in its explosive article in March of 2014. The story makes allegations, that, if true, will only further fuel the story that this cybercurrency is a geopolitical movement of significant proportions. The story describes Satoshi Nakamoto, the possible creator of bitcoin, as "wearing a rumpled T-shirt, [h]air…unkempt, and has the thousand-mile stare of someone who has gone weeks without sleep." Leah McGrath Goodman, the journalist behind the story quotes Nakamoto: "I am no longer involved in that (creation of bitcoin) and I cannot discuss it." Goodman describes Nakamoto as "someone with a penchant for collecting model trains and a career shrouded in secrecy, having done classified work for major corporations and the U.S. military."   

Clearly the cyber currency is being adopted by countries sharing geopolitical interests. Don’t be quick to dismiss cyber currency as a dark force. Your best bet is to learn more about bitcoin and how it is incorporated by many legitimate businesses in modern democracies. 

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Why Read “The New Digital Age – Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business”

The New Digital AgeWhen I first picked up "The New Digital Age" written by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen last month, I expected a Google sized view of the future of business. I could be forgiven for such thinking because the authors are none other than Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and Jared Cohen, founder of Google Ideas. 

Instead, I found the book to be a powerful treatise on the intersection of geopolitics, digital technologies and the reallocation of power. Early in the opening paragraphs, Schmidt and Cohen state that "…there is a canyon dividing people who understand technology and people charged with addressing the world’s toughest geopolitical issues, and no one has built a bridge". Will the highly technologically literate geopolitician will be the future master of global trade? Clearly the authors make a compelling case. 

Schmidt and Cohen argue that connectivity will upend power imbalance with encrypted platforms and anonymous information sharing. The authors foresee that corruption and personal scandals in democratic countries will be more difficult to get away with in an age of connectedness. "Technological solutions will protect only a distinct technically savvy minority, and only temporarily". Digital citizenry will outpace the government’s ability to govern citizen working virtually. 

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Canada’s (Aboriginal) Emerging Economy?

 

Canada’s aboriginals have their own emerging economy. What is an emerging market, you ask. Emerging markets are struggling countries with large resources, youthful demographics, massive infrastructure and housing unmet needs. Such countries are pushed in a transitional economy, expected to play a significant role in major political and economic affairs in the global markets. [Read more…] about Canada’s (Aboriginal) Emerging Economy?