Heenan Blaikie

The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm

A new book by Adam Dodek. Now available!

Reviews for Heenan Blaikie

In the media

“A Little More Conversation” with Ben O’Hara Byrne
October 30, 2024
A Little More Conversation podcast episode

National Magazine
15 October 2024
The demise of Heenan Blaikie

About the author

Adam Dodek is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. Among his numerous publications are In Search of the Ethical Lawyer; The Canadian Constitution, Third Edition, named by the Hill Times as one of the top 100 books on Canadian public policy; and Solicitor-Client Privilege, which won the Walter Owen Book Prize.

He is a recipient of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers Prize for Academic Excellence, the Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing, and the Law Society of Ontario’s Law Society Medal. He is also a director of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics and the Canadian Legal Information Institute, and a past governor of the Law Commission of Ontario.

Other books by Adam Dodek

  • The Canadian Constitution book cover

    The Canadian Constitution

    A fully updated edition of the first-ever primer on Canada’s Constitution — for anyone who wants to understand the supreme law of the land.

    The Canadian Constitution makes Canada’s Constitution readily accessible to readers. It includes the complete text of the Constitution Acts of 1867 and 1982, accompanied by an explanation of what each section means, along with a glossary of key terms, a short history of the Constitution, and a timeline of important constitutional events. The Canadian Constitution explains how the Supreme Court of Canada works and describes the people and issues involved in leading constitutional cases.

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  • The Ethical Lawyer book cover

    In Search of the Ethical Lawyer

    Stories from the Canadian Legal Profession

    In this equally inspiring and troubling book, leading lawyers and legal academics draw on case studies, biography, and memoir to explore the relationship between ethics and the law in Canada. Highly readable and engaging, In Search of the Ethical Lawyer brings to life the ethical challenges lawyers face and redefines what it means be a “good” lawyer.

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  • The Charter Debates book cover

    The Charter Debates

    The Special Joint Committee on the Constitution, 1980-81, and the Making of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

    The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms may only be thirty-five years old but it is an important document for all Canadians. Few today, however, are aware of the extensive work and tumultuous debates that occurred behind the scenes.

    In The Charter Debates, Adam Dodek tells the story of the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons on the Constitution, whose members were instrumental in drafting the Charter. Dodek places the work of the Joint Committee against the backdrop of the decades-long process of patriation and takes the reader inside the committee room, giving them access to Cabinet discussions about constitutional reform. The volume offers a textual exploration of the edited proceedings concerning major Charter subjects such as fundamental freedoms, democratic rights, equality rights, language rights, and the limitations clause.

    Presenting key moments from the transcripts, carefully selected and contextualized, The Charter Debates is a one-of-a-kind resource for scholars, students, and general readers interested in the Charter and its impact on constitutional politics in Canada.

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  • Solicitor-Client Privilege book cover

    Solicitor-Client Privilege

    Winner of the 2015 Walter Owen Book Prize

    This distinctly Canadian law textbook analyzes the exceptions to privilege, conditions where privilege is unclear, and situations of competing interests that might bring into question the application of privilege.

    Solicitor-Client Privilege is the oldest and strongest legally-sanctioned safeguard protecting confidential communications. Yet, lawyers today know very little about the ways in which solicitor-client privilege can be overridden or rendered inapplicable. Most practitioners assume that all lawyer-client communications are protected – they aren't.

    Solicitor-Client Privilege is the only Canadian textbook of its kind to explain key aspects of lawyer-client confidentiality. With a Foreword written by former Supreme Court of Canada justice Ian Binnie, this distinctly Canadian law textbook analyzes the exceptions to privilege, conditions where privilege is unclear, and situations of competing interests that might bring into question the application of privilege.

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Upcoming events

November 12

Ottawa
11:30am - 1pm
Faculty of Law, Room 302, uOttawa

More info & registration

December 5

OBA Book Club
8pm EST (online)

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November 20

Toronto
5pm - 7pm
Ben McNally Books, 108 Queen Street East

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November 5

Vancouver
5:30pm
UBC Robson Square Downtown

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January 16, 2025

Montreal
Lord Reading Society

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Event gallery