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December 14, 2016

The Law Society and the Law Foundation have announced a joint three year funding and support arrangement for Access to Justice BC (A2JBC). Under the terms of the arrangement the Law Society and the Law Foundation will each contribute $150,000 over three years to enable A2JBC to continue its innovative work in bringing together stakeholders from across the justice sector to better collaborate and coordinate in enhancing access to justice for British Columbians. The Benchers approved the arrangement noting that supporting and enhancing access to justice is a foundational goal of the Law Society’s strategic plan.  

A2JBC was formed in 2015 under the leadership of Chief Justice Robert Bauman and today includes senior leaders from all of the stakeholder organizations. In its formative stages support for A2JBC was provided through Law Foundation grants and the assistance of Courthouse Libraries BC (CLBC). Going forward the new arrangement will see the Law Society taking on more of a leadership role and in agreement with CLBC will fund its support through setting aside funds collected for CLBC as part of the 2017 practice fee. The new funding will support the continued work of a strategic coordinator and communication and administrative services. Conditions of the support include the development by A2JBC of specific action plans and budgets, progress reporting and joint monitoring and oversight by the Law Society and the Law Foundation. For more information on A2JBC, visit its website.