Vancouver – The Law Society of BC welcomes the report released today by the Public Commission on Legal Aid. Commissioner Leonard Doust, QC, made a number of recommendations to address the delivery of legal aid in British Columbia after consulting with the public and legal and social service agencies during an 11-community tour of the province last fall.
“The report is a significant and important contribution to the discussion regarding the ongoing challenges of providing access to justice to all British Columbians” said Law Society president, Gavin Hume, QC. “Mr. Doust has delivered a passionate report on behalf of the people of BC and the Society would like to thank him for his commitment to the cause of access to legal services for everyone in British Columbia.”
The Society, which provided funding support to the Commission, will take time to review the report and consider its recommendations. “Clearly, accessing legal services reaches far beyond finding a lawyer to take a case to court on behalf of a client,” explained Hume. “The Law Society is interested in doing all it can to be a part of the solution.”
Access to legal services has been a focus of the Law Society and remains a priority in its current strategic plan. Most recently, the Society has been working on allowing paralegals and articled students to provide additional and more economical legal services to the public.
The Law Society of British Columbia regulates the more than 10,000 lawyers in the province, setting and enforcing standards of professional conduct that ensure the public is well-served by a competent, honourable legal profession.
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Questions regarding the report of the Public Commission can be directed to:
Michael Litchfield
Commission Coordinator
Public Commission on Legal Aid
250-634-3753
http://www.publiccomission.org
Law Society contact:
Lesley Pritchard
Communications Officer
604-443-5708
lpritchard@lsbc.org