Law Times

Page 2 JuLy 22, 2013 • Law Times NEWS Pro bono advocates call for more co-ordination to address access to justice BY YAMri tADDese Law Times W alking into Law Help Ontario's office at 393 University Ave. in Toronto is much like a visit to an emergency room. There are forms to fill out and a waiting area to sit in before seeing a so-called triage paralegal who assesses visitors' needs to determine whether or not to refer them to one of the lawyers busily flipping through files in the back of the room. On an average day, about 30 people visit the office seeking relief for their legal pains. But as the legal industry braces for change of all kinds, many have expressed doubt that pro bono services will remain a viable remedy for a growing number of people who can't afford counsel. As part of discussions on revolutionizing Canada's legal system, lawyers and judges have talked about the need to look beyond pro bono law to respond to urgent needs related to access to justice. During a recent speech at the Law Society of Upper Canada, Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell urged lawyers to be innovative in addressing the issue. justice but said it recognizes "the "Pro bono is a piece, but I don't limits of the profession's abilthink pro bono, again, is a full ity to address all needs." answer to this," he said. Access to At Pro Bono Law OnCromwell, chairman of Justice tario, staff caution against the National Action Comunderestimating the role of mittee on Access to Justice volunteerism when it comes to in Civil and Family Matters, designing new ways of tackling talked instead about coming access issues. Pro bono services up with new responses to the are "bursting at the seams," they access problem. say, suggesting that option will "On the court side of it, we remain a crucial and indispenhave a huge issue, I think, of sible part of solving the access ineffective and unduly comto justice quagmire. plex process that drives costs Pro Bono Law Ontario is up out of proportion to what's in favour of being innovative at stake; and on the legal serand addressing access to jusvices side, we perhaps have tice issues in different ways, not yet explored fully all the Matt Cohen would like 'the vari- says executive director Lynn models that might help people get meaningful access to ous sectors to come together in a Burns. But the focus on innoservices in a more cost-effec- spirit of complete collaboration and vation shouldn't detract from decide what are the important comthe need to not only maintain tive way," he said. ponents of a full access system.' but also strengthen Ontario's In a recent report, a workPhoto: Yamri Taddese pro bono law services, she says. ing group of the committee "Everybody always says pro bono is not the chaired by Cromwell discussed "a clear role for pro bono work" in advancing access to answer but it's a part of the solution," says Burns. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: LAURIE PAWLITZA, Treasurer Emeritus, Law Society of Upper Canada AND JORDAN FURLONG, Lawyer, Speaker, Consultant TO DEBATE "Should I Stay or Should I Go" This is the second in Law Times' summer series on access to justice. The series will consider the issues raised in each of the working group reports prepared by the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters. To speak to an Account Executive please contact us at Media.Sales@thomsonreuters.com or call 416-649-8841 Untitled-4 1 www.lawtimesnews.com "We are really lucky in Ontario to have such an amazing response from the private bar," she adds. One of the many counsel on the organization's volunteer roster is Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP associate Aislinn Reid. "I volunteer at PBLO because I believe that lawyers have a professional responsibility to contribute to their community and that making legal advice available to those who otherwise would not be able to afford it is a valuable contribution," she says. Instead of doubting the role of pro bono, Burns says governments and the legal profession should focus on creating a more seamless co-ordination between pro bono services and other ways of addressing access to justice. "We're all sort of working in silos now," Burns says of the various legal service providers. When it comes to making the system more efficient, the first step "would be for the various sectors to come together in a spirit of complete collaboration and decide what are the important components of a full access system," says Matt Cohen, director of litigation projects at Pro Bono Law Ontario. Cohen notes the committee chaired by Cromwell is an example of a body that has the skills and authority to create what he calls "a full access checklist." Such a checklist for a full access system would define the role of each of the current silos and help strengthen the overall network, he adds. In its report, the committee's access to legal services working group also mentioned the need for a more robust pro bono structure. "A significant amount of pro bono and low bono work is done on an informal basis and there is no way of quantifying the extent of this contribution," the report states. "However, to maximize the benefits of pro bono work to clients, a structured framework is necessary." Pro bono work isn't just an expense for the profession, according to Burns and Cohen. When law firms send lawyers to do pro bono work, they're also thinking about professional development and corporate responsibility, which is all the more reason to strengthen it rather than dismiss it as an inadequate solution, they say. Reid knows what they mean. "The days I spend as PBLO duty counsel have given me perspective on legal practice and on life generally that is very different than my typical day, and I think that is important," she says. LT 13-07-17 4:08 PM

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