Law Times

LAW TIMES 22 COVERING ONTARIO'S LEGAL SCENE | APRIL 1, 2019 www.lawtimesnews.com BY MEAGAN GILLMORE For Law Times T hree Toronto bencher can- didates want to ensure the Law Society of Ontario ad- vocates strongly for legal aid in the province and supports ac- cess to justice, particularly for disadvantaged or marginalized communities. Ryan Peck, executive direc- tor at HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario, Karen Andrews, a law- yer at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants - Ontario, and Shalini Konanur, executive director and lawyer at the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, are all seeking bencher seats as lawyers from inside Toronto. Each says the law society needs to champion access to justice and be a strong voice for legal aid. Legal Aid Ontario funds the clinics where they work. "I think it's essential that there are benchers that have ex- perience with providing legal services for low-income and eq- uity-seeking persons," says Peck, who has been HALCO's execu- tive director since 2007 and has practised solely in legal clinics. Peck has served on various com- mittees, including Legal Aid Ontario's Clinic Law Advisory Committee and the Ministry of the Attorney General's Poverty Law Advisory Committee. He says these experiences have exposed him to the "patch- work" of legal services in Ontar- io. He's also seen how marginal- ized people are often at a greater risk for having negative interac- tions with the law. "It's particularly important these days because of the lack of access to justice that is happen- ing in Ontario. It's difficult for me to characterize it as anything less than a crisis when it comes to access to justice in the prov- ince of Ontario," he says. Andrews says she is "dis- tressed and worried" about what could happen on April 11, the day the provincial govern- ment is slated to drop the next budget. Andrews, who worked in social justice before studying law and was a researcher on a provincial blueprint for publicly funded legal services in 1997, says legal aid is a crucial way lawyers fulfil their professional obligations to help people. "I get a sense from this gov- ernment that legal aid is an ex- pense like everything else," she says. Andrews says she's con- cerned that funding for legal aid is subject to political shifts and lawyers need to advocate togeth- er to show the government how crucial legal aid is. The law society also needs to seriously consider concerns raised by lawyers who say they are not being fairly compen- sated for services they provide through legal aid certificates, says Andrews. She says she is also increasingly concerned that crippling student debt could hinder new lawyers from prac- tising in legal clinics. She says she's prepared to examine dif- ferent fees for private and public lawyers. "On this issue of [legal aid], the law society needs to work to- gether," Andrews says. "It tran- scends politics." Konanur says the society needs to consult with lawyers before proposing changes to law society fees. Regardless of what's decided about fees, the law so- ciety has to ensure it's a strong voice for legal aid, she says, and "promote the idea that it's criti- cal the government support legal aid." Peck also says the law society should have more professional development education op- portunities focused on matters clinic lawyers often see, such as social assistance, income main- tenance and housing. "It's important not only for clinic lawyers but for other law- yers to be aware of these areas of law, at the very least so they can f lag issues because we know that people rarely present with one legal issue," he says. For example, a job loss could lead to someone experiencing a housing crisis. "There's a cascade ripple ef- fect in relation to many legal is- sues that people face," says Peck. "It's important to scale up train- ing in the ripple areas so lawyers are available to provide effective services." Law society fees should be reduced for lawyers who work in clinics, he says. The law society needs to work with Legal Aid Ontario and legal aid service providers to show the government why funding these services is critical. Peck says he has a "deep concern" that the change in Ontario's government could result in less funding for legal aid. Peck says that with "poverty increasing, with ongoing impact of colonialism and very real is- sues surrounding racism, sex- ism, homophobia [and] trans- phobia, it's just really vital that people have access to effective and expert legal services. "It's unacceptable that low- income people should have ei- ther no access, little access — or second-class access — to legal services." LT Candidates emphasize supporting legal aid, clinic lawyers Ryan Peck says it's 'essential that there are benchers that have experience with providing legal services for low-income and equity-seeking persons.' "I get a sense from this government that legal aid is an expense like everything else." Karen Andrews BENCHER ELECTION WILLIAM FRIEDMAN ELECT www.friedmans.ca BENCHER CANDIDATE 2019 A Voice for Lawyers Toronto Region Untitled-2 1 2019-03-26 3:28 PM

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