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Law Times • June 21, 2010 FOCUS PAGE 13 Fixing legal aid key: OBA section head Continued from page 12 Ontario Bar Association family law section chairwom- an Georgina Carson says it's a mistake to redirect unrepre- sented family law litigants to paralegals. Th e only true fi x for the access-to-justice prob- lem will come through the ex- pansion of legal aid to higher income brackets, she argues. "We should call a spade a spade and say, 'Look, family law is an extraordinarily impor- tant area of the law that aff ects more people than criminal law, for example.' Family law is an area that in my view has been under-serviced by legal aid forever and it needs to be ad- dressed head on." Carson says the law society continues to review the issue of paralegal practice in the area of family law. Still, she points out the issue doesn't rest solely in the hands of the regulator. Under Rule 4.1(c) of the Family Law Rules, only a judge can give permission to a person who's not a lawyer to appear for a party. "Th at gets lost in the shuffl e," says Carson, add- ing the courts rarely agree to let non-lawyers provide such rep- resentation. Meanwhile, Yarmus says he has asked the LSUC's parale- gal standing committee to look into the issue. He has yet to re- ceive a written commitment on that request but says he'll bring his motion back to the law so- ciety's annual general meeting Childview_LT_June21_10.indd 1 6/14/10 2:37:25 PM next year if the LSUC fails to move on the issue. "It would be an embarrass- ment to both the law society and to the government that brought in this regulation if, fi ve years after regulation, para- legals are still [providing] less services than they were prior to regulation," says Yarmus. "Th e sooner this is dealt with, the better for everybody." LT Your chance to win a $250 Canada Law Book gift certificate Compensation Survey The Canadian Lawyer 2010 Canadian Lawyer has revamped our much-in-demand compensation survey to include lawyers in law firms as well as corporate legal departments. We are looking for managing partners and the heads of corporate legal departments to take a few minutes to fill it out.The results of this survey are unique in Canada and will give readers a perspective on who's earning what across the country. SURVEY CLOSES JULY 14 To complete the survey visit canadianlawyermag.com/surveys www.lawtimesnews.com Comp._survey_5X.indd 1 6/16/10 1:27:50 PM