The regulators of the legal profession in Canada and the Canadian government have embarked on a new chapter in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities. Late last Spring Canada’s Minister of Finance announced the creation of a joint working group comprised of representatives of the government and the Federation of…
Sustainability of self-regulation scrutinized in Ontario
Bencher candidate John Nunziata says he thinks the provincial government may have to intervene in the legal profession’s self-regulation model following the bencher election ending April 30. Nunziata told Law Times that he has heard the proposition of reviewing the Law Society Act discussed among Ontario’s members of provincial Parliament who watch the legal profession. However, Law Times requested interviews…
University of Alberta professors found governance ‘lodge’
Hadley Friedland was just outside a conference room in Edmonton, speaking over the phone about a presentation on Indigenous law she’d just made to a room full of lawyers and legal academics. The conference was being sponsored by the Law Society of Alberta. Around the country, First Nation communities, in “acts of self determination,” are…
B.C. Paralegal Association supports LSBC creation of ‘licensed paralegals’
The Law Society is seeking input from the profession regarding a proposal to establish a new class of legal service professional who would hold a limited scope licence to practise in the area of family law. The concepts advanced in the scope of practice proposed in Schedule A of the discussion paper are not conclusions….
Governance gone wrong: examining self-regulation of the legal profession
England and Australia have abandoned self-regulation of the legal profession yet Canadian law societies continue to function on this basis. This article argues that the self-regulatory model on which the Law Society of Ontario (the “LSO”) operates represents an inadequate form of governance in terms of the accountability it yields. When compared to other organizations, including law societies…
Event: Creating inclusive workplaces for LGBT+ people (Legal Sector)
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion Wednesday, August 22, 2018 – 14:00 Virtual – Webinar This webcast will provide insights and promising practices of how legal professional can go beyond “pride” to celebrate LGBT+ people through the year, and create and maintain inclusive workplaces for LGBT+ people and their allies at all times. CCDI prides…
The Legal Problems of Everyday Life: The Nature, Extent and Consequences of Justiciable Problems Experienced by Canadians
The purpose of this study is to inform policy makers about the incidence of civil justice problems and the extent of unmet need for assistance that justiciable problems in civil matters might represent. The study assumes a broad view of civil justice problems and unmet need. The broad view looks at the problem of civil…
The Federation of Law Societies of Canada: AML update
The Federation of Law Societies of Canada (the “Federation”) is in the midst of a consultation with its members, the 14 provincial and territorial regulators of the legal profession, on proposed amendments to the Model Rules that have formed the cornerstone of the law societies’ fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities…
Legal Services Regulation at the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society: a progress update
The journey to Legal Services Regulation (LSR) has taken a major step with the November 17, 2017 approval by Council of several regulatory amendments to advance the Society’s initiatives. The result is a model of regulating legal services that is risk focused, proactive, principled and proportionate. Key components of the regime and the impacts on…
The Shifting Frontiers of Law: Access to Justice and Underemployment in the Legal Profession
The article examines two interrelated issues attracting attention from the legal academy, the profession, and policy makers: i) the crisis of access to justice among ordinary Canadians, and ii) the increasing number of qualified and underemployed lawyers. This article sets out to understand the interrelated factors underlying these two trends, and explores long-term, accessible solutions to address the misalignment between the supply of underemployed law graduates and a demand for affordable legal services. In response to these twin problems, we examine how legislative reform,…