BarTalk December 2000
Volume 12, Number 6

Let the public know the good lawyers that do

by Margaret Ostrowski QC

One of my goals this year as President is to ensure that the volunteers of our profession are applauded. Our volunteers, for the most part, go unrecognized - I am afraid that we are not very good at letting others know how much we do. And yet our public image is in need of bolstering. I feel that if the general public knew how much volunteer time lawyers expend on the advancement of the justice system for the public benefit, and on volunteering in the community, our image would indeed be second to none.

My duties as President take me to many parts of our province. Everywhere I go I am in awe of the stories I am told of local lawyers' commitment to their community. We have lawyers on virtually every board in the province. We have lawyers who have been Boy Scout leaders for thirty years, who have acted as coaches of every sport imaginable, lawyers who take responsibility in church organizations, and lawyers who fund raise for charitable organizations. In each of these positions, lawyers are well respected as trustworthy, responsible and, in addition, good sources of free legal advice.

And our contribution is not limited to activities outside of our offices. Lawyers volunteer many hours as professionals doing pro bono work for impecunious clients. In this province, we have at least 15 organizations and groups offering the services of lawyers to the public, including the Salvation Army Pro Bono Lawyer Consultant Program, the Battered Women's Support Services, and others. In fact, there are so many pro bono programs it was recently felt that it was time to have a coordinated approach to pro bono legal services.

The CBABC, together with the Law Society, has recently received funding from the Law Foundation of BC for a Pro Bono Forum to be held in 2001. We are bringing together advocacy groups and lawyers to talk about the challenges and coordination needed to develop more effective - and more publicized - Pro Bono programs.

I also consider lawyers who take Legal Aid work and who act as custodians as doing pro bono work for the public and our members. The hourly rate paid is substantially lower than market rates charged, and this work often involves many more hours beyond the maximum chargeable. In addition, there are many lawyers who accept only disbursements for legal aid files and who donate their time. And then there are the many low-income clients who are serviced by a lawyer for either a reduced rate or no fee.

Lawyers give many hours to the advancement of justice and the rule of law. We have many CBA committees and sections that spend lots of time on causes that give benefit to the public, such as Legislation and Law Reform, Access to Justice, Court Services, Law Week, Legal Aid, Dial-A-Law, and the International Resource Network. In 1999 alone, the CBABC coordinated the volunteer efforts of more than 600 lawyers.

Last year we initiated service awards in all of our counties to be given to worthy and outstanding lawyers in the community. We have tasked our Awards and Recognition Committee with introducing new awards for our members this year. A survey of actual hours expended should be commenced some time next year. And I will personally bring the message of the generosity of our lawyers to the Premier, to our Attorney General, and to every public group I have an opportunity to address.

The extent and importance of our volunteerism deserves attention, recognition and acknowledgement from colleagues and community members - and the CBABC is taking a leadership role.

This article was published in the December 2000 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.