by Caroline Nevin

The Canadian Bar Association – B.C. Branch has been busy over the past year. In our role as advocate for the interests of B.C. lawyers we have been prominent and we continue to be effective on many fronts.

• Tax on legal services: The Branch’s top government relations priority has been the elimination of the provincial tax on legal services. The annual cost has reached $110 million, and more than $1 billion has been collected from our clients since the tax was introduced in 1992. The tax reduces the competitiveness of our members, and impedes access to justice for individuals and businesses that require legal counsel and representation. The Branch has been running an extensive government relations campaign, including meeting with candidates during the recent election, meeting with senior government staff responsible for tax policy, advertising, and building a coalition of business and community groups with a shared interest in removing the tax. The Branch is also providing financial support for disbursements in the case of Christie v. AGBC, which declared the tax unconstitutional for low-income clients.
• Funding issues: CBABC met with the new Attorney General prior to his appointment. We communicated our position with respect to the need for additional funds for legal aid, and also with respect to the need to enforce the recent arbitration award concerning compensation for Crown Counsel. We will be meeting with elected MLAs of both parties in the coming months to brief them on these matters, as well as the SST issue, prior to the budget estimates debates.
• Legislation and law reform: As part of its mandate, CBABC reviews and provides input on proposed legislation. Recent legislation with which CBABC has had significant involvement includes the Business Corporations Act, the Real Estate Act, and the Personal Information Protection Act.

For more information about the mandate and practice of the Legislation and Law Reform Committee of the CBABC, visit cba.org/BC/sections_groups/committees/legislation.aspx.

• Civil justice reform: In the last issue of BarTalk we explored the pending civil justice reforms. The Branch is monitoring the reception and implementation of these reforms. To make your voice heard, visit “B.C.’s Civil Justice Experiment” at cba.org/BC/cba_publications/bartalk_06_05/cover.aspx.
• Law Society monitoring: The CBABC is monitoring the recent implementation of the Trust Administration Fee, with regard to its impact on the payors and the use of this revenue. Our Task Force is receiving input from B.C. lawyers about how the new fee is affecting their practice and their clients, and we are watching the use to which this new revenue is put. The CBABC is also monitoring the proposed expansion of the role of supervised paralegals.

We invite you to keep an eye on what the CBABC is doing generally by bookmarking our website and visiting the “Initiatives” section regularly: cba.org/BC/Initiatives/main/default.aspx.

Caroline Nevin, Association Executive Director, CBA BC Branch

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