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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2002

LONDON - Averill Baker of St. John's has been selected winner of the 2002 Young Lawyers' Conference Pro Bono Service Award.

The CBA jury chose Averill Baker because her pro bono work truly fits the spirit of the award by providing legal services to people who cannot afford to pay. "She went out on a limb for a client and overcame all odds so that her client had access to justice," said YLC Chair Louis Charette of Montreal. "This case would have fallen between the cracks were it not for Averill Baker."

The case that most impressed the jury is referred to in Newfoundland and Labrador as the "sealer's case". It involved six sealers who were charged under the Marine Mammals Regulation Act and became a "test case" for the six accused.

It began when the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), posing as an American TV show, asked the sealers if they would take the crew out on the ice for some footage. The resulting videotape found its way into the hands of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) which in turn laid charges against the sealers.

The case was heard in Provincial Court and the defence centred around the admissibility of the videotape. The Court ruled the videotape was inadmissible. The Crown appealed the decision and the appeal succeeded. Ms. Baker appealed that decision to the Court of Appeal where she was successful and the decision of the trial judge was upheld.

Ms. Baker represented all six sealers and in the close to four years of representation has never asked for nor taken any money for her services. She has paid all disbursements, all travel expenses to and from central Newfoundland and donated all her time throughout the entire process.

In making its decision, the CBA jury agreed that the personal and financial risk she took in her dedication to this file is immeasurable.

Born in St. John's, Averill Baker received her Bachelor of Laws from the University of New Brunswick in 1996. From 1997-1998, she articled with the Newfoundland Legal Aid Commission, and in August 1998, she opened a solo practice in St. John's. Her areas of practice include criminal defence, family, real estate, personal injury, civil litigation, administrative law and wills and estates.

The Young Lawyers Pro Bono Award recognizes outstanding pro bono legal services to the community by a Canadian lawyer who is less than 40 years old or with fewer than 10 years of practice. It takes the form of a $1,500 cash prize and is sponsored by the Canadian Bar Financial Corporation Inc.

The award will be presented to Averill Baker at the Young Lawyers Luncheon on Wednesday, Aug. 14 in the Ballroom at the London Convention Centre, during the CBA Annual Conference in London, Aug. 10-14. The event is open to accredited media who have registered with the CBA Media Centre.

The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.

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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Aug.9-14, CBA Media Centre, London Convention Centre, Boardroom IV, Main Floor, (519) 661-6337.