FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2003
MONTREAL – John-Paul Boyd of Vancouver has been selected winner of the 2003 Young Lawyers’ Conference Pro Bono Service Award.
“The jury chose John-Paul Boyd because it was most impressed with the scope of his pro bono work, both privately and within the clinic. He also has advanced public knowledge with respect to family law and the court process," says Ming Song, chair of the YLC. "John-Paul shows tremendous energy and dedication in all these areas."
One of Mr. Boyd’s most impressive private pro bono contributions was to the case of a single mother, pregnant with a second child, and supporting her family on welfare. His client was in conflict with the Ministry for Children and Families with respect to her elder child, and was hospitalized for stress during their investigation. Under British Columbia’s Child, Family and Community Service Act, the Ministry is bound to follow a two-step process following any discretionary action it takes, such asrandom, compulsory home inspections or the removal of a child from the family home. In a preliminary, or “presentation” court hearing, the Ministry is only required to prove the “reasonableness” of its actions and the Court often sides in favour of the Ministry until such time as the actual hearing, often as much as six months later. After calling a number of witnesses, Mr. Boyd was, remarkably, successful in having the Ministry’s application dismissed at the presentation hearing.
The jury also wished to recognize the support and encouragement given to Mr. Boyd by his firm. Since joining the firm Aaron MacGregor Gordon & Daykin in 2002, he has become an active member of the Salvation Army's Pro Bono Program and provides legal advice and assistance to their clients at two clinics each month. Mr. Boyd also donates a substantial amount of time to maintaining his personal website, www.bcfamilylawresource.com, a comprehensive, plain-language site about family law and the court process.
Mr. Boyd received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia in 1999. His principle area of practice is family law and he devotes time to the Dial-a-Law program of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and to the University of British Columbia’s Law Students’ Legal Advice Program.
The Young Lawyers Pro Bono Award recognizes outstanding pro bono publico (“for the public good”) 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 John-Paul Boyd at the Young Lawyers Luncheon on Tuesday, Aug. 19 in the Palais des congrès, room 517B during the Canadian Legal Conference in Montreal, Aug. 16-19. 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 38,000 lawyers, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Aug.16-19, CBA Media Centre, Palais des congrès, Room 523B, (514) 871-5823.
