The Law Society of Manitoba recently approved a pilot project to make lawyers more accessible to those who often fall between the cracks of the legal system – the middle class, reported The Vancouver Sun.
While the poor in Manitoba have access to Legal Aid Manitoba, and the rich can simply write a cheque, many middle class individuals find the cost of retaining a lawyer daunting.
As a result, many people have no alternative but to represent
themselves without adequate understanding of the rules and procedures.
It often results in delay and waste of time and resources. A pity.
To address this problem, the Law Society of Manitoba will act as a brokerage for legal services on behalf of the Family Law Access Centre.
The Law Society will seek to buy legal services from the private bar at a discount rate and make them available to the public for family law cases involving issues such as divorce, custody, and support.
As a lawyer who practises in family law, I applaud this initiative. On many occasions I have personally had to decline meritorious matters because of the individuals’ lack of financial resources.
Let’s see if the pilot project becomes a success. Perhaps the Law Society of Manitoba’s Ontario counterpart will then follow suit.
PSWLaw- your family law legal advisor.
