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Lawyers told to volunteer
New Brunswick Children's Equal Parents Association

Lawyers told to volunteer




Tuesday, January 8, 2002 Lawyers told to volunteer Soaring immigration, refugee costs cited By ROB GRANATSTEIN AND GRETCHEN DRUMMIE, TORONTO SUN Ontario's top lawmaker wants more lawyers working for free, while the province's judges pleaded yesterday for the federal government to name more judges to the bench. Attorney General David Young, speaking at the Opening of the Courts, called on large firms to devote 3% of billable hours -- about 50 hours a year per lawyer -- to pro bono activity. He also called on all lawyers to set a yearly pro bono goal and "live up to it." Young hopes the free work can take some of the pressure off legal aid, especially as costs for immigration cases and refugee claims are skyrocketing. He said those costs could triple in two years, reaching $43 million in The province can't absorb the costs, Young said, warning that "they have to be made up by the federal government. We need to hear from Ottawa by February in order to ensure continuity in immigration and refugee legal aid services beyond March 31. Immigration is vital to both Ontario and Canada, he said, but "this is unquestionably an area in which the federal government has exclusive control ... Ottawa has developed an increasingly complicated and expensive legal system for handling immigration and refugee matters. Clearly the federal government must take responsibility for funding of legal aid for immigration and refugee cases." Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry also called on law firms to accept pro bono work as part of the billable hours workload demanded of lawyers, especially young lawyers. Patrick LeSage, chief justice of the Superior Court, said there are eight existing judgeships that need to be filled, including three that have been open for more than a year. FAMILY CASES UP 23% "It is adversely affecting the service we are able to provide," LeSage said. He didn't know how he could persuade the federal government to make those appointments any quicker. Despite a decrease in the number of cases for his judges, the added pressures and work of child-protection cases are putting strains on the courts, LeSage said. Family cases in Superior Court were up 23% in 2001. LeSage also said Ontario's population has increased by one million people in seven years, but there are no more judges. "We may well have to ask for additional judges," he said.