NEWSLETTER President's Report OFTHE CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, B.C. BRANCH In a comprehensive 1987 Law Society of B.C. study on the public's perception of legal aid, a major conclusion of the authors was the need to "reinforce, in people's minds, how important legal aid is to maintaining the fairness and inNOV.tegrity of the legal system to DEC.1990 ensure that all citizens are treated equally." (italics are VOLUME2
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Who should bear the cost of legal a1d?
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mine).
The report authors also stated that "the feeling among British Columbians is that legal aid is not only a right but a necessity for the fair and just operation of HIGHLIGHTS the legal system ... British Columbians consider it an obligation of society to provide and/ SECTIONTALK/3 or support the program and a necessary expense for society and government to bear." LEGISLATIVE The study's findings are just as UPDATE/5 accurate today. Yet, there seems an erroneous perception that lawyers are the only part of GUARDIAN"society" who should bear the SHIP PROJECT/8 cost of legal aid simply because we have chosen this profession ¡ as our livelihood. DATES TO Of course, when one refuses to NOTE/8 do his/her "public duty," the criticism is swift. An immediate public response is that lawyers are somehow "ungrateful" in refusing whatever is thrown at us as tariff. It is an age old 1)roblem- the public agrees that the idea of legal aid is important- as long as they don't have to pay for it. The profession then becomes the scapegoat.
I believe that the public is simply not aware of the issues surrounding legal aid nor are they informed of the seriousness of the lack of funding for legal aid. No other professional association gives of its time as freely and willingly as the legal profession. It is part of our tradition and a tradition that I believe will continue. The profession and in particular the criminal bar have subsidized the legal aid system in recent years to extraordinary levels. It is time to say "enough." In a recent media interview, I suggested that at least $20-million is needed to increase legal aid fees simply to bring them to a level that is adequate. It is important for the CBA to continue to press for a realistic tariff and for the public to realize that this action is not a case of "money hungry" lawyers.
The profession has an obliga-
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Terry La Liberte tion to make people more aware of the contribution that the legal profession makes to the financing of legal aid and to bring pressure upon the powers that be to provide additional financial support. It is imperative to let the public
know of our on-going contributions to all aspects of society and to remind ourselves of the traditions that make this profession great. Happy new year to you all.
To
THE
MILLENNIUM
The Challenge of Change - Practicing in the '90s
Winter Convention March 14-17, 1991 Plan to attend now.