{"id":339,"date":"2006-11-28T20:52:33","date_gmt":"2006-11-29T00:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/shlep\/2006\/11\/28\/ontario-paralegals-to-be-regulated-by-t"},"modified":"2006-11-29T12:08:46","modified_gmt":"2006-11-29T16:08:46","slug":"ontario-paralegals-to-be-regulated-by-the-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/2006\/11\/28\/ontario-paralegals-to-be-regulated-by-the-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario paralegals to be regulated — by the Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Under “Bill 14<\/a>“, a statute passed on Oct. 19, 2006, the Law Society of Upper Canada<\/strong><\/a> (“LSUC”) now has\u00a0a\u00a0Paralegal Standing Committee<\/a> in place to set policy and administer a regulatory scheme that will go into effect on May 1, 2007.\u00a0 Five of the 13 members are paralegals and three others are lay members of the Society.\u00a0 (Law Times<\/em>, “LSUC sets up paralegal committee<\/a>,” Nov. 27, 2006; LSUC News Release<\/a>) According to<\/a> the Ontario Attorney General, Michael Bryant: \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The Access to Justice Act will provide for paralegal regulation in order to give consumers a choice in qualified legal services while protecting people who get legal advice from non-lawyers. For the first time in Canada’s history, paralegals will be required to receive training, carry liability insurance and report to a public body that can investigate complaints.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A Nov. 17, 2006 press release from the Ontario AG also asserts that\u00a0“Ontario consumers looking for legal services are closer to having more choice and better protection, as the provincial government moves to solidify a new system for authorizing, empowering and regulating paralegals,” and goes on to explain (“New Era Begins<\/a> with Pathbreaking Paralegal Regulation”):<\/p>\n

“Under the act, the Law Society of Upper Canada, which regulates lawyers, will now also regulate paralegals.\u00a0 If authorized by the Law Society, paralegals will continue to provide the services they are currently authorized to provide including representation in small claims court matters, traffic infractions and other provincial offences, and tribunals.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"foxG\"\u00a0The Ontario\u00a0Bar is, apparently, quite pleased with its new role as regulator of\u00a0legal services provided by paralegals. \u00a0(see LSUC Paralegal Information<\/a> Page)\u00a0\u00a0However, it’s\u00a0difficult for consumer advocates who have watched the regulatory style of lawyers (and most other professions), and\u00a0the\u00a0Bar’s broad\u00a0dislike of independent paralegals, to be universally sanguine about the regulatory scheme that is being established as a model in Ontario.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Many questions come to mind, but the most prominent are: <\/p>\n