More legal aid changes planned for 2010

CLEBC Staff/November 10, 2009

The Legal Services Society of BC has announced that as of April 1, 2010, the Society’s regional centres in Kamloops, Prince George, Kelowna, Surrey and Victoria will be replaced with local agents—private lawyers hired on contract to administer legal aid—and an expanded province-wide call centre. Civil law advice programs including LawLINE (a telephone legal advice service) and the Community Advocate Support Line (a telephone advice service for community advocates) will be discontinued on March 26, 2010.

The local agents will offer services currently available through the regional centres: legal aid applications, duty counsel, representation of clients and community liaison. Local agents currently serve 22 communities around the province. Staffing at the Vancouver Regional Centre will also be reviewed.

LSS states that it will continue to emphasize core legal aid services in family law, immigration law, child protection and criminal law.