This week Julie talks with Professor Noel Semple, her colleague at Windsor Law and a member of the NSRLP Advisory Board, about finding the right balance between a legal profession that is independent of government and one that regulates itself – and when government might step in and force change. Noel also discusses his work on identifying a “sweet spot” that allows legal services to be affordable and lawyers to make a reasonable income, as well as his new work on how to give consumers the tools to evaluate how well they are being served – or not – by their lawyers. Journalist and SRL Randi Druzin reflects on Julie’s conversation with Noel for this week’s wrap-up.
In other news: The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System has released a new report on how courts might use technology to better serve customers; an update on the various proposals before the Law Society of B.C., including establishing a new category of legal practitioners, and a proposal on mandatory pro bono work; and in an unpleasant surprise, Pro Bono Ontario recently announced that it will be closing its court-based help centres in Toronto and Ottawa on December 14, 2018, due to a lack of stable long-term funding.
Related:
Legal Services Regulation at the Crossroads (Noel Semple)
Hitting the Sweet Spot: Professionalism, Quality and Accessibility (CBA, Noel Semple)
Other News:
Eighteen Ways Courts Should Use Technology to Better Serve Their Customers (IAALS)
“Ian Mulgrew: Law Society legal-aid debate aborted” (Vancouver Sun)
“Support builds in effort to stop closure of pro bono centres” (Canadian Lawyer)
Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.
