History
1996
In 1996, the Canadian Bar Association’s Task Force on Systems of Civil Justice Report concluded that pro bono legal work is an important component of a plan to increase access to justice.
1998
In September, 1998, at the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Bar Association in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the Law Society of British Columbia and the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) resolved to work cooperatively to develop and encourage programs for the delivery of pro bono legal services within the province of British Columbia. Shortly thereafter, the Law Society of British Columbia and the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) struck a committee—the Joint Committee on Pro Bono (the “Committee”) to implement their resolutions.
1999
In November, 1999, the Committee released an interim report entitled A Framework for the Delivery of Pro Bono Legal Services in the Province of British Columbia.
The report included recommendations on how to establish a framework for the delivery of pro bono legal services in British Columbia. The main recommendation was that the Committee consult with all stakeholders within the BC justice system—including community, health, social services and advocacy programs—to determine the most effective means for coordinating the delivery of pro bono.
2001
In October, 2001, with a grant provided by the Law Foundation of British Columbia, the Committee hosted the Pro Bono Forum – for the Public Good at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver. The Forum brought representatives of community organizations from across British Columbia together with judges, lawyers, Legal Services Society staff, law students, pro bono service providers, courthouse library staff, court facilities staff, and others interested in pro bono for an exchange of information, ideas and resources. The Forum served as a starting point for further dialogue and collaborations toward ensuring access to justice for all British Columbians.
2002
In February, 2002, the Committee released A final report on the pro bono forum 2001 – for the public good.
In June, 2002, the Committee released its report, Pro Bono Publico – lawyers serving the public good which recommended the formation of a non-profit organization to facilitate and promote pro bono legal services throughout British Columbia.
Originally incorporated under the name Public Legal Access Society in March, 2002, Pro Bono Law of BC commenced its operations in April, 2002 under the leadership of acting Executive Director Charlotte Ensminger and Chair Carman J. Overholt, QC. Pro Bono Law of BC received a three-year core funding grant from the Law Foundation of British Columbia to carry out the recommendations of the Committee. The grant application was supported by the Law Society of British Columbia and the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch). Pro Bono Law of BC’s initial focus was on five areas: community development; lawyer and law firm recruitment; development and maintenance of a pro bono website; fundraising; and lobbying for a properly funded legal aid system.
Soon after its inception, and with funding provided by the Law Foundation of British Columbia, Pro Bono Law of BC launched ProBonoNet.bc.ca— a website providing the public with a directory of pro bono programs, news and resources, and providing lawyers, non-lawyer legal professionals, and community organizations with access to pro bono opportunities, news and resources.
In the fall of 2002, Pro Bono Law of BC published its Best Practices for Pro Bono Delivery Programs in British Columbia . The Best Practices guide coincided with Pro Bono Law of BC’s work with the Lawyers Insurance Fund of the Law Society of British Columbia to arrange for insurance coverage for lawyers providing pro bono legal advice through approved programs. The insurance coverage permits retired and non-practicing lawyers to provide approved pro bono services with full insurance coverage. It also offers the benefit of waived deductibles to practicing lawyers. Pro Bono Law of BC continues to work with organizations interested in becoming approved programs and makes recommendations for approval to the Law Society of British Columbia.
2003
Under the leadership of its first appointed and part-time Executive Director Pat Pitsula, part-time Coordinator Carol Jones and Chair Carman J. Overholt, QC, Pro Bono Law of BC received funding from the Law Foundation of British Columbia to develop an online poverty law training module. Pro Bono Law of BC contracted with Anne Beveridge and Denice Barrie to work on a pro bono training project beginning in October 2003. The overall objective of the project was to research, develop and implement training resources to support the private bar and advocates in providing pro bono poverty law services in British Columbia. The Online Poverty Law Training Course was launched in March 2005.
In 2003, Pro Bono Law of BC also facilitated the creation of the Supreme Court Pro Bono Civil Duty Counsel Project—designed to address the perceived representational needs of unrepresented litigants appearing before the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver.
2004
In early 2004, under Chair Kelly Doyle, Pro Bono Law of BC played a vital role in the development of the Supreme Court Self-Help Centre in Vancouver, assisting with the coordination and potential integration of pro bono advice services. The Supreme Court Self-Help Centre opened in April, 2005 and serves to improve access to justice for unrepresented litigants in civil actions.
Pro Bono Law of BC also worked with the Salvation Army BC Pro Bono Program to coordinate assistance from members of the private bar to represent individuals at the British Columbia Court of Appeal who cannot afford a lawyer and who are not eligible for legal aid. The resulting BC Court of Appeal Program and its three divisions—civil, criminal and family—provides pro bono assistance to eligible low-income individuals appearing before the Court of Appeal.
Throughout 2004, under the continued leadership of Executive Director Pat Pitsula, Pro Bono Law of BC sustained its commitment to the development of a pro bono culture in law firms, designing pro bono policies for firms and government, and developing alternate models for pro bono work such as creative alliances between law firms and non-profit organizations. To facilitate such alliances, Pro Bono Law of BC obtained funding from the Law Foundation of British Columbia to create a manual describing how community organizations can partner with law firms. The Partnership Manual, written by Adrianne Boothroyd of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, BC Division, is based on the MS Society’s successful partnership with the Vancouver law firm of Davis & Company.
2005
In March 2005, Pro Bono Law of BC received a two-year operating grant from the Law Foundation of British Columbia and the Law Society of British Columbia.
In August 2005, under the leadership of full-time Executive Director Jamie Maclaren and Chair Kelly Doyle, Pro Bono Law of BC conducted a survey of members of the Law Society of British Columbia to determine the challenges and obstacles that BC lawyers encounter in providing pro bono services. The survey results called for pre-screened and more accessible and customized pro bono opportunities for representation that allow for simple addition and removal from the record.
In answer to it survey findings, Pro Bono Law of BC explored ways by which to broaden the scope of existing pro bono services to include prescreened opportunities for representation. In November, 2005, Pro Bono Law of BC launched three Roster Programs— the Family Law Program, the Federal Court of Appeal Program and the Judicial Review Program. For each program, Pro Bono Law of BC takes screened client referrals from lawyers, advocates and front-line pro bono organizations such as LawLINE, the Salvation Army BC Pro Bono Program and the Western Canada Society for Access to Justice, and endeavours to match each client with a volunteer lawyer in his or her area.
In December 2005, with a two-year project grant from the Law Foundation of British Columbia, Pro Bono Law of BC announced disbursement coverage for pro bono representation of poverty law clients through the Roster Programs.
2006
In January, 2006, with funding provided by the Notary Foundation of British Columbia, Pro Bono Law of BC redesigned and launched the ProBonoNet.bc.ca website. The new website manages the Roster Programs and provides streamlined navigation to secured sections, making it easier for lawyers, non-lawyer legal professionals, community groups and members of the public to have access to its expanded training, services and resources. In the spring of 2006, Pro Bono Law of BC launched new Roster Programs, including a Solicitors’ Program which established a roster of lawyers willing to assist community organizations with discrete tasks such as incorporation, board governance, drafting bylaws, drafting privacy policies, and human rights and employment matters.
In February 2006, Pro Bono Law of BC held its first Appreciation Breakfast for volunteer lawyers at the Law Courts Inn in Vancouver. The Honourable Chief Justice Lance Finch delivered an inspiring speech on the perpetual need for more lawyers to provide pro bono services to unrepresented litigants, particularly at the Court of Appeal level. Also in February 2006, Pro Bono Law of BC launched its new Solicitors’ Program. The Solicitors’ Program operates on the basis a roster of volunteer lawyers willing to assist community organizations with discrete tasks such as incorporation, board governance, drafting bylaws, drafting privacy policies, and human rights and employment matters.
In March 2006, Pro Bono Law of BC launched its new Court of Appeal Program in partnership with the Salvation Army Pro Bono Program. Similar to its other Roster Programs, the Court of Appeal Program endeavours to match volunteer lawyers with unrepresented litigants appearing before the British Columbia Court of Appeal.
On April 1, 2006, Pro Bono Law of BC received charitable status, thus allowing for tax-deductible donations from organizations and clients.
In May 2006, Pro Bono Law of BC facilitated a Managing Partners Roundtable which brought together partners from Vancouver’s largest law firms, the judiciary, representatives from the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria law schools, the Law Society of BC and the Law Foundation of BC. The Roundtable discussion provided some innovative ideas on how to better engage large law firms in the provision of pro bono legal services in British Columbia, including firm-specific pro bono projects, partnerships between law firms and non-profit organizations, and support of existing pro bono programs including Pro Bono Law of BC’s Roster Programs, and clinical programs such as the Salvation Army BC Pro Bono Program and the Western Canada Society to Access Justice.