Pro Bono Cons

“A first class court system and a first class legal profession are of no avail to a person who cannot afford to access them.” Sir Anthony Mason, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia.

More than ever people are losing access to justice. Even though the global economic crisis affected everyone, and every jurisdictions budget there needs to be a minimum level of funding for legal aid to protect the rights of those that cannot afford legal aid (Hainsworth, 2010). According to Hainsworth, (2010) the Canadian Bar Association has asked for national standards for legal aid, just like there are standards for health care and education. The CBA believes legal aid reform is needed to ensure access to justice for low income people, it also believes funding must be increased and national standards for eligibility and civil coverage are necessary to make the system function properly again.

Providing legal services to underserved communities can be both challenging and rewarding. I anticipate such a career after graduating from law school. My upbringing and experiences influence my desire to serve rural areas with limited access to legal services.

Potential clients who clearly have the financial means to hire a lawyer can do so without hesitation. Those who clearly don't have such financial means can seek free legal service organizations or pro bono representation. However, low- to moderate-income persons who don't qualify for legal services are left without reasonable access to the justice system.

Nowadays, hiring a lawyer in UK and Wales can be quite expensive. A trainee solicitor in Great Britain hourly rate can start from a hundred and eleven pounds per hour and ranges from this to a first grade solicitor in London who would charge four hundred and nine pounds per hour . It is obvious that not everyone can afford the price of justice. Legal funding is vital as this can give a chance to people that are of lesser means, to review their case. There are various types of legal funding that I will examine in my essay for example, legal aid, private funding, conditional fee agreements, damages-based agreements and pro-bono. However, there are some ethical complications related to how these types of funding is used. Are they really used wisely and fairly based on their scope? I am going to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the various types, in order to come to a conclusion. On the other hand, there are many people claiming that technological innovations would be a very good way to compensate for lack of funding. Technological innovations such as, robot lawyer Lisa , Lexis Nexis chatbot and kiosks.

You have asked me to summarize the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Doré v Barreau du Québec, 2012 SCC 12, SCR 395 and analyze whether the Law society is likely to sanction Evan Frank. Although the Rules of Professional Conduct place limitations on certain conduct to ensure professionalism, the expressive rights of lawyers must be given due respect and the likelihood of Mr. Frank’s sanction will depend on a fair balance of “expressive value” of the content in the letter, with the public’s expectation of professionalism.

“Some in the profession argue that since paralegals are supervised by attorneys, there is no need for mandatory licensure, certification, or registration. Others contend that since paralegals are trained to assist in the delivery of complex legal services, there should be a mandatory competence credential in order to protect the public.” (2001)

Free college is a commonly accepted idea, as a crucial part of society's advancement. Education is the foundation for building a strong country, as knowledge is what allows for productivity in all areas of life. However, the cost and accessibility to standard higher education limits many people's availability to a quality schooling. Some may argue that public colleges should continue to charge tuition, as the federal government can not afford the cost nor will creating higher taxes to enable the program solve the crisis. However, ultimately, higher education should be free as it would stimulate economic growth, remove the primary deterrent for not attending college and decrease dependence on government aid.

Acting as a legal practitioner is considered a “great privilege” and “offers the opportunity to serve the community in a profoundly important way.” Lawyer’s roles as officers of the Court and administrators of justice give them a monopoly on the delivery of counselling and representation services. In order to “maintain their capacity to serve the community” , legal practitioners must accept that they are

This paper aims to explore the Legal Services Act 2007 and the impact the Act has had on the role of a Costs Lawyer since implementation.

The legal profession has been around for a long time, as it is one of the oldest information professions . The service it provides is essential, as it

The main argument introduced in the debate considers whether a practicing solicitor can adhere to the traditional values of moral and ethical integrity that have been reinforced through a set of principles such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority Code of Conduct (SRA). The latter consists of ten mandatory principles that are the professional requirements expected of any solicitor. Traditionally, ethical and moral truthfulness have formed the basis of a competent lawyer and thus when adhering to the traditional principles placed upon lawyers, a lawyer was thought to abide to moral standards. I will aim to tackle the debate by arguing that the SRA provides a framework that allows lawyers to be good people. Secondly, I will also be discussing a lawyer’s moral responsibility. and that whilst ‘The lawyer is conventionally seen as a professional devoted to his client’s interest and…required, to do some things for that client which he would not do for himself’ his moral responsibility must not violate the SRA Code of conduct. Finally, it is imperative to explore the ethical dilemmas solicitors face when attempting to make their clients’ interests their own.

Does being a low income student or a minority hinder you from getting the proper education?

Justice is at the heart of a democratic society. It means laws should apply equally to all, and that everyone should have the right to a fair trial. It is part of our rights as human beings and we ought to be able to bring our dispute before an independent judge for them to be settled. This essay seeks to look at the availability of legal aid in the 21st century and if it is still “open to all, like the ritz hotel” like suggested by Sir James Mathew.

This is illustrated by the two overarching maxims where equity will not assist a volunteer and equity will not perfect an imperfect gift when in practise there are established systems of equity which often do assist a volunteer and under the very flexible principle of benevolent construction the courts often do perfect an imperfect gift. This is the case even where it appears to directly contradict common law such as that from Bridge LJ in Paul v Constance .