Proposed Law Exposes BC Non-Profits to Attack

Running small non-profit organizations in British Columbia will become much more difficult if the government proceeds with a proposed change that will make it easy for opponents to tie them up in court, say critics of the province's direction.

"They are making life for organizations like ours more complicated," said Jim Wright, the president of the Garden City Conservation Society in Richmond.

The rising price of justice

What price justice? In Canada, if you’re poor, you get legal aid. If you’re rich, you hire Clayton Ruby.

But for a growing number of middle class Canadians, lawyers have become unaffordable. The result is that court cases that normally would take three days may take ten, as unrepresented litigants bog down the process. In other civil disputes, people simply may not exercise their rights at all — justice denied before it’s even pursued.

Chris Grayling: criminals should be made to pay their legal costs

Convicted criminals should be made to pay for their own legal defence costs, the justice secretary, Chris Grayling, will announce on Tuesday.

Under plans to make further savings to the Ministry of Justice's massive legal aid bill, those found guilty may have the court's expenses deducted from their future earnings.

"Gideon’s Army": Young Public Defenders Brave Staggering Caseloads, Low Pay to Represent the Poor

The new documentary "Gideon’s Army" follows a group of young public defenders in the Deep South who contend with low pay, long hours and staggering caseloads to represent the poor. The film’s title comes from the landmark 1963 Supreme Court ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright that established the right to counsel to defendants in criminal cases who are unable to afford their own attorneys. We’re joined by "Gideon’s Army" director and producer Dawn Porter, and Travis Williams, a Georgia public defender who is featured in the film.

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Source: Democracy Now!
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Canada's poor ranking in access to courts should be wake up call, Chief Justice says

An international finding that Canada ranks poorly when it comes to access to the courts should serve as a wake up call to the entire justice system, says Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.

Speaking to the annual Canadian Bar Association conference today, Chief Justice McLachlin said that Canada placed ninth in a recent ranking of 12 European and North America countries.

The finding - by the World Justice Institute - underlines the fact that justice is increasingly available only to the wealthy or small minority who are so poor that they qualify for legal aid programs, she said.

“This is not terrible, but it shows that we are not doing as well as we should,” Chief Justice McLachlin said. “I think the Canadian Bar Association and other groups concerned about justice have to recognize that this is an area in our justice system that needs attention.”

Liberty And Justice For Some: State Budget Cuts Imperil Americans' Access To Courts

WASHINGTON -- Brian and Patty Baxter's daughter wasn't even two years old yet when they moved into their place in New Hampshire in 1996. The landlord had recently sanded and repainted the apartment, making it seem fresh and new.

That good deed would punish the Baxers. The old paint was contaminated with lead and by sanding it off, the landlord had turned the entire place into a waste pit for lead paint dust -- an especially toxic environment for a baby.

The Baxters filed suit in 2001, when the effects of the lead poisoning became more apparent in their daughter. Ten years later, their case still hasn't been heard.

"My clients are besides themselves," said attorney Chris Seufert of Seufert Law Offices, who is representing the Baxters. "Their child is ready to graduate from high school. She was poisoned when she was 18 months, and now she's going to be a high school graduate! I mean, come on!"