Law Society of British Columbia invites non-lawyers to participate in discipline process

From the LSBC website:

Public invited to apply to sit on discipline and credentials hearing panels

Vancouver – The Law Society is inviting members of the public to apply to participate in its hearing panels. Starting tomorrow, ads will appear in newspapers across the province seeking qualified applicants.

Hearings are important to the Society’s role in ensuring lawyers meet high standards of professional conduct, learning and competence. Hearing panels hear cases about alleged discipline violations and incompetence by lawyers, as well as the character and fitness of new lawyer applicants.

The Law Society’s hearing process already includes some non-lawyers, by the inclusion of government-appointment members of its board, called the Benchers. This new group of people that will be called upon for panels will further expand the role the public plays in the regulatory process.

For the rest of the story, click HERE.

Article: Self-Regulation of Legal Profession in Canada

You should care about how lawyers are regulated

Written by Gail J. Cohen Posted Date: June 01, 2011, for the Blog of Canadian Lawyers and Law Times

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:38 AM PDT

Original piece posted HERE.

The self-regulatory system for lawyers in Canada needs an overhaul, University of Calgary law professor Alice Woolley argues in a paper http://www.policyschool.ucalgary.ca/files/publicpolicy/A_Woolley_lawregulat_c.pdf  released today.

There has been some (really not enough) debate in the legal profession in Canada about the future of self regulation. There are critics who call for it to be abandoned entirely and have the courts regulate and discipline lawyers as is done in many U.S. states. Continue reading