Report to the Attorney General of Ontario Report of Appointee’s Five-Year Review of Paralegal Regulation in Ontario

Pursuant to Section 63.1 of the Law Society Act November 2

Prepared and Respectfully Submitted by: David J. Morris, MBA

From the Executive Summary of the report:

In the interest of striking some measure of balance between enhancing public access to justice and ensuring protection for those receiving legal advice from non-lawyers, on May 1, 2007, persons providing paralegal services in Ontario joined the province’s lawyers under regulation of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Amendments to the Law Society Act that introduced paralegal regulation included the requirement that two reviews be conducted following its fifth anniversary, one by the Law Society and the other by an appointee of the Attorney General who is neither a lawyer nor paralegal. Each review was to consider the manner in which paralegals were regulated during the first five years, and the effect of regulation on paralegals and on members of the public. The Law Society delivered the report of its review to the Attorney General on June 28, 2012. This report presents the findings of the appointee review.

The findings and recommendations presented in this report are based on a review of relevant documents and commentary that preceded and followed the introduction of regulation, including the Law Society’s two- and five-year reviews. Additionally, submissions were solicited from paralegals, lawyers, legal organizations and members of the public.

For the full report, click HERE.