Job action by legal aid lawyers have been averted as they have reached a tentative deal with the province.
The province and the Legal Services Society (LSS) have announced a one-time grant of $7.9 million to support the development of a new framework for legal aid funding.
The funding – $4 million from the government and $3.9 million from LSS – will be used to increase payments to legal aid lawyers from April 28 until Oct. 31. This will ensure lawyers continue to provide legal aid services to those most in need, while the government, LSS and the Association of Legal Aid Lawyers (A.L.L.) negotiate an agreement for long-term, sustainable legal aid funding.
A Richmond lawyer, Jason Tarnow, spoke to the News before the settlement, calling the legal aid system “broken,” with the most vulnerable people left representing themselves in family and criminal matters.
David Eby, B.C.’s Attorney General, said in a press release that the government recognizes there is work to do to improve the legal aid system.
“Legal aid lawyers provide services to some of the most vulnerable members of the province, and we will continue to work with LSS to address the historical underfunding of legal aid,” he added.
The A.L.L. negotiating team issued a statement, saying they appreciate “the recognition by government of the important work our members do for vulnerable British Columbians, and look forward to negotiations that will provide a solution to a very much neglected legal aid system.”
Government, LSS and A.L.L. have also committed to designing a long-term legal aid negotiation framework, paving the way for a smoother negotiating process in the future.
This grant is in addition to the $26 million over three years, from 2018 to 2021, increased funding to LSS already announced by government to support the provision of criminal, family and civil legal aid services.
Members of A.L.L. had been threatening to withdraw all legal aid contracts by April 15.
