Richard Lee, a Richmond lawyer and newly elected school board trustee, announced this week that he is starting a free legal assistance program for local residents.
The program will provide free legal advice to self-representing parties – people or organizations who don’t have a lawyer and represent themselves in court.
“For those who are self-representing, it must be that they cannot afford a lawyer, and they cannot get free legal services. I assume that, and it’s likely to be the case,” said Lee.
Having practiced law for more than 40 years, Lee said he has planned the program for a long time. He announced the decision now because he didn’t “want to be accused of getting publicity” for his election campaign.
Currently, there are organizations such as The Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia and Legal Aid BC providing legal services to people with low income, but there are always people “falling through cracks,” said Lee.
“I want to help those people who fall through cracks and are not able to get legal help elsewhere.”
Having been a board member of Western Access to Justice Society for 10 years, and a public defender for First Nations and Inuit in Northern Canada, Lee said he understands how important legal assistance is to many people.
Due to limited resources, Lee will only provide free assistance in disputes originating in Richmond. He is also looking for more lawyers to join the program in the future.
For more information about the program, email [email protected].
