Pro Bono Law of BC has launched the Civil Chambers Pro Bono Duty Counsel Project as a pilot project operating at 800 Smithe Street in Vancouver. Each Wednesday in 2008, volunteer lawyers from several large Vancouver law firms will provide pro bono legal assistance and representation to unrepresented low- and modest-income people who need to appear in civil chambers (BC Supreme Court and BC Court of Appeal, contested and uncontested). They cannot assist on family chambers matters, see other eligibility criteria and other information on their website.

Legal Services Society has just approved the following report: Building Bridges: Improving Legal Services for Aboriginal Peoples (PDF) prepared by Ardith Walkem (First Nations lawyer). The report documents the unmet needs of Aboriginal people and recommends how LSS could improve services for Aboriginal people by finding solutions within Aboriginal cultures and delivered in partnership with Aboriginal communities.

Over seven years ago, two Sudbury men, were denied disability benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program Act (ODSPA). Each man filed an appeal to determine whether in fact he met the definition of a “person with a disability” under the law. It has taken more than seven years, but with the help of the Sudbury Community Legal Clinic, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the Social Benefits Tribunal (SBT) has to deal with any human rights arguments in their decisions. Read the Supreme Court disability decision and information on the case on CLEONet.