Canadian Lawyer

w w w . c a n a d i a n l a w y e r m a g . c o m N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 25 With two experienced full-time assistants and a full-time business manager, who happens to be Plett's partner, he has expanded the scope of the general practice, which has a large focus on family law. A challenge for the residents in a one-lawyer community is who gets the local lawyer in a divorce or a dispute and who must hit the road for representation. "I am the only lawyer in a 100-kilometre radius," Plett says. There are roughly 3,000 residents in the Ucluelet/Tofino area and, with the area's First Nations, his practice serves a community of more than 5,000. Port Alberny, with its population of 30,000 people, is more than an hour away and is served by only four lawyers. A community is considered under- serviced if it has fewer than one lawyer per 1,000 people. Plett has seen other lawyers trying to estab- lish practices in the area, but none have remained. "I think it's very, very challenging to start a practice in a remote community because of the isola- tion, the learning curve. You are required to know an incredible amount and your client expectations are extremely lofty. "It's a bit daunting out here because when people come to me, you are their only hope." Plett has spent the past several years addressing the issue by becoming the chairman of the advisory board for the Rural Education and Access to Lawyers Initiative of the British Columbia Chapter of the CBA, which aims to get law students out of the big city by connecting them with law firms and lawyers practising in outlying com- munities. The problem, he says, is not just access to jus- tice but the social harm that arises when people cannot meaningfully interact with the legal system. But Plett has been sat- isfied with both his rural practice and living a bit further afield. Next to marrying his wife, Grinhaus says, starting his own practice was the best decision he's ever made. "If they come to me and say: 'I'm thinking of starting my own firm,' I say: 'Do it.' Because it was one of the best decisions," he says. "I never regretted it for one second." "I think it's very, very challenging to start a practice in a remote community because of the isolation, the learning curve. You are required to know an incredible amount and your client expectations are extremely lofty." Myron Plett, Ucluelet L A W O F F I C E M A N A G E M E N T TheCannabisChannel.ca THE CANNABIS CHANNEL.ca C C What are the implications of the Cannabis Act? Visit the website that provides reliable news, analysis, experts and resources for professionals looking for answers – whether they're dealing with cannabis in the workplace, interpreting legislation, managing M&A transactions or nailing down intellectual property rights. Untitled-3 1 2018-10-26 10:25 AM

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