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IMPORTANT TO KNOW I t's a well-known fact that the vast majority of people have no idea what legal recourse is available to them until problems crop up in their own personal or professional life. Quebec is now experimenting with neighbourhood justice centres as a way to demystify the justice system and help people navigate their way through or around it. In recent months, the province inaugu- rated two such centres, one last September in Rimouski, a major regional hub on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, northeast of Quebec City; and a second in mid-December in Quebec City itself. A third is set to be operational in Montreal sometime in March or April. The pilot project will operate at an annual cost of close to half a million dollars for the next three years. The Quebec justice department is footing half of the money, while the remain- der is split between two partners: the Barreau du Québec, the professional order for Quebec's 26,000 lawyers, and the Chambre des notaries du Québec, which represents more than 3,300 pro- vincial notaries. Former Quebec justice minister Kath- leen Weil looked at models for commu- nity justice centres elsewhere in Canada, Europe, and the United States when she began to draw up the Quebec approach almost two years ago. British Columbia's Supreme Court set up a self-help informa- tion centre, now part of the Vancouver Justice Access Centre; Alberta has Law Information Centres; Ontario has a pilot law help centre; and at least 30 U.S. states have one or more self-help legal centres. The Quebec model will — at least for now — offer no direct legal advisory services. The plan is to instead administer free information to all in personal, individual sessions about what recourses are available and admissible criteria for them. "The main issues related to access to justice relate to information," says Gilles Ouimet, bâtonnier of the Barreau du Québec. "People have to learn about the justice system to understand the justice system in order to then determine wheth- er to exercise their right and have access to justice, so information is the key." According to Eve Langlois, a former private practice notary who is the full- time director of the Rimouski justice cen- tre: "Study after study has shown to what point people are not informed of their rights. This is a service that is necessary for people to better understand what is happening to them. We shed light on their situation by giving them informa- tion, then they decide whether to consult a lawyer or a notary, or to go into, [where available], mediation." In some cases, it is just a question of Eve Langlois, a former private practice notary, is the full- time director of the Rimouski justice centre. knowing what the exact procedure is to seek redress before administrative tribu- nals that rule on cases involving housing, employment, and work disability benefits. Langlois says there is a strong social component as well. "Our mandate is really to take the time to listen to people. People up to now have been very satisfied. They leave and have the impression that someone took the time to listen to them." — KL STUPIDITY AND POOR JUDGMENT DO NOT EQUAL GUILT L awyer Jeffrey Root was found not guilty in December following his second trial on money laundering charges. The judge found there was no evidence the lawyer planned to launder money. Root, 45, is a criminal defence lawyer and former federal prosecutor who practises in the Niagara region. He says he will now concentrate on rebuilding his legal practice. A trial in front of Ontario Superior Court Justice Harrison Arrell in Welland, Ont., began last August and lasted several days. Root was charged following an undercover operation by the RCMP that began in September 2002 and concluded in January 2004. The investiga- tion was initially set up to investigate the Niagara chapter of the Hells Angels. In his reasons for judgment, Arrell said Root was "very stupid and showed poor judg- ment in the extreme" in meeting with the undercover officer and should have left immedi- ately after learning what he wanted. But poor judgment and stupidity aren't proof of intent to commit a crime beyond a reasonable doubt, the judge said in his 11-page written deci- sion. Following the ruling, Law Times reports Root was congratulated by members of his immediate family and friends who were sitting in the courtroom. This was his second trial. After being charged with a number of offences in March 2004, all of those charges were discharged after a preliminary hearing. The Crown then preferred a direct indictment on the same charges, which meant the case went straight to trial. In 2006, a trial took place in front of Justice Linda Templeton, who found Root not guilty of five charges that included money laundering due to a lack of evidence. — GAIL J. COHEN gail.cohen@thomsonreuters.com www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com FEBRUA R Y 2011 9 WHA T ' S WHA T