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regional wrap-up CEnTRAL vice. The timing during this difficult economic downturn couldn't be bet- ter, according to its general manager. "The recession is a good opportunity to keep lawyers busy with business slowing down," Michèle Moreau of Pro Bono Québec tells Canadian Lawyer. She suggests the service will help lawyers keep up their skills and perhaps even prevent layoffs at some firms. Moreau expects there will be plenty of work to go around judging by the number of potential clients who began contacting Pro Bono Québec after the service was announced last month. "Our goal is not to replace legal aid or anyone else, but to do more with what is already available out there," explains the 1990 Université de Montréal law graduate selected in September to establish and manage the new pro bono organization. The 43-year-old former associate director of professional services at the Université du Québec à Montréal, who teaches at the provincial bar school, points out there are many firms doing pro bono work, "but it's not advertised. We want MOVES AND SHAKES IS NOW ONLINE If you or anyone in your firm has made a move, won recent accolades, or done anything else noteworthy that should be shared with your colleagues across the country, let us know. E-mail your moves and shakes to moves@ clbmedia.ca. We'll be updating the web site daily, so keep your eyes on www.canadianlawyermag.com to see what your friends and colleagues are up to. Quebec launches pro bono service Q uebec this month becomes the fifth province in seven years to officially launch a pro bono ser- to stimulate it here and collaborate with existing pro bono clinics and promote [the service]." Moreau says an eligibility committee of lawyers and law students will determine which individual, business, group, or asso- ciation qualify for assistance through Pro Bono Québec. Unlike traditional legal aid, this new service won't be based on annual income but rather the nature of the case. "Someone making $40,000 a year may afford a mise en demeure, but can't fight a multinational for millions of dollars," she cites as an example. As a general rule, however, Michèle Moreau people eligible for legal aid — in Quebec the income threshold is $12,149 for a single person and $20,548 for some- one married with two children — or who can afford their own lawyer won't qualify for Pro Bono Québec's assistance aside from exceptions like the one above. An objective is to have all 15 areas of Quebec covered by firms and private practice lawyers volunteering to partici- pate. While that's easy in the urban centres like Montreal and Quebec City, where major firms have already pledged more than 10,000 hours, it's more of a challenge in the smaller regions. Pro Bono Québec president Guy Pratte, of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, says the plan is to create a synergy between lawyers for the benefit of citizens and to develop links between the various regions and the larger urban centres. Therefore, when a required expertise isn't available in one particular region, the request will be moved to a neighbouring one rather than automatically sent to Montreal. The bar association in each region will collect requests through their offices in addition to forms being available at Searching for a better way to attract candidates? 8 M AY 2009 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com courthouses and legal aid offices (online forms can also be filled out on Pro Bono Québec's web site) then passed along to the eligibility committees. Moreau and Pratte note once a client is matched with a lawyer who will provide free legal services, Pro Bono Québec's involvement is over. The other provisional administrative council mem- bers include: vice president Éric Beauchesne of Joli-Coeur Lacasse Avocats in Trois- Rivières; treasurer Nicolas Plourde of Heenan Blaikie LLP; secretary Lise Gagnon; councillors Johanne Brodeur of Brodeur Lord Hotte in Longueuil, Pierre Brun of Grondin Poudrier Bernier in Quebec City, Christine Carron of Ogilvy Renault LLP, Alexander De Zordo of Borden Ladner Gervais, Richard Dufour of Dufour Mottet in Laval, Lucie Pariseau of Ogilvy Renault in Quebec City, Laurier Gauthier of Langlois Kronström Desjardins in Lévis, and former Montreal bâtonnier Stéphane Rivard of Clément Davignon. The first annual general meeting is scheduled for next month. Pro Bono Law Ontario was the coun- try's first when it opened its doors in January 2002 and was followed three months later by the introduction of Pro Bono Law of B.C. Then came Pro Bono Law Alberta in May 2007 and Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan last June. Moreau says she expects the growing trend to continue across the country, although she concedes it's unlikely to ever reach the popularity enjoyed south of the border. "The U.S. culture of pro bono is very strong," Moreau says, noting the lack of legal aid there. — MIKE KING mking@videotron.ca