The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50832
Alberta legal aid looking at limited scope representation THE WEsT Court of Alberta in Edmonton, some 52 files have gone through the pro- cess. Of those 52 files, there have been some successes indicating limited scope representation can work, says Andrea Doyle, assistant senior counsel of the family law office and chairwoman of the limited scope representation implemen- tation team. Limited scope representation seg- ments groups of legal service tasks into S ince the April launch of Legal Aid Alberta's limited scope representa- tion pilot project in the Provincial limits of the representation and the client understanding that they are responsible for resolving their legal matters on their own with limited and well-defined assist- ance from a lawyer," says Doyle. Doyle's team expects to make recom- mendations this month as to how LSR might be expanded. — DIANE L.M. COOK dianecook@shaw.ca Practice Management PCLaw™ LexisNexis® Accounting software that individual simpler tasks, where the law- yer and client decide which tasks the lawyer will do and which tasks the client will do. "LSR is a new and innovative way of delivering legal services to low- income Albertans while improving access to justice. LSR can provide litigants with much-needed legal expertise and advice and assists in limiting the burdens placed on the courts by self-represented litigants, while keeping the costs of legal represen- tation at an affordable level," says Doyle. In LSR, the lawyer and client decide which tasks the lawyer will assist with which might include legal advice, draft- ing of pleadings, and negotiation with the other party or limited representa- tion in court on a specific matter but not as counsel of record. Doyle says the services will be specifically tailored to each case. Each client will agree to a limited scope service contract. Legal aid screens clients to determine if their matter is appropriate for such a contract and ensures clients have sufficient literacy skills and education to execute their assigned duties. The contract is limited to 7.5 hours. "The key to the success of LSR is the education of and the com- munication with the client as to the exis_CL_Aug.indd 1 PCLaw™ LEGALESE. SPEAKS billing and accounting software combines what you need to track your time and money all in one system — from time and billing to trust accounting, cheque writing, financial statements, client identification and verification, automatic backup, offline file management, advanced reporting tools and more. Best of all, it's easy to use and ready to go to work instantly. For more information, call 1-800-328-2898 or visit www.lexisnexis.ca/pclaw. Download and Try PCLaw for FREE* * Download PCLaw free for 30 days. Certain conditions apply. LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under licence. PCLaw is a trademark of LexisNexis Practice Management Systems Inc. © 2010 LexisNexis Canada Inc. All rights reserved. www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com NO VEMBER / DECEMBER 2010 11 7/13/10 11:27:26 AM