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such as family and criminal law matters — require quick access to counsel. "Not everyone has the luxury of transportation to cities. The reality is with the provision of legal advice, at least in various areas, you still do need face-to-face contact." A range of strategies has been adopted to help make sure that continues to happen. One of the most aggressive cam- paigns has been taking place in B.C., where the Canadian Bar Association B.C. branch has received about $800,000 from the Law Foundation of B.C. for its Rural Education and Access to Lawyers initiative. The three-year, multi-pronged attack began in 2009 and includes fully funded summer student positions, funding for a career officer to promote jobs in small towns, and co-operative efforts with local bars to support articling pos- itions and recruitment. In its first year, the program helped 11 Steering clear of the countryside lawyer counts shown below are rough and only include lawyers who have provided their locations for publication in the Canadian Law List. Even so, when combined with a high number of senior lawyers nearing retirement, they illustrate an alarming trend that puts into doubt the future of access to justice in small towns. D Province/Territory (large metropolitan areas in brackets) British Columbia (Victoria, Vancouver) Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary) Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Regina) Manitoba (Winnipeg) Ontario (Barrie, Windsor, London, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, St. Catharines-Niagara, Hamilton, Toronto, Oshawa, Ottawa) Quebec (Montreal, Sherbrooke, Quebec City) New Brunswick Nova Scotia (Halifax) Prince Edward Island Newfoundland and Labrador Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut Total lawyers called from 2000 to 2010 2,235 2,331 370 345 7,786 1,779 269 395 58 160 34 29 18 % practising outside large metropolitan area 27% (595) 11% (255) 18% (68) 8% (28) 21% (1,621) 17% (299) 100% 35% (140) 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com NO VEMBER / DECEMBER 2010 33 ata from the Canadian Law List reveal the overwhelming preference among young lawyers to practise in Canada's large cities. The numbers below show the proportion of lawyers called to the bar since 2000 and not practising in one of the country's 20 largest metropolitan areas, as defined by Statistics Canada. The students land summer placements with firms in small towns across the province, while 21 were placed this year. About half of those were expected to land articling positions with the firm they summered with. Michael Litchfield, a sole practitioner in Kelowna, B.C., who acts as the regional legal careers officer with the initiative, says the effort seems to be bearing fruit. "Over the life of this program, I've seen a bit of a shift in the debate around rural practice," he says. "It's something that's being discussed more in schools, more by the career offices." He hopes the program receives permanent funding after the law foundation's three- year commitment ends next year. Meanwhile, Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., will soon become the province's first new law school in