Law Society of BC announces ‘legal action’ against province over regulator reform – Prince George citizen
May 17, 2024
The Law Society of BC intends to mount a constitutional challenge of Bill 21, claiming it infringes on the independence of lawyers.
The Law Society of BC has announced it will initiate a constitutional challenge to a new law aimed at reforming the regulator.
Bill 21, the Legal Professions Act, reforms the society into a single regulator not just for lawyers, but for notaries and paralegals. The stated goal, according to the provincial government, is to broaden access to legal services to improve access to the justice system.
The society is an independent government-sanctioned agency, comprised of lawyers, that acts to regulate the legal profession. It contends the new law “fails to ensure the independence of the legal professions and their regulator — a fundamental democratic principle.”
