TORONTO, Sept. 20 /CNW/ - The Ontario Justice Committee hearings
regarding Bill 14 (Access to Justice Act) are coming to a close at Queen's
Park. One thing is very certain . . . Independent paralegals in Ontario are in
a David and Goliath fight for the very survival of their profession!!
If Schedule C to Bill 14 is enacted, without amendment, Ontario
paralegals will be regulated by lawyers. What this really means is that
Ontario lawyers will be handed the opportunity, on a silver platter, to get
rid of their competition. The public will then have no choice but to retain a
lawyer and pay exorbitantly higher legal fees to incorporate a simple
corporation, register a sole proprietorship or process a simple uncontested
divorce. Paralegals will no longer be able to help the public with these
services.
If Bill 14 is enacted in Ontario in its entirety, the Law Society of
Upper Canada (the governing body for lawyers in Ontario) plans to severely
restrict the range of paralegal services that independent paralegals currently
provide to the public. The public does not know that their access to
affordable legal services in Ontario is in jeopardy and that their decision to
choose will be eliminated.
Most paralegals in Ontario absolutely agree that paralegals should be
regulated, that paralegals should take prescribed paralegal courses and should
pass licensing exams and be covered by professional liability insurance . . .
but paralegals fear regulation by lawyers. The Law Society looks upon
paralegals as unwanted competition and will, no doubt, try to regulate
paralegals to the best interests of lawyers in Ontario and not necessarily the
best interests of the public.
Many paralegals are qualified, trained professionals who have completed
paralegal courses offered by community colleges and are covered by
professional liability insurance. Paralegals, too, want to rid the paralegal
profession of incompetent and unqualified persons who hold themselves out to
the public as paralegals.

We all know that it is time for paralegals to be regulated in Ontario,
but not by lawyers!!

Call or email your MPP now to vote NO to regulation of paralegals in
Ontario by the Law Society of Upper Canada, as proposed by Bill 14! Voice your
opinion at www.Bill14.com and send a clear message to Queen's Park . . . that
the Ontario public needs paralegals and demands the right to choose their
legal services provider.