VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Duty-counsel lawyers have escalated their job action, withdrawing services for the second time this year. They are trying to force the government to increase funding for legal aid.
A legal aid
protest in January lasted a week. This time, services will be withdrawn for twice as long.
Bentley Doyle with the
Trial Lawyer's Association of BC acknowledges that the protest will affect the justice system. "Well it will certainly slow down the process. And though that is a disruption to the system was seen by the lawyers as a necessary tactic to draw attention to the problem."
Doyle says there is more to come unless a new funding deal is reached. 'Phase Three is the March 1st through the 21st withdrawal, and Phase Four is the entire month of April."
He says legal aid gets about 65 million in funding annually but needs about 100 million dollars to make it work.