REGINA — Saskatchewan residents will see increased access to justice with amendments to The Legal Profession Act, 1990 coming into force Oct.1.
The amendments will allow the Law Society of Saskatchewan to develop requirements for limited licensees to provide certain legal services to the public, providing greater access to justice. Under the Act, non-lawyers will be able to apply for a limited license to provide specific legal services. Those who apply for a limited license will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have the education and experience to provide services under this license.
Under this legislation, non-lawyer legal professionals who meet the criteria under the Act may be eligible to provide legal services in areas including the following:
- Cases before administrative tribunals and Provincial Court such as small claims, traffic matters and summary conviction matters under the Criminal Code.
- Family law services limited to separation agreements, uncontested or joint divorce and parenting arrangements.
- Wills, powers of attorney, guardianship and health care directives.
- Administration of estates not exceeding $25,000.
- Limited corporate legal services, contracts, land title transfers, interest registrations and discharges.
- Helping self-represented litigants prepare for Court.
The Law Society is working to develop a process for non-lawyers to be authorized to provide these limited legal services in the near future. Anyone interested in pursuing this work is encouraged to review the information available on the Law Society of Saskatchewan's website.
"Limited licensing is a first-of-its-kind initiative in Canada that enables the Law Society of Saskatchewan to expand access to regulated legal services in a responsible and sustainable manner, enhancing service to the public and strengthening the legal profession," Law Society of Saskatchewan President Adam Touet, K.C. said. "These legislative changes are the result of significant work and consultations beginning in 2016 and the implementation of the Final Report of the Legal Services Task Team."
These changes to the Act are the result of work completed by a Legal Services Task Team appointed in 2017 to examine the possibility of allowing non-lawyers to provide some legal services. The team conducted significant consultation with the public, lawyers and other legal service providers in the creation of these recommendations.
The Law Society of Saskatchewan is an independent agency tasked with regulating the legal profession in Saskatchewan. For more information about the Law Society of Saskatchewan, visit: https://www.lawsociety.sk.ca/.
