Why can’t paralegals fight traffic tickets in BC?
Posted March 20, 2014 11:22 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS1130) – Want to fight that traffic ticket, but don’t have the bucks to pay for a lawyer?
An Ontario paralegal wants to help you, but he can’t. An injunction prevents paralegals from representing drivers fighting their tickets in BC.
Drivers in BC have to hire a lawyer or go it alone.
Brian Lawrie runs the largest paralegal firm in Canada, and wants to change that.
He sympathizes with people who choose to represent themselves in court.
“They turn up in court. They’re so confused, intimidated and distressed by the whole thing. Perhaps their licences are being suspended and they could lose their jobs.”
He feels paralegals provide a great third option.
For one, paralegals are cheaper than lawyers. “We charge a fixed fee of $325. The driver knows that ahead of time. He knows that we won’t charge a penny more even we have adjournments and we have to go back to court a number of times,” he explains.
Plus, he stresses paralegals pass licencing exams and those who challenge traffic tickets are specialists in the field, unlike lawyers.
Lawrie is in BC to try to overthrow an injunction that prevents him from practicing his specialty here. Paralegals are allowed to represent drivers in traffic courts in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba.
