By Law Society of British Columbia
The BC government has declined the Law Society’s request to bring amendments to the Legal Profession Act into force that would allow for the licensing of paralegals, however remains committed to creating a single legal regulator.
In a letter sent on May 25, 2023, Attorney General Niki Sharma, KC said the ministry supports the licensing of paralegals and anticipates the single legal regulator initiative project will lead to a bill being introduced as early as this coming fall. It is expected the bill will provide for the licensing of lawyers, notaries public and licensed paralegals.
“Given that we are close to significant reform, we unfortunately must conclude that at this time it is not possible to allocate the resources that would be required to both maintain momentum on the current project and also bring into force the amendments…” Sharma wrote in the letter.
“While the Law Society is disappointed that the amendments will not be brought into force, we look forward to consultation on the single legal regulator legislation, and collaborating further with government, the Notaries Society and the BC Paralegal Association to ensure the independence of the legal professions,” said Law Society President Christopher McPherson, KC.
The Attorney General attended the June 3, 2023 Bencher meeting where she confirmed the Ministry’s commitment to the single legal regulator project and addressed comments and questions from Benchers. She noted that more details about the legislation will be shared with the Law Society later this month.
