East Region lawyers distinguish themselves in provincewide initiative to deliver vital legal advice to low-income Ontarians
TORONTO – Last year, the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and Pro Bono Ontario (PBO) issued a challenge to help improve access to justice in the province. Lawyers answered the call, collectively volunteering hundreds of hours to assisting low-income Ontarians with their legal needs through PBO’s Free Legal Advice Hotline.
The OBA at the Hotline: Pro Bono Regional Challenge, which ran from June 5 to November 20, 2024, encouraged members looking to help those in need of essential pro-bono legal advice to compete with lawyers in other parts of the province to see which region’s lawyers could collectively contribute the most hours to serving on the hotline.
Ontario lawyers from far and wide, in communities large and small, rose to the challenge to give back where the need is greatest, while engaging in friendly competition with fellow A2J champions, completing more than 215 cases.
“Improving access to justice is top of mind for the OBA and our members, who feel a tremendous responsibility to serve unmet legal needs and are always on the look out for opportunities to volunteer their time and expertise where it will have the most impact,” says Kathryn Manning, OBA president. “The lawyers who rose to the OBA at the Hotline Pro Bono Regional Challenge have done their regions and profession proud, but, more than that, they have made a meaningful difference in the lives of Ontarians who had nowhere else to turn for help with their legal problems.”
In the end, the East Region came out ahead in hours served, and, from those participants, one lawyer was randomly selected to receive special recognition: Kingston lawyer Vivian Wilson, in-house commercial counsel at Umicore Battery Materials Canada Inc. in Bath.
“I want to congratulate Vivian and all of the Ontario Bar Association members who took part in the OBA at the Hotline: Pro Bono Regional Challenge for stepping up to deliver meaningful access to justice for communities across Ontario,” says Kirsti McHenry, executive director of Pro Bono Ontario. “In donating hours to PBO’s Free Legal Advice Hotline, these lawyers have played a crucial role in offering low-income Ontarians, many of whom face barriers to justice, such as age, geography, disability, and inflexible work schedule, access to timely, transformative legal advice.”
About the Ontario Bar Association
Established in 1907, the OBA is the largest voluntary legal association in Ontario representing over 16,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students. The OBA provides continuing professional development and advocates for improvements to the law in the interests of the profession and public.
ABOUT PRO BONO ONTARIO
PBO leverages the skills of volunteer lawyers to address the legal problems that interfere with low-income Ontarians’ ability to lead secure, healthy, and productive lives. Our mission is to bridge the gap between lawyers who want to donate their services, and low-income Ontarians whose legal problems aren’t covered by government agencies (e.g. Legal Aid, Children’s Lawyer and PGT). We implement this mission by:
Developing and directly managing pro bono programs that address unmet legal needs.
Providing strategic consulting services and tailored technical assistance to third parties engaged in the provision of organized pro bono projects.
Promoting the private bar’s role in the overall delivery of legal services in Ontario.
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For more information:
Michael Speers
Media & Communications Specialist
mspeers@oba.org
416-602-6146