Annual Report 2017/2018

  • July 05, 2018

Summary of Meetings: Unbundled Legal Services

Number of Meetings Held: 7

September 20, 2017
Guest Speaker: Unbundled Section Executive, Zahra Jimale, Zahra Jenab Michael Butterfield, Butterfield Law
Meeting Title/Topic: Introduction to Unbundled Legal Services and Unbundled Retainer Agreements
Synopsis: History of unbundled legal services in BC and retainer agreements including how to prepare them for unbundled files so you can manage liabiltiy and get paid.

October 18, 2017
Guest Speaker: Kari D. Boyle - Former Director of Strategic Initiatives and Executive Director at Mediate BC
Meeting Title/Topic: Introducing the Movement
Synopsis: Kari D. Boyle, Project Manager of Mediate BC’s “Family Unbundled Legal Services project”, presented on the subject of Unbundled Legal Services and access to viable and affordable conflict resolution options.

November 15, 2017
Guest Speaker: Michael Butterfield J.D., C.Arb, C.Med, P.C. - Victoria Mediation Services and Butterfield Law
Meeting Title/Topic: Making Money With Unbundled Services
Synopsis: This seminar will provided a basic understanding of the process of setting up an unbundled practice, the pitfalls and the peril.

February 21, 2018
Guest Speaker: Doug Munro, Law Society of BC
Meeting Title/Topic: Avoiding Pitfalls
Synopsis: How to avoid pitfalls of providing unbundled legal services.

March 21, 2018
Guest Speaker: Carol Hickman Q.C., B.A., LLB, Quay Law Center Kari Boyle, Coordinator, BC Family Justice Innovation Lab
Meeting Title/Topic: Ethics and Opposition: Working with Opposing Counsel, Opposing Parties and the Judiciary
Synopsis: This section meeting will focused on how to deal with the challenges faced when providing unbundled services whether it be from opposing counsel, opposing parties or even the Judiciary. Topics included: 1. Best practices around getting on and off the record 2. What to do with opposing counsel refuses to communicate with the self-representing party. 3. How to deal with “scope creep” when the Judge asks you to do work outside of the unbundled retainer.

April 18, 2018
Guest Speaker: Kim Hawkins, Executive Director, Rise Women's Legal Centre Vandana Sood, Supervising Lawyer, Rise Women's Legal Centre
Meeting Title/Topic: Serving Under-Served Populations
Synopsis: The speakers spoke of the challenges they face, the successes and improvements they have seen through their work at Rise Women’s Legal Centre, a community based legal centre in Vancouver that serves individuals who self-identify as women. Rise Women’s Legal Centre provides all of their legal services entirely as unbundled services.

May 16, 2018
Guest Speaker: The Honourable Justice Catherine Murray, Supreme Court of BC
Meeting Title/Topic: View from the Bench and our Section AGM
Synopsis: Bench's perception of unbundled legal services, what works, what doesn’t, issues from the court’s perspective and ideas to make it more useful to the court and public going forward.

Comments and Observations of the Chair

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