LAWYERS WHO VOLUNTEER

FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD

LAWYERS HAVE A KEEN SENSE OF JUSTICE AND A DESIRE TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS. SOME ARE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO THAT THEY WELCOME OPPORTUNITIES TO DO IT FOR FREE.

BY ANN-MARGRET HOVSEPIAN When La Presse asked its readers this summer whether it is better to give or receive, lawyer Gérard Dugré, LLL (Université de Sherbrooke, 1979), was impressed by the responses. Most people said they feel happier when they give. Dugré, who does about 25 hours of pro bono work each month, or one file a year, says, ?It should be part of your life. I grew up trying to help others. I was also the youngest of 10 children in my family, so I?m used to sharing!? The Canadian and American bar associations recommend that lawyers contribute at least 50 hours of pro bono service per year. 1 Pro bono is the shortened form of pro bono publico, a Latin phrase meaning ?for the public good.? 52 Les carrières du droit GÉRARD DUGRÉ Photo: Marie-Claude Hamel » Although it is similar to volunteerism, many will make a slight distinction. Magali Fournier, LLL (University of Ottawa), a partner at Fournier et Associés, points out that two different things are sometimes called pro bono and explains that she considers sitting on committees or speaking at conferences volunteer work. ?Pro bono for me is much more directed to the practice of law ? having a file and working on it directly.? Called to the bar in 1996, Fournier says that how much time she spends annually on pro bono work varies and estimates that about 25 per cent of her work this year falls under pro bono.

Fournier estimates that about 25 per cent of her work this year falls under pro bono.

Though some lawyers welcome as many pro bono files as they can handle, others donate their time and expertise in different ways. As president of the Young Bar Association of Montreal (YBAM), Philippe-André Tessier, LLB (Université de Montréal, 2000), has served on a number of committees and given his time to educate people about legal issues. Because of his specific responsibilities at YBAM, Tessier doesn?t take on many pro bono files but points out that ?sitting on a board for free is also volunteer work; it?s just not as visible as taking on a pro bono case.? He adds that the Barreau du Québec, which encourages both volunteer legal work as well as pro bono cases, has been trying to monitor the amount of such work being done across the province, but it?s not a simple task. Sometimes the work a lawyer does for free falls somewhere between pro bono and volunteer. For example, they may not take on a particular case to represent a client, but directly advise people with cases. This year, Tessier, who also works for Robinson Sheppard Shapiro, developed a new service with the Commission des relations du travail (CRT). ?At the downtown Montreal courthouse, people who are not represented can meet with one of our lawyers for a free consultation,? Tessier says. ?We don?t give legal advice as to the outcome of the case; we simply help them prepare. What we

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