Legal aid lawyers expand job action after ‘dismissive’ meeting with justice minister
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Four lawyers’ groups whose members have withdrawal legal aid services over a budget dispute say they will “up the ante” on their job action after a “dismissive” meeting with Justice Minister Tyler Shandro.
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Criminal defense lawyers‘ associations in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and southern Alberta pledged earlier this month to forgo certain Legal Aid Alberta contracts over what they called “perpetual funding neglect.”
The groups say the Alberta government must bring compensation for legal aid lawyers in line with other provinces and open up the service to more Albertans.
Three days after a meeting with Shandro and Legal Aid Alberta CEO John Panusa, the associations said they would expand their partial work stoppage an additional two weeks. Members of the voluntary associations will no longer provide certain bail and duty counsel services through Sept. 2.
“If minister Shandro and CEO Panusa continue to bury their heads in the sand, our members will continue to withdraw legal services,” a Thursday afternoon news release said.
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The job action comes in response to months of simmering frustration among the criminal defense bar, who says the UCP government is neglecting legal aid while pumping new money into the Crown prosecution service and the judiciary.
They say that is driving experienced defense lawyers to the Crown’s office and