Getting timely and affordable access to legal counsel can be a challenge for many people.
In order to alleviate some of this challenge, Prince Albert was host to a legal resource fair on Monday.
The resource fair provided free legal advice in a number of areas including family, estate and tax law.
It was coordinated by a number of organizations including Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan, Family Law Saskatchewan, Law Society of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice and Explore Lifelong Learning.
Kim Newsham is a Crown counsel with the Ministry of Justice.
She said people who don’t qualify for Saskatchewan Legal Aid can access pro bono services but waiting lists are often lengthy.
“So, there is pro bono services that help some people, if they qualify, that’s income tested as well, people with a lower income can get a family law lawyer,” Newsham said. “It’s a very popular area of the law. So, sometimes there’s a lot of a wait. If you happen to have a legal problem right now, you could come down for our information sessions without going through a screening process. So, that’s a little bit helpful for some people.”
Newsham added there is also another group of people who don’t qualify for Legal Aid or pro bono services because of income but may still require access to affordable legal services because they are carrying a high level of debt.
The legal resource fair was run out of the John M. Cuelenaere Public Library.
(PHOTO: Itemobong Umoh, acting director of Saskatchewan Justice’s Dispute Resolution Office, at the Prince Albert legal resource fair.)