Duty Counsel Day is Oct. 27 during Access to Justice Week in Canada.
Every day, in every courthouse in Alberta, duty counsel lawyers working with Legal Aid Alberta give free, brief legal advice to anyone making a first appearance in court.
Any one of us can find ourselves in court and in need of a duty counsel lawyer. It could be an unpaid traffic ticket and missed court appearance that leads to an arrest; or a young person’s lapse in judgement that brings them into conflict with the law. Every day, people find themselves in need and every day, duty counsel lawyers answer the call.
Legal Aid Alberta President and CEO John Panusa explains the impact duty counsel lawyers have and why Canada is celebrating the access to justice they provide to all Canadians.
Watch: Duty Counsel Day and the importance of the impact of duty counsel lawyers
Ask A Lawyer is broadcast the first Tuesday of every month on Edmonton’s Global Morning Show.
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October 27 is Duty Counsel Day in Canada – a chance to learn about our legal right counsel. Anyone can end up in the justice system and many who do are at a disadvantage. That’s why duty counsel exists. To protect our rights, to be our voice.
October 27
National online event
3 p.m. Mountain Time
Register online
Related: Access to Justice Week activities in Alberta
Previously on Ask A Lawyer:
Ask A Lawyer: In child welfare cases, family law duty counsel lawyers balance the scales
Ask A Lawyer: The Vital Role of Duty Counsel
Ask A Lawyer: Indigenous Courts and Restorative Justice
Ask A Lawyer: Mental Health and the Law
Ask A Lawyer: Immigration and Refugee Claims During the Pandemic
Ask A Lawyer: Teenagers and Crime
Ask A Lawyer: Child Support Payment
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