For individuals who fall between the legal aid cracks in the justice system, the Regina Free Legal Clinic (RFLC) has been their beacon of hope.

Operating from the offices of the Salvation Army Correctional and Justice Services (SACJS), the RFLC's existence is credited to a local lawyer, Pamela Kovacs. She became involved in pro-bono initiatives while studying at law school and began volunteering as a student with an organization that works in pro-bono cases. She has since parlayed her know-how to Regina, helping to lay the framework for the RFLC, though she is reluctant to accept credit for her efforts.

"It's certainly not a new initiative," she said. "There have been a lot of people before me who've laid the groundwork for this."

The RFLC began in 2005 and offers free legal advice for individuals who can't afford it. It began when Al Snell, the current president of Legal Aid, was approached by a woman looking for legal advice in 2004. Burdened with debt, she had to represent herself as she didn't qualify for legal aid. After searching for a lawyer who would do it free of charge, Snell took an interest in providing this type of service and contacted organizations in British Columbia that had already offered this service.

Since 2005, there has been quite an expansion to the program with 15 lawyers currently providing their time and skills to those who need it. The lawyers work on a rotation, but each Saturday three lawyers see three clients each. The clinic serves over 1,000 clients. There are currently two other clinics of its kind in the province, one in Saskatoon and the other in Prince Albert.

"The need is great, there is lots of desperation," said Sandra Reid, executive director of the SACJS. "We're very thankful to these lawyers."

Reid has been involved with the RFLC since the beginning. She works as an intake officer, screening potential clients to ensure that they do qualify for the service. Reid said the service is not in existence to take business away from lawyers and simply acts to ensure everyone has a fair shot within the justice system. She credits Kovacs with having developed the program, constantly attracting more lawyers and addressing the need that exists for this type of work.

Kovacs said the recruitment of lawyers isn't as difficult as one may think. "It's amazing how a quick chat about access to justice issues facing the legal system as a whole and lawyers are eager to help and do their part because they're working within the system and they see these issues every day," said Kovacs. "When we present an organized and co-ordinated way to alleviate some of these access to justice issues, they're eager to volunteer. It's just been a steady growth."

She said that while there are some senior councel who volunteer, the volunteers are generally younger. She said there are a number of reasons why this is the trend. For one it makes sense from a practice standpoint and a learning perspective as it allows lawyers to have face-to-face interactions with clients, giving new lawyers more experience. She also said it speaks to the shift in the practice of law, that younger lawyers have a different perspective on what it means to be a lawyer.

"There's more to do and more lawyers willing to get involved so we might as well engage them," Kovacs said.