Dear Editors,

Re: Comment: Of legal legends and pro bono - by Richard Devlin, Dec. 23, 2005

In his Dec. 23, 2005 article, Richard Devlin claims "that the legal profession seems uninterested" in promoting pro bono as a means to improving access to justice. While he rightly applauds what he sees in the law school of Pro Bono Students Canada, Professor Devlin is apparently unaware of what has been going on in the profession in many provinces and, in particular, of the developments in Ontario since Pro Bono Law Ontario (PBLO) was launched in 2002.

In the past four years, PBLO has worked with the legal profession, regulators, legal clinics and community groups to develop a pro bono culture, address barriers to participation, develop pro bono policies for law firms and government agencies and create pro bono projects that address unmet legal needs.

The result is that in Ontario 14 major firms, and counting (some of them national firms), have developed pro bono policies that count pro bono time as billable time.

There are more than 25 innovative pro bono projects in various stages of development that provide services ranging from litigation assistance for low-income unrepresented litigants to community economic development initiatives to urban-to-rural pro bono projects.

In 2005 alone, close to 2000 individuals and families received pro bono legal services through specific PBLO projects, and a handful of major law firms reported spending almost 8000 hours on pro bono matters, recognizing that many of the firms were not capturing much of the pro bono time spent by their lawyers.

What's more, these numbers do not reflect the countless pro bono files being carried by sole practitioners and small firms. Indeed, the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General has developed an innovative project, in partnership with PBLO, to provide advice to aboriginal people in remote communities (even the Americans want to learn about this one).

PBLO's experience is that, in Ontario, every level of the profession - from government lawyers and large firms to sole practitioners - is committed to . supporting pro bono and to enhancing access to justice for all. While much work remains to be done, it is a shame that Professor Devlin seemed to think the only initiative was within the law schools.

Professor Devlin missed an opportunity to recognize significant initiatives by the profession and the many lawyers who donate so much of their time and compassion to upholding the noble tradition of pro bono service that he so rightly admired in Bora Laskin.

Paul Schabas, Chair

Pro Bono Law Ontario