UPDATE: In a letter dated May 25, 2023, addressed to the Law Society of British Columbia, the Ministry of Attorney General has declined the Law Society’s request to bring into force the amendments to the Legal Profession Act that would allow for the licensing of paralegals.
Attorney General Niki Sharma, KC provides the following behind this decision: “Given that we are close to significant reform, we unfortunately must conclude that at this time it is not possible to allocate the resources that would be required to both maintain momentum on the current project and also bring into force the amendments made five years ago.”
The Ministry remains committed towards the goal of legislating the creation and regulation of licensed paralegals at the earliest opportunity.
What is the estimated timeline for the reform? The Ministry anticipates that the reform project currently underway for the single legal regulator will lead to a bill being introduced as early as this coming fall.
What happens next? The BC Paralegal Association will continue its collaborative consultation on the legislation for the single legal regulator alongside the Ministry, the Law Society of BC and the Notaries Society. The BC Paralegal Association will continue its efforts to advocate for paralegals in BC and continue our efforts towards the licensing of paralegals in the future.
Additional information regarding the single regulator legislation will be shared at a later date. Stay updated with news pertaining to BC Paralegals and the single regulator by following our social media accounts!
For the full text of the letter from the Attorney General Niki Sharma, KC, please refer to this: https://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/Website/media/Shared/docs/about/Licensing-paralegals-letter_2023.PDF