From Thursday, September 1, lawyers will refuse certificates for new cases on serious criminal charges, including sex offenses, firearms crimes and murder. “Across the province, defense attorneys have decided enough is enough. We have made it clear that we will no longer work for free to support a system that forces the most vulnerable of Albertans to accept the bargain basement defense,” the lawyers said in a joint news release from four different organizations. The group said it wants the government to provide sufficient funding for legal aid to ensure low-income residents have equal access to justice. “With defense attorneys no longer willing to prop up a broken system, our courts will be flooded with more and more self-represented individuals,” they wrote in the statement. “Cases will take longer, delays will increase, access to justice will decrease and the overall cost of the system will increase.” Defense lawyers will hold events outside the Edmonton Law Courts and Calgary Courts Center on Friday morning.

title: “Defense Lawyers To Take More Drastic Labor Measures Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “Wilma Pittman”

From Thursday, September 1, lawyers will refuse certificates for new cases on serious criminal charges, including sex offenses, firearms crimes and murder. “Across the province, defense attorneys have decided enough is enough. We have made it clear that we will no longer work for free to support a system that forces the most vulnerable of Albertans to accept the bargain basement defense,” the lawyers said in a joint news release from four different organizations. The group said it wants the government to provide sufficient funding for legal aid to ensure low-income residents have equal access to justice. “With defense attorneys no longer willing to prop up a broken system, our courts will be flooded with more and more self-represented individuals,” they wrote in the statement. “Cases will take longer, delays will increase, access to justice will decrease and the overall cost of the system will increase.” Defense lawyers will hold events outside the Edmonton Law Courts and Calgary Courts Center on Friday morning.