posted on August 12, 2008

Law Times: Raise legal aid rates, says report

By: Robert Todd
Published: August 1, 2008
Source: Law Times

Lawyers who accept legal aid certificates got some more ammunition in their battle for higher rates in Prof. Michael Trebilcock’s review of the Ontario system.

The University of Toronto Faculty of Law professor recommends the province create “initial equilibrium” in the legal aid tariff by raising the rate to the range of $110 an hour. Anything less than that, says Trebilcock, “seriously risks further attenuating the commitment of the private bar to the legal aid system and will exacerbate the unfairnesses and inefficiencies in the existing tariff structure.”

He concedes that amount would disappoint many in the system, noting the previous Holden-Kaufman task force recommended a 2007 equivalent of $120-$160 per hour. Lawyers in the system currently get from $73 to $92 an hour.

Trebilcock also notes more should be done to make legal aid available to the middle class.

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