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DADS CANADA
FROM THE PAGES OF:
THE TORONTO SUN
SATURDAY MARCH 15TH, 2008
PAGE 31
Paralegal facing uncertain future
Non-lawyers regulated
By IAN ROBERTSON, SUN MEDIA
An ex-Toronto trucker who championed divorced dads for 15 years says he will
pull the plug on his paralegal service due to the province clamping down on
non-lawyers.
Stacy Robb, 52, told the Sun he chose Father's Day -- June 15 -- as the
deadline for closing DADS Canada.
Since the Ontario government introduced its Access to Justice Act last year,
he said calls from desperate dads dropped off dramatically.
"Without any support, I can't continue," Robb said.
"Learning from lawyers" during his own child custody proceedings, he decided
to help other hard-pressed dads. "I charged people what they could afford,"
sometimes getting nothing, other times only $50 in "donations."
With the Law Society of Upper Canada now regulating paralegals, Robb blames the
government for forcing more people into the clutches of high-priced lawyers
"instead of hiring affordable help."
But the province insists the industry needed regulating due to unqualified
practitioners, plus clients who didn't know the limits of paralegals compared to
lawyers.
GREATER ACCESS
The act was part of a package of reforms to provide greater access to legal
help, Attorney General Michael Bryant said when the act was passed in late 2006.
The regulations "protect the public by ensuring that those who provide legal
services have training, carry liability insurance and are members of a public
body with the power to investigate complaints," Valerie Hopper, spokesman for
the attorney general, said yesterday.
She said the law society, which began overseeing paralegals last May 1, has
over 200 years of experience.
Robb states on his website "we are out of money" and will only respond to
e-mails via www.dadscanada.com as a "last chance to save DADS Canada." Without
support, "I'm going to have to apply for welfare."
THE ABOVE STORY, AS PRINTED
IN THE TORONTO SUN IS TRUE AND ACCURATE
- DOCUMENTED -
A BRIEF HISTORY
DADS Canada
Family Services Inc. ( DADS Canada ) was a Toronto, Ontario, Canada,
non-profit support group and legal services provider, that helped fathers
deal with Family Court issues, to obtain a fair settlement, for all
involved.
We are
dedicated to serving our member clients with the support, counseling,
coaching and legal assistance they need at very affordable prices.
Many of the people that have used our services saved thousands of dollars
in legal fees by becoming educated consumers of legal services through our
unbiased personal coaching and preparation of court documents. Since
1994, DADS Canada has assisted people just like you to quickly gain a
knowledge of the family law system. We help people to organize their
family law legal case and to complete family law forms while saving
themselves thousands of dollars in lawyer's fees. Many of our strategies
result in lower stress and maintain your relationship with your children
Many of our members were self represented in court because of their limited
financial resources. In fact, about 80% of family law litigants in Ontario
are now self-represented. Although most of our clients are in Ontario, the
laws are the same or similar in other provinces.
The inside track on family law With our help, you will learn quickly
about family law strategies and the family court system. Some of this
information won't be explained by any lawyer. Become an educated consumer
of lawyer's services and save thousands of dollars. Don't pay
thousands of dollars up front to retain a lawyer. Learn what you can do to
prepare your case for a lawyer. We can save you thousands of dollars.
You will also learn about other methods for avoiding lawyer's fees and
reducing the stress related to divorce while protecting your assets and
your relationship with your children. Our Advocacy
Many of our member clients get involved with our volunteer advocacy work.
This may take the form of protests, helping prepare presentations to
government committees or distributing literature on much needed family law
change. For more info see our web pages "DADS
In The News" on the left navigation menu or
click here.
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