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By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

on-the-spot legal advice

Duty counsel recognized nationwide for upholding legal rights

Oct 28, 2024 | 10:57 AM

This Oct. 27 marked annual Duty Counsel Day, which is marked on the calendar to recognize the work those lawyers do in ensuring that those in conflict with the law can utilize their Charter right to legal representation.

Duty counsel offers universal access to free, on-the-spot legal advice when someone needs it, according to a release from Legal Aid Alberta.

Every day, they note, thousands appear in courts across Canada with little understanding of legal procedures.

Duty counsel lawyers provide help to Canadians more than 1.2 million times every year.

“I’ve run into people who think their first appearance in court is a trial and that they might be going to jail that day. They’ve arranged their whole life so they might not be coming home,” says Legal Aid Alberta staff duty counsel Justin Hjelsvold.

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“Can you imagine the stress that puts on somebody?”

Albertans received duty counsel aid more than 120,000 times in 75 communities last year, with legal advice being given over the phone more than 14,000 times to individuals in police custody.

Duty counsel also supports specialty courts, including therapeutic and Indigenous courts, as well as family court.

To mark the day, hundreds of students and agencies serving youth across Canada are participating in Duty Counsel Day in the classroom, which will help the generations to come better understand their legal rights, what duty counsel does, and how the justice system works.

Duty Counsel Day was first declared in the Canadian Senate in 2021.