http://www.law21.ca/feeder/?FeederAction=clicked&feed=Comments+on+Articles+%28RSS2%29&seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.law21.ca%2F2008%2F05%2F13%2Fhere-come-the-orderlies%2F%23comment-&seed_title=Here+come+the+orderlies Dispatches from a legal profession on the brink Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:47:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://www.law21.ca/feeder/?FeederAction=clicked&feed=Comments+on+Articles+%28RSS2%29&seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.law21.ca%2F2008%2F05%2F13%2Fhere-come-the-orderlies%2F%23comment-109&seed_title=Here+come+the+orderlies/comment-page-1/#comment-109 wilks Sun, 25 May 2008 11:13:46 +0000 http://jordanfurlong.wordpress.com/?p=148#comment-109 The debate is one for lawyers everywhere, and not just in Canada. In England and Wales, we have the same problem of status. The Legal Services Act will open up the market place for legal services to non-lawyers, and, to echo the quote in your last paragraph, the key issue for both parts of the profession here is to ensure that there is a clear understanding of what lawyers are and what they aren't. This should not be about ring fencing the work we do (no longer possible or, for clients, desirable) nor should it be about protecting status (which doesn't make good lawyers). The danger is that this is exactly where it may go, because as you say status matters a lot for lawyers. The debate is one for lawyers everywhere, and not just in Canada. In England and Wales, we have the same problem of status. The Legal Services Act will open up the market place for legal services to non-lawyers, and, to echo the quote in your last paragraph, the key issue for both parts of the profession here is to ensure that there is a clear understanding of what lawyers are and what they aren’t. This should not be about ring fencing the work we do (no longer possible or, for clients, desirable) nor should it be about protecting status (which doesn’t make good lawyers). The danger is that this is exactly where it may go, because as you say status matters a lot for lawyers.

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