BLG Pro Bono

Giving Back to the Communities

At Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG), our passion and drive to deliver results goes beyond the walls of our offices. Thinking of ourselves as citizens of the communities in which our professionals live and work is integral to the very fabric of the Firm. The Firm fosters an environment in which lawyers who wish to engage in pro bono work can do so to help improve access to the justice system, make the communities where we live better places and make a profound difference for people and organizations that otherwise would be unable to access the legal system.

From representing Operation Go Home, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping street youth, to helping the United Way/Centraide Canada develop a Membership Agreement for more than 125 local United Way organizations across Canada, our commitment to public interest work continues to stand side by side with our commitment to provide the highest quality legal services to our clients.

And it clearly hasn't gone unnoticed by the communities we've touched. In 2007, Pro Bono Law of BC named an associate in the Vancouver office Lawyer of the Year for his pro bono work; in 2008, the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch awarded BLG partner Angus Gunn the prestigious Harry Rankin QC Pro Bono Award; also in 2008, Pro Bono Law Alberta honoured BLG with its prestigious Pro Bono Project Award; and finally, the Montréal Bar Association, Young Lawyers division, awarded Emmanuelle Rolland, a BLG Montréal associate, with the 2008 Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award.

BLG Pro Bono Policy

Lawyers engaged in pro bono work gain practical and professional development experience. But more importantly, they make meaningful contributions to the lives of others in their community, and by the same token, they are enriched by their pro bono experiences.

We insist that lawyers engaged in pro bono work provide the same high level of service they give to paying clients.

As part of our national commitment to pro bono work, we established a formal pro bono policy in 2004, based on our professional responsibility to help those in our communities who would otherwise be unable to obtain access to justice or legal services.

Overseen by BLG's National Pro Bono Committee, the firm's pro bono activities are identified, coordinated and monitored by Regional Pro Bono Committees, ensuring the highest level of quality control and professional excellence.

Representative Work

The variety of cases we take on is as broad as the needs of the communities in which we practice. We are involved in providing legal advice, drafting documents, offering community legal education and conducting alternative dispute resolution. For example, BLG lawyers have recently been involved in the following projects:

BLG provided the largest number of initial volunteers from any Vancouver law firm to Pro Bono Law of BC's Civil Chambers Duty Counsel Program. The Duty Counsel Program improves access to justice in the Vancouver locations of the Supreme Court of BC and the Court of Appeal for BC by providing pro bono representation and advice to otherwise unrepresented low-income litigants appearing in civil chambers.
Lawyers of the Tax Practice Group volunteer time to help disabled Canadians understand the disability tax credit and assist them in negotiations with Canada Customs and Revenue.
Lawyers of BLG's Constitutional Law Practice Group represented two adoptive mothers and their children in a Charter challenge. The matter involved maternity and parental leave provisions of the Employment Insurance Act.
BLG has entered into an exclusive partnership with Dr. Gilles Julien – a paediatrician and champion of children's rights – and the Foundation for the Promotion of Social Pediatrics (FPSP) to assist vulnerable children and their families.
Since 2006, BLG lawyers have been providing pro bono legal service for Toronto's The Stop Community Food Centre in connection with a $4 million redevelopment project.
Approximately 20 BLG professionals volunteer on a regular basis at the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, assisting low-income clients in civil matters. The project, called Law Help Ontario, currently overseen by Pro Bono Law Ontario, is the first self-help clinic located at the Superior Court of Justice and is a one-stop shop for low-income litigants without representation who are involved in civil (non-family) matters.
BLG's Ottawa office serves as the designated agent for all constitutional challenges brought forward by the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) to the Supreme Court of Canada.
BLG's Intellectual Property Group in Ottawa has been providing pro bono services to Sleeping Children Around the World, a charitable organization that uses 100 per cent of donations received to provide bed kits to children in developing countries, thus helping them face the challenges of the coming day. BLG assisted the organization in registering both The Pinehurst Club and Sleeping Children Around the World Canadian trade-marks.
BLG's Calgary office founded the Child Advocacy Project in 2007 with the Children's Legal and Educational Resource Centre (CLERC), with the assistance and support of Pro Bono Law Alberta. Through the Child Advocacy Project, BLG lawyers provide pro bono legal services to youth in Calgary in regards to a variety of civil law matters.

Opportunities for graduates

Pro bono work provides an opportunity to preserve and advance the welfare of communities and their disadvantaged members. It also presents an enriching experience for our lawyers, providing opportunities to further develop their professional skills and pursue areas of passion and interest.

We are encouraged by the fact that many law school graduates are actively seeking firms with a commitment to pro bono work. We believe that young lawyers who understand their obligations to their communities and who are committed to giving something back share our goals.

We encourage all our members to engage in pro bono work and to incorporate this effort into their professional development.

A better place

At BLG, nothing less than excellence will do and this extends to our community involvement. We continue to take great pride that BLG's national commitment to pro bono work is helping to improve the justice system, making the communities where we live a better place and helping develop our lawyers' skills and sense of professional and public service.