Single legal regulator legislation now expected in 2024

The BC government has announced that proposed legislation providing for the licensing of lawyers, notaries public and paralegals under the authority of a single legal regulator has been delayed until spring 2024.

A key aspect of the proposed legislation will be the authority to license paralegals. The Law Society has been actively preparing to license paralegals through its innovation sandbox initiative and is ready to begin licensing paralegals at the earliest opportunity.

Earlier this year, the government declined the Law Society’s request to bring amendments to the Legal Profession Act into force that would allow for the immediate licensing of paralegals, opting to wait until the single legal regulator legislation was tabled. However, with the legislation now not expected until 2024, the Law Society has once again encouraged the government to bring into force the amendments, which will provide at least some measure of improvement in access to justice for the citizens of British Columbia.