Expanded Articled Student Role Now In Force
Just a brief reminder to all you BC articled students (and let’s not forget employers of BC articled students) that the Law Society’s Rule 2-32.01 is now in force which provides the following expanded role for services which Articled Students can provide:
LEGAL SERVICES BY ARTICLED STUDENTS
2-32.01 (1) Subject to any prohibition in law, an articled student may provide all legal services that a lawyer is permitted to provide, but the student’s principal or another practising lawyer supervising the student must ensure that the student is
(a) competent to provide the services offered,
(b) supervised to the extent necessary in the circumstances, and
(c) properly prepared before acting in any proceeding or other matter.
(2) An articled student must not
(a) appear as counsel without the student’s principal or another practising lawyer in attendance and directly supervising the student in the following proceedings:
(i) an appeal in the Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court of Canada;
(ii) a civil or criminal jury trial;
(iii) a proceeding on an indictable offence, unless the offence is within the absolute jurisdiction of a provincial court judge,
(b) give an undertaking unless the student’s principal or another practising lawyer supervising the student has also signed the undertaking, or
(c) accept an undertaking unless the student’s principal or another practising lawyer supervising the student also accepts the undertaking.
[added 05/2011, effective 09/2011]