St. John’s associate and Chair of the Pro Bono Committee of the Canadian Bar Association (“CBA”) Newfoundland and Labrador branch Joe Thornewas interviewed recently about the new Small Claims Court Legal Assistance Clinic.

Presented by the CBA and the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, this clinic provides an opportunity for people representing themselves in Small Claims Court to get advice from a lawyer. Joe spoke to VOCM News and NTV to highlight this effort, where he explained that because the Small Claims Court has a jurisdiction of $25,000 or less, hiring a lawyer may not be economical, or even feasible, for many litigants. The clinic allows those individuals to discuss their issues with a lawyer and get some direction on how to deal with their legal concerns. Joe noted, “people can really benefit from 15 or 20 minutes with a lawyer to say, ‘here’s my problem, what are my options?'”