CPD 347 – Code of Conduct Amendments: Direct Supervision Requirements

Recorded 2022-10-20
Qualifies for 1.25 CPD hours, all of which qualify for Ethics

The Law Society of Saskatchewan is implementing recommendations from the final report of the Legal Services Task Team. Recommendation No. 4 identified direct supervision requirements as an area to examine more closely in order to increase access to legal services. The Code of Conduct provides guidance to lawyers providing direct supervision. Since December of 2021, the Law Society has been engaged in outreach and consultation on proposed amendments to direct supervision requirements in the Code of Conduct. This involved many stakeholders, including focus group discussions with 133 participants and an online survey completed by 324 individuals – 189 lawyers and 135 paraprofessionals.

As a result of these consultations, the Code of Conduct has been amended to allow greater flexibility for staff working under the supervision of a lawyer to provide delegated legal services. Importantly, lawyers maintain responsibility for all delegation at their discretion – it is not mandatory but rather possible to expand delegation in appropriate instances where the knowledge, skills, and experience of staff so permit.

Objectives

Join this workshop to learn:

• -the new regulatory framework and practice for direct supervision;
• -how direct supervision provides the opportunity to increase access to legal services;
• -the business case for effective use of direct supervision;
• -lessons from insurance claims regarding direct supervision, managing client expectations and interacting with clients and other legal professionals via direct supervision; and
• -good practices and dealing with challenges that can arise in direct supervision.

Presenters will include the Law Society’s Director of Regulation, Saskatchewan Lawyers’ Insurance Association, and practitioners.