The Kerby Centre's Legal Services Program: An Examination of Clients' Experiences
Date
2014-01-01
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Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family.
Abstract
The Kerby Centre offers numerous services and programs to older adults in the Calgary area. One of these is the Legal Services Program offered by the Information Centre through which clients can receive a brief, free session with a lawyer who will provide them with assistance such as legal advice and drafting or reviewing documents (e.g., wills, powers of attorney, personal directives). Historically, the legal services were provided by volunteer lawyers from the Calgary community and were offered during two afternoons per week. In early 2013, the Kerby Centre entered into a partnership with Calgary Legal Guidance (CLG) whereby a lawyer from CLG would provide legal sessions at the Kerby Centre one afternoon per week in addition to the sessions conducted by the volunteer lawyers. In the fall of 2012, the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family (the Institute) began discussions with the Kerby Centre to undertake a research project that would provide information about the process and effectiveness of the Legal Services Program. Specifically, the project was designed to collect information from the participating lawyers regarding the number of sessions conducted, the legal issues discussed during the sessions, and the actions undertaken to assist clients with their legal needs. In addition, clients were asked to complete a brief survey following their session that collected information regarding their legal needs and the extent to which the lawyer addressed those needs, as well as their satisfaction with the assistance they received. Clients were also asked to complete a follow--‐‑up mail survey two to three months following their initial session to determine whether they had accessed any additional legal services to assist them with their legal needs and whether they had any outstanding legal issues for which they required assistance. This report presents the findings from this research project.
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Citation
Bertrand, L.D. & MacRae-Krisa, L.D. (2014). The Kerby Centre's Legal Services Program: An Examination of Clients' Experiences. Calgary, AB: Canadian Institute for Law and the Family