B.C.’s legal watchdog has done a welcome about-face after a half-decade of persecuting a Victoria man for offering cheap legal services by surprisingly telling him that they might like him to keep it up.
A pleased Jeremy Maddock says he has become part of the Law Society of B.C.‘s “innovation sandbox” program adopted by the governing benchers to improve the delivery of legal services in the province.
“I am obviously frustrated about the amount of time this has taken, and the fact they forced me out of business for a year rather than consenting to a stay pending appeal,” Maddock conceded. “That said, I am cautiously optimistic that the debate has shifted since then to recognize the value of alternative legal services as a means of meeting demand that lawyers can’t.”
A year ago, the professional regulator won an injunction in B.C. Supreme Court to stop Maddock from working for lawyers or helping people in traffic court.
