FOR FREE LEGAL COUNSEL, CALL THE YOUNG BAR !
March 26th and 27th, from 9 am to 5 pm, 1866.433.3204 or 514.954.3448

 

Montreal, March 22nd 2011 — On March 26th and 27th, the Young Bar Association of Montreal (YBAM) in partnership with the Quebec Bar, Éducaloi will hold its’ annual Legal Helpline. During that weekend, more than one hundred volunteer lawyers from different regions of Quebec will offer free legal counsel to the public between 9 am until 5 pm. The Annual Legal Helpline of the YBAM is the perfect occasion for the population to get informed on their rights and obligations. Our volunteer lawyers will answer all legal questions regarding family, work, consumer products, order of succession and much more.
 

For its Annual Legal Helpline, the YBAM will have three call centres in operation in the cities of Montreal, Quebec and Sherbrooke. Thanks to a toll-free telephone line, the YBAM’s Annual Legal Helpline is the only one of its kind to offer, for the duration of a weekend, a free legal consultation service to the entire population of the province of Quebec. In order to insure the success of this unique pro bono event, the members of the YBAM will be able to count on the support of their colleagues from various other young bars of the province, including the young bar associations of Bedford, Laurentides- Lanaudière, Laval, Longueuil, Outaouais, Quebec and St-François. “Last year, we answered more than 1200 calls, which amounts to a 37% increase in the number of calls received compared to the 2009 edition. This year, thanks to our partnership with the Quebec Bar and Éducaloi, and with the collaboration of numerous Quebec young bars, we are hoping to give even more free legal consultations” explains Joséane Chrétien, president of the YBAM.

"It is quite honourable that our young lawyers, declared Gilles Ouimet, President of the Québec Bar, contribute each year with such great generosity to make justice more accessible and understandable." The President Ouimet added that "the Québec Bar is proud to support the Annual Legal Helpline of the Young Bar Association of Montreal, because it puts into practice the core values for the future of our profession, such as accessibility, commitment, closeness, and it allows a real proximity between lawyers and citizens, which is one of the main priority in our strategic plan."
 

One of the missions of the YBAM is to improve access to justice by offering various free legal services to the population. “For the past 24 years, we have been offering this free legal service and it’s important for us to continue to provide some guidance to our fellow citizens’’ explains Mrs. Chrétien. In answer to the growing demand of Montrealers, the volunteer lawyers of the YBMA also provide many other pro bono legal services. For more information, the population is invited to consult the YBAM’s website at www.ajbm.qc.ca, section: Public Services.

Founded in 1898, the YBAM represents more than than 4 200 lawyers with less than 10 years experience in the greater Montreal area. These young lawyers work in all existing fields of law where they leave their mark on the professional scene. They are the future of the profession, both on a national and international scale. The YBAM’ mission is twofold. First, the YBAM seeks to defend and to promote its members’ interests. Second, it offers services of consultation and legal information on a volunteer basis to different segments of the population, and organizes charitable activities. Overall, it seeks to improve access to justice and to contribute to the collective well-being.

 

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