The statistic was cited by Laura Track, a legal director at West Coast LEAF, a women's advocacy group which is proposing alternative ways of offering legal services in order to overcome the current affordability problem. It is suggesting that lawyers could work in multi-service community organisations, alongside counsellors, social workers and interpreters. Another proposal is for a women's clinic to offer free and low-cost family law advice by student lawyers. 

Walking away

Ms Track is particularly concerned about women in these cases. She said: 'One of the reasons that access to advice and access to representation to family law is so crucial is that without that assistance we see women going up against a former abuser in court, having to cross-examine somebody who was violent toward them in the course of the relationship. We also see women simply walking away from their legal rights because they want to put the whole matter behind them. They want to protect their children.' Source: The Province