Over 3,000 lawyers and law firms in B.C. have received a literacy awareness kit to help them improve communications with their clients.
The Lawyers for Literacy Awareness Kit was produced by the Lawyers for Literacy Project, an initiative of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), B.C. Branch. The Project is funded by the NLS and carries out recommendations of the 1992 CBA Task Force on Legal Literacy.
The Task Force said that lawyers need to increase their awareness of literacy issues and to adjust the way they communicate to fit the reading abilities of their clients.
The kit contains a variety of materials to help lawyers improve client communications by making some basic changes to their practice. Some of the recommendations in the kit include:
- Reduce the number of documents clients have to manage. If documents are needed, help clients to organize them.
- Preview documents orally to give clients a context for what they are reading. Stop to paraphrase what you have said and check that clients understand the information. Ask clients questions and encourage them to ask questions.
- Use computer simulations, audio tapes, or video tapes of court or trial proceedings to prepare clients for court.
- Examine and modify the firm letterhead, advertising, communications, bulletins and newsletter for clarity, legibility, and ease of reading.
The kit contains a literacy audit to help law firms open up discussions on how to improve their communications with clients. The Project also provides in-house training sessions that include assistance with conducting literacy audits.
For more information about the Lawyers for Literacy Project, contact:
Canadian Bar Association
B.C. Branch
10th Floor, 845 Cambie Street
Vancouver,
B.C.
V6B 5T3
Phone: 687-3404
Fax: 669-9601
