BC Law Institute Starts Project on Cost Effective Ways of Hiring Lawyers

The British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI) has started a Financing Litigation Legal Research Project to examine "a myriad of new, upcoming, and unconventional ways to hire lawyers for cost-effective representation, rather than relying on the traditional means of finance which remain out of reach for many people."

The project will look at options such as:

• third-party litigation financing – where the plaintiff hires a third-party to litigate a case for them, and the third-party is paid a portion of any settlement or award obtained
• publicly-funded litigation funds, particularly for cases in the public interest like class action liability cases, or human rights cases;
• crowdfunded litigation financing
• legal insurance, which would indemnify plaintiffs and defendants against legal costs in return for paying monthly or annual premiums;
• unbundled legal services, which would allow individuals to hire lawyers for discrete contracts on specific parts of their case (such as drafting pleadings, assisting with mediation, or court representation)

The Institute hopes to publish a final study paper in early 2017.

A longer backgrounder is available on the BCLI website.