Pro Bono

Blakes plays a leading role in promoting the delivery of pro bono legal services in Canada and encourages associates and partners to pursue worthwhile causes. The Firm was among the first national law firms in Canada to adopt a formal policy that treats time spent on pro bono legal services as equivalent to billable hours. Blakes was among the first to also form a national committee to review and proactively seek out pro bono opportunities. Blakes conducts regular seminars to discuss pro bono projects and successes.

On September 28, 2010, Blakes was awarded seven 2010 Lexpert Zenith Awards, the most awards won by any Canadian law firm. For more information on the awards, please read our media release.

Blakes is also an active member of Access Pro Bono of BC, and actively supports Pro Bono Law Alberta and Pro Bono Law Ontario, which are not-for-profit organizations dedicated to enhancing access to pro bono legal services.

Today, Blakes is proud to say it has one of the largest pro bono programs in Canada.

Boys and Girls Clubs
For many years, Blakes has been providing advice on corporate matters to Boys and Girls Clubs organizations in various centres. Recently, we have been assisting the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver and the Boys and Girls Club Community Services of Delta/Richmond with a consensual merger to expand and enhance the services they provide to children, youth and families in need. In Calgary, we have been providing an annual Blakes scholarship for youth who have forged their way through periods of homelessness to further their educational pursuits and find self-sufficiency.

Special Olympics Canada
Blakes has worked closely with the Canadian Special Olympics organization on a pro bono basis for many years, providing support as directors and officers and providing legal advice on a wide range of corporate and sports matters.

Evergreen Brick Works Project
Blakes is making a significant difference to the environment by actively supporting “social entrepreneurs,” such as Evergreen, a charity dedicated to making cities more liveable. Their Brick Works project in Toronto is a derelict industrial site that has been transformed into an environmental centre showcasing sustainability and green design. Since 2004, over 85 Blakes lawyers have played critical roles in guiding the project to fruition.

Habitat for Humanity Canada (HFHC)
HFHC has over 50,000 volunteers and 72 affiliate organizations coast-to-coast. Since 2007, over 50 Blakes partners, associates and law clerks have worked on HFHC-related legal matters on a pro bono basis.

Teams of Blakes members also participate annually in HFHC construction projects, such as its first-ever Women’s Build Blitz to help launch the largest women’s build project ever undertaken in Canada.

Parkinson’s Society of British Columbia (PSBC)
Since 2006, Blakes has worked in partnership with the PSBC, providing advice to individuals with Parkinson’s, developing general resources to make people aware of the legal rights of individuals with Parkinson’s, and providing corporate governance advice. Many of the cases Blakes supports involve fighting discrimination in the workplace and barriers to services or facilities generally available to the public.

International Seniors Lawyers Project (ISLP)
Since 2007, Blakes has volunteered the expertise of one of its most senior lawyers, Jim Dube, to assist with the restoration of the legal system of Liberia in West Africa. Working through ISLP, a non-government organization, Jim is helping to harmonize Liberia’s legal system with its indigenous customary legal system – a task that included analyzing 150 years of Liberian jurisprudence.

Right to Play International (RTP)
This international not-for-profit works to improve the lives of children in disadvantaged areas of the world using the power of sport and play. Since 2006, Blakes has assisted RTP in a wide variety of matters, including helping it to become a recognized international leader in the not-for-profit humanitarian sector.

For a more complete list of our projects, please go to our Pro Bono Projects pdf. To learn more about our pro bono initiatives, please contact Roy Millen or Paul Belanger.