Richard Swan in Lawyers Daily on Representation in Court

Richard Swan comments in The Lawyer's Daily on the growing trend of non lawyers representing defendants in provincial court cases. The R. vs. Allahyar case is the latest example of this. Richard says, “Allahyar is very current and purposive. It is sensitive to access to justice and access to representation issues in the modern swirl of everyday provincial offences court . . . although representation by a friend or relative doesn't apply in higher level civil or criminal matters, the court here is signalling that where it is permissible, it should not be discouraged unless the proposed representative is not competent or his or her involvement will clearly interfere with the proper administration of justice."