Free events offer lessons in the law

If the closest you’ve gotten to seeing a courtroom in action involves watching an American TV crime drama, upcoming Law Day events in Calgary and throughout the province are an opportunity to see the real thing.

The objective of Law Day, happening Saturday at the Calgary Courts Centre, is increasing understanding of the legal system — whether it’s satisfying people’s curiosity about the prisoners’ cells inside the courthouse or providing more practical knowledge about how to avoid getting sued.

“We’re constantly teaching people to be proactive about their health. We probably don’t do as good a job of telling people, ‘ Here’s why you should have a will,’ or ‘ Here’s what you need to know before you go into business with someone,’” said Chad Conrad, cochair of the event for the Canadian Bar Association’s branch in Alberta.

The Canadian Bar Association started Law Day in April 1983, to celebrate the signing of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms a year earlier. This year’s Law Day events will take place in nine communities across the province, including Edmonton, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.

The list of events in Calgary runs from 9 a. m. to 3 p. m. and includes mock trials involving fictitious characters going through civil and criminal court proceedings. Though the defendants may not be real- life people, the demonstrations involve authentic procedures used in Canadian courtrooms — and they’re not the same as the ones depicted in U. S. TV shows.

For the second year, the program will also include a “legal health check,” where people going to the events at the Calgary Courts Centre can talk to volunteer lawyers on hand to provide free legal consultations. The Canadian Bar Association will also pass out free checklists that help people evaluate how prepared they are for legal processes like buying a house, getting a divorce or writing a will.

The Canadian Bar Association will also be providing free legal consultations to people throughout the province via a toll- free Dial- a- Lawyer service. Between 10 a. m. and 5 p. m., people who call 1- 888- 644- 8950 can have a 15- to 20- minute consultation. Volunteer lawyers staffing the phones can address criminal, civil, family and immigration matters.

“We can identify an issue, we can focus ( the caller) in on the issue they have to deal with and we can direct them to the resources they need,” said Ola Malik, a Calgary lawyer who sits on the Canadian Bar Association’s access- to- justice committee.