Legal counsel can be hard to find in northern B.C., but a pair of lawyers are offering a unique way to fill the region's gap in litigation services.
Erin Brandt and Paula Krawus, two practicing lawyers in the Lower Mainland, have hit the road in a seven-metre-long RV called the "Law Bus."
Their mission is to travel 2,500 kilometres over 10 days and visit northern B.C. communities from Williams Lake to Fort Nelson, including: Quesnel, Mackenzie, Tumbler Ridge, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Chetwynd.
Reach isolated regions
"We've heard a lot of stories from people across the province that in some communities there are either no lawyers or few lawyers," said Brandt, co-founder of Reach Legal.
Brandt and her team recently formed Reach Legal to advise on particular areas of law, from employment to immigration to intellectual property.
The organization is a provincial network of independent lawyers who specialize in different fields.
Through presentations, the Law Bus team hopes to promote Reach Legal's services to rural towns and cities that are without specialized lawyers, said Brandt.
The duo pulls their RV into town, sets up camp, and starts talking law with anyone who is interested.
"We're hearing from people that some of them don't even know where to start looking for a lawyer," she said.
Brandt said they've often come across cases where a community's only lawyer is already working for one of the two parties in a legal dispute, leaving the other party without legal representation.
Brandt said it's not Reach Legal's goal to compete with local lawyers, but rather form partnerships with them.
"We're really enjoying meeting the people and learning about what makes each community unique."
The Law Bus will on the road until May 18.
With files from Audrey McKinnon